A window unit, ordinarily called a window air conditioner, is great for cooling a singular room or a group of rooms that do not have partition walls. A window air conditioner consists of a Blower, fan, compressor, evaporator coil, condenser coil, thermostat and filter.
Internal maintenance to the sealed refrigeration circuit (coils, compressor and motor) should be left to a trained technician. There are minor steps that you can take to keep your window air conditioner running strong.
How to profess a Window Air Conditioner
During the winter months, window units should be removed and stored indoors in a clean, dry area. If you are storing your window
air conditioner in the basement, be sure to elevate it to make sure it does not get exposed to water. All the time keep your unit in the upright position to prevent oil and refrigerant migration.
Warning: Before any work is done on your appliance, it should be unplugged and discharged. Failing to do so could result in severe, and potentially lethal, electrical shock.
Maintaining Basic Components
(These Procedures Should Only Be Attempted By A Trained Technician)
The filter, power cord, coils, switch, thermostat, drain ports and fan are leading to aid on a habit basis to avoid serious problems. Typical guidelines for maintaining these parts are as follows (Be Sure To Refer To Your Owner'S Guide For Specifics On Your Unit):
Filter
Before every cooling season and once a month while the cooling season, the filter should be removed, cleaned and replaced. If you live in a particularly arid climate, this may need to be done more frequently. Most window
air conditioners have a washable filter that looks like a sponge.
Clean filters with a mild detergent and water, rinsing well. Let the filter dry thoroughly before replacing. If your window
air conditioner comes with a fiberglass furnace style filter, do not wash it; replace it with a new filter of the same type.
Power Cord
If your
air conditioner stops working and you intuit that it is not getting power, there could be a problem with the power cord. Power cords may come to be worn and fail to supply electricity to the
air conditioner. To check the cord, take off the control panel. Unscrew the cord terminals and then attach a test wire over the bare lead wires.
Hook the clips of a volt-ohm-millimeter (Vom) set to the Rx1 scale to the prongs on the cord's plug. If the meter reads zero, the cord is functioning. If the meter reads higher than zero, replace the cord.
Evaporator and Condenser Coils
Clean the e
vaporator and condenser coils the same time you clean the filter; before the start of the cooling season and once a month while the season. If your area is particularly dusty, this may need to be done more frequently. The coils can be cleaned with a vacuum
cleaner hose. If the fins on the coils come to be bent, use a fin comb from your local hardware store to straighten them.
Switch
The selector switch, behind the control panel, turns the window
air conditioner on and off. If the
air conditioner does not run on any setting, and you have already made sure that the power cord is working, you may have a faulty switch. To check, take off the control panel and see if there is burnt insulation or black marks on the terminals. If so, replace your switch with one of the same type.
Thermostat
The thermostat is also settled behind the control panel. If you believe you have a problem with your thermostat, here is how to test and replace it:
1) take off the grille and control panel. There will be a temperature sensing bulb extending from the thermostat to the face of the evaporator coil
2) considered take off the thermostat, noting the position of the sensing bulb. It must be supplanted in the exact spot.
3) Check the thermostat with the Vom setting on the Rx1 scale. Clip the probes to the thermostat terminals and turn the temperature control to the coldest setting. Your meter should read zero if the thermostat is working properly. If the reading is greater than zero, replace the thermostat with a new one of the same type.
Drain Ports
The evaporator coil condenses water vapor from the
air and funnels it straight through a drain port. At this point, the water is blown against the condenser coil, where it is dissipated.
Drain ports can come to be dirty and get clogged with debris. This results in water leakage, ordinarily straight through the bottom of the front grille. To prevent clogging, clean the drain with a piece of wire. Do this at the starting of every cooling season and when your unit starts to leak.
Fan
If your fan is not working or if it is particularly noisy, it is ordinarily caused by loose or dirty fan blades. result these steps to
repair the fan:
1) find the fan inside the cabinet.
2) Use a soft cloth and/or vacuum to clean out any debris.
3) Check tightness of all blades. Vibration can loosen fan fasteners. Use a screwdriver or Allen wrench to tighten screws that connect the fan hub to the motor shaft.
4) If your fan has oil ports, apply a few drops of 20-weight non-detergent motor oil.
5) If you intuit a faulty motor, test with the Vom on the Rx1 scale. connect Vom probes to disconnected final wires.
If the meter reads between 3 and 30 ohms, your motor is functioning properly. If your meter reads zero or it is highly high, replace the motor.
To take off the fan motor, take off the fan blades, power wires and mounting bolts. Setup a new motor by reversing this procedure. If the condenser coil prevents motor removal, do not attempt to take off the motor. Call a professional.
If any other problems occur with the motor, compressor or coils, a pro aid man should be called.
By doing easy maintenance and
repairs as described in this article, you can significantly increase the life and efficiency of your window
air conditioner.
How to profess a Window Air Conditioner
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