5 Ductless Maintenance and Troubleshooting Tips

When you’re trying to beat the Florida heat, a ductless mini split system can be your best friend. Not only does it allow you to regulate the temperature in different parts of your home as needed, but it also eliminates the inefficiencies inherent in pumping air through a duct network. But like any machine, mini split systems will need maintenance as part of their operating life. Here are some principles of ductless maintenance that you should know.

Ductless Maintenance Tips

• The outdoor unit should always have a three-foot clearance on each side, and branches, tools and other objects that can fit through the grille should be kept away from the unit. These can damage the condenser or fan if they’re pushed through the grille.
• When you’re mowing the lawn or doing other yard work, make sure clippings and debris don’t get sucked into the condenser.
• Once or twice a year, the outdoor condenser should be hosed down. This helps to keep the condenser coils free of dust, which can form an insulating layer that keeps your indoor heat from being vented outside.
• Check the copper pipes that transport refrigerant for any leakage, which may appear as an oily residue. When the refrigerant charge of your ductless system is out of balance, it can cause the system to work poorly or not at all.
• Inspect the base of the outdoor condenser to make sure it’s still level. If it’s sunk into the ground so the condenser sits at an angle, call your local HVAC experts right away. This can cause the compressor to fail entirely.
• Be sure the condenser casing is locked down or otherwise secured. Because copper can fetch a high resale price, thieves may target the outdoor units of home HVAC systems and steal the copper piping.
• Have a professional inspect the HVAC system every year.

Ductless maintenance doesn’t have to be daunting. To learn more about it, call Rinaldi’s Energy Solutions today!

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Orlando, Florida and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about ductless maintenance tips and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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