Can a portable air conditioner be disassembled for thorough cleaning?

June 11, 2023 1:00 PM

Portable air conditioners like disappointing Frigidaire model are not designed to be disassembled and cleaned. But I'm wondering if this is possible, and how to proceed. Special snowflakes inside.

A used air conditioner is likely to have mold contamination, whether generated inside the unit, or drawn in from the home in which it was run. Unfortunately, even a new unit like the above may be contaminated with mold, likely something it picked up in the factory where it was produced. Testing a unit costs $140.00, so I'm wondering about the wisdom of disassembling and cleaning one instead. This may be a better approach than trying to find one that is mold-free.

Is it viable to disassemble and hand-clean the surfaces (fans, coils, etc.) of a unit like the above? This will provide a more thorough cleaning than just spraying (fogging, actually) the unit from the outside with a safe fungicide like Benefect.

(Note: I am not especially handy, but should be able to follow clear instructions.)

posted by falcon42 to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

Best answer: It is certainly viable to do so. They're designed to be repaired.

Unfortunately my usual sites for service manuals are not turning up anything for that particular model, so you might have to wing it.

Just be gentle and careful in discovering everything that can be detached and unscrewed, keep the screws organized by the location they go in, and take a picture of how things fit together at every step you make.

I suspect you won't want to do a full disassembly, just enough to inspect everything.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:59 PM on June 11, 2023

I did this with a Honeywell air conditioner. I was as careful as I could be putting it back together but it has leaked ever since.
posted by dianeF at 4:26 PM on June 11, 2023

There are two types of parts in most devices, the working parts, which are typically metal and wiring, and the plastic body panels which make it look nice. You can take off any body panels you like, and even if you have a few leftover screws whey you put them back on it'll be fine. Unless you know what you're doing I wouldn't mess with the actual machinery. That's especially important for pipes that have refrigerant in them - if you take off a wire you can easily connect it up again. If you let the refrigerant out, the device won't function.
A lot of this stuff can be cleaned with a blast of compressed air, if you know someone with a compressor. Also bleach will kill mold, and it won't kill a compressor if diluted and used with moderation and a spray bottle.
posted by AugustusCrunch at 4:59 PM on June 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

Mold grows the most when the internal parts stay wet after the unit turns off. A new unit has barely been run, if at all, so I would expect it's internal parts to have less mold than your home's surfaces. Unless you are a bubble boy you are not at risk of contamination from a new unit.

You can minimize contamination by having the fan run at full speed at all times, but all AC evaporators need to be cleaned eventually. The best way to reduce cleaning intervals is to have good, clean filters on room air intake.
posted by flimflam at 8:36 PM on June 11, 2023 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks, all. Just a note - I tested a brand new unit and it had concerning levels of mold, enough that it's going back to the store. Mold-sensitive individuals please take note.
posted by falcon42 at 6:39 PM on June 14, 2023

Best answer: Follow up - I was able to mostly disassemble a unit and clean thoroughly. Some parts of the 'heat sink' or whatever that array of metal fins is, I could not disassemble without major surgery.
posted by falcon42 at 3:15 PM on June 30, 2023