How to tell whether your air conditioner was cleaned properly

In short. A proper cleaning is more than rinsed mesh filters. The technician takes off the casing, washes the heat exchanger and the fan drum with a cleaning agent and steam, clears the drain, washes the outdoor unit, and finally measures pressure, current and the outlet air temperature. If only the filters were taken out and rinsed, that is not servicing, whatever the receipt says.

Why is washing the filters not enough?

Mesh filters stop coarse dust, but not all of it. In summer the indoor heat exchanger is constantly damp, and fine dust sticks to it and to the fan blades. You cannot see this layer until the casing is off, and you cannot rinse it under a tap.

“The mesh filters help, of course, but in summer, when the coil is always wet, dust still gets in and settles, and the coils need proper servicing. We, for example, first wash everything with chemicals, then go over it with steam generators. We also take out the fan drum and service it fully, back to factory condition.”

— Egor Martynov, Director, Arctica Service (translated from Russian). Video, 27:07 · chapter on our site

Dirt on the heat exchanger and fan stops the unit from delivering cold and heat: it runs longer, uses more electricity, and the air that passes through it is the air you breathe.

What the technician should do: a checklist

The floor and furniture are covered with film; the unit stays on the wall. Our full cleaning of both units takes 1–1.5 hours and costs 1 000 lei.

What does the check after cleaning include?

Cleaning is half the job. The other half is making sure the unit works properly afterwards.

“Of course, checking all the parameters: the electrical currents, the refrigerant — what temperature the air comes out at, how many bar are in the system — so that it works properly.”

— Egor Martynov, Director, Arctica Service (translated from Russian). Video, 27:07 · chapter on our site

If the pressure is below normal, refrigerant is escaping somewhere, and a top-up without finding the leak only helps for a while. The technician should tell you straight away, not after the next breakdown.

In the podcast the host summed it up like this: if someone came, “just took out the filters, washed them and brushed them — that is not maintenance, and you were most likely cheated”. Egor replied: “Exactly right.”

How do you know it is time for a cleaning?

“When a smell starts coming from the air conditioner, that is already a critical sign — it definitely needs servicing. Extra noises appear, it does not cool, sometimes it does not heat: people switch it on between seasons and the unit gives no heat, because the coils are completely clogged.”

— Egor Martynov, Director, Arctica Service (translated from Russian). Video, 27:07 · chapter on our site

Even without these signs, cleaning should be regular. At home once a year is enough. If the unit runs all year round and all day, as in a shop or office, twice a year, before each season. Manufacturers’ manuals require this too.

When is the best time to book a cleaning?

Not in a heatwave. In summer technicians are busy with installations, and there can be a queue for servicing.

“We always advise our dear customers who bought an air conditioner from us to service it either at the beginning of autumn or at the end of spring, before the season, so there are no delays…”

— Egor Martynov, Director, Arctica Service (translated from Russian). Video, 32:12 · chapter on our site

If you heat with your air conditioner in winter, in autumn it is easier to book winter preparation for 1 200 lei: it includes cleaning both units and checking heating, defrost and the drain. What you can check yourself is in the article “Getting your air conditioner ready for winter”.

With us, an annual cleaning extends the installation warranty by a year, up to 5 years in total: the technician records it in the warranty card. More on the air conditioner cleaning page, where you can also pick a time.