How to Maintain Your Ductless Heating & Cooling System

A ductless, or mini-split, heating and cooling system is a splendid choice for your Michigan home and a worthwhile investment. It offers many benefits, and you can enjoy them all for years to come if you maintain the system on a consistent basis. You definitely want to protect your investment. By not keeping up with the regular maintenance, you will shorten your system’s lifespan and greatly reduce how well it functions.

What You Can Do on Your Own

While you do need to schedule a regular cleaning and checkup for your unit with a professional at least once a year, like with our skilled technicians at Kapala Heating & Air Conditioning, in Lapeer, there are some things you can regularly do on your own to tend the maintenance of your unit. Take care though. You must turn off your system completely, both indoor and outdoor components, and let them sit for about an hour before you begin. Also, turn off the outdoor circuit switch to prevent electric shock:

• Check to be sure both the indoor and outdoor units have ample unobstructed space in their surrounds, at least a four-foot clearance, to give them room for appropriate airflow and to do their thing.
• Clean both the indoor and outdoor units. For the indoor, take a damp, soft, white cloth and wipe it down. (Be sure to regularly dust the unit to avoid any significant dirt buildup.) For the outdoor unit, you’ll be cleaning the condenser and coils. After being sure the component is off, along with any electricity, take your garden hose and gently squirt it down. Be sure you don’t use a hose nozzle, as that can apply too much pressure and bend the fragile fins. You just want to rinse off any dirt or debris. If you maintain this task weekly, it’ll be much easier to clean and will work more efficiently. After rinsing the unit, wipe off any leftover residual dirt and dry the unit completely, again taking care with the delicate fins.
• Remove the filters from your indoor component, and dust them thoroughly. This should be done every six to eight weeks, but if you have allergies, pets, or smokers in your home, you might want to check them more often. If your filters are too dirty to dust clean, you should probably replace them, then get on a regular schedule of dusting them. Your filters are one of the most important parts of your ductless system, as they protect both your lungs and the rest of your system from dust and debris accumulation.
• Take a look at all the pipes connected with your system for blockages and leaks. Every so often clean your pipes of the dust and debris that may be building up in them. These contribute to bigger blockages and leaks, which all prevent proper functioning.

What a Professional Will Do

There are definitely things a trained professional will address that you as a homeowner should not. Some of the things checked at your annual maintenance appointment are hoses for blockages and refrigerant leaks, as well as electrical connections and run capacitors. If anything needs repairing or replacing, your technician will bring it to your attention.

Your ductless system will last for years to come given the maintenance attention it needs. Contact Kapala Heating & Air Conditioning, at 810-664-8865 today, or request service online to schedule your appointment. Or if you’re considering purchasing a ductless system, call and speak with one of our professionals about how we can help you!