A split system is a well-established name for household air conditioners that have a spaced design, that is, they consist of two blocks - indoor and outdoor. The improvement of systems and the wide release of this class of equipment made split systems an indispensable attribute of a city apartment, especially in the southern regions.
Unfortunately, as a result of air conditioner faults may cease to perform the main function - cooling the air in the room. Without being a specialist, it is quite difficult to determine the cause of the breakdown. However, most cases of cooling failure or a drop in its performance have been encountered more than once in the practice of craftsmen and are typical.
Content
Wrong mode selected
Before looking for a breakdown in the system, you should first check the settings of the unit. There are quite a few users who have difficulty using the remote control. Often these are older people who are unfamiliar with technical innovations.
Weak cooling can be caused by:
- Incorrectly set mode. Instead of running for cooling, the system can be run for ventilation or heating.This is evidenced by the universal symbols of the pictogram - "sun" for heating, "snowflake" for cooling, "drop" for dehumidification or "fan impeller" for normal air circulation.
- Wrong temperature parameter selected. If the room is +28°, and +26° is selected on the remote control, then even if the split works well, the microclimate in the room will change slightly. For more efficient cooling, it is worth choosing a temperature that is 5 - 7 ° different from what is now in the room.
What to do. Experiment with the climate control settings. Perhaps the optimal selection of the mode will solve the problem.
Unstable voltage or current in the network
Even a split system with a capacity of 7 BTU - "seven" - is a fairly powerful electrical appliance. It requires the constancy of the voltage and current indicators, which are connected to the outlet or shield. If the voltage is weak, and besides, it still fluctuates, the motor-compressor of the outdoor unit may not start at all.
But even if the start did occur, the reduced voltage will not allow the compressor to work at full capacity. This means that it will take more time to reach the freon pressure required for optimal operation. The air conditioner in such conditions will constantly "underperform".
What to do. The way out of this situation can be a good voltage stabilizer. It will also be useful for other appliances in the house.
Mechanical clogging of heat exchangers
As is known from physics, the basis of the normal cooling operation of a split system is the heat exchange between freon, which is in a liquid or gaseous state, with the environment. One of these heat exchangers is located outside and gives off heat or cold to the atmosphere.Another, in the indoor unit, provides cooling or heating of the room.
The worse the heat exchange occurs, the weaker the air conditioner will work for cold (as well as for heat). Deterioration is usually associated with contamination of the copper-aluminum surface.
This happens inevitably as a result of two main factors:
- The surface of the heat exchangers is ribbed to improve the process and the design resembles a car radiator. The tubes and channels are connected by plates, which are separated from each other by rather narrow slots. Dust clogs this space according to the principle of a chain reaction: some fibers cling to others from the air.
- Both heat exchangers are blown by fans. As a result, a continuous stream is created, which, like a vacuum cleaner, draws in all the dust in the room, and it is deposited on the copper radiator. On the street, poplar fluff or dust from a neighboring construction site is added to this.
What to do. Clean your split system regularly. Scheduled cleaning should be carried out at least once every two seasons, and preferably every year. In order to fully treat the surfaces of heat exchangers, it is recommended to use a high pressure washer or a professional steam generator.
freon leak
One of the most common serious malfunctions that is extremely easy to fix without the involvement of a specialist.
Possible cause - freon leak
In any split system there is a certain amount of freon. In the gaseous state, it is quite volatile, actively trying to leave the channels of the air conditioner, especially under pressure. A leak is also possible in a liquid state - this is evidenced by oily streaks in places where the sealing of the circuit is broken.
The fact is that when a leak occurs, the pressure in the system drops.The compressor is trying to reach the programmed values, so it works without stopping, but the split is very sluggish.
In a serviceable device, the natural evaporation of freon through seals, seals and other connections is very small.
Therefore, in the event of a leak, the masters will usually check the following nodes:
- Adjacency of the copper route to the factory branch pipes of the indoor and outdoor units. This is a very responsible node, but it is here that you most often need to look for a leak. Master installers roll copper pipes on site during installation. And although a special mechanical device is used for this, designed for a standard diameter, the rolling procedure requires a certain skill. Lack of experience or banal "hack-work" plays a cruel joke with the owner of climate control equipment: after refueling, adding freon to the system will be required very soon.
- A breakdown of the heat exchanger itself is a much more serious matter.. Such damage must first be correctly diagnosed, because the crack can be completely invisible. For this, crimping with a special compound is used - in special glasses it is visible luminous and shows the place of the leak. Soldering a crack is a laborious task, if the air conditioner is under warranty, it is usually accepted for exchange without any problems.
In the event that the leak occurs due to poor-quality rolling of the tubes, it will be necessary to cut and re-roll the ends of the route. After that, a freon cylinder and a pump are connected to the system, the lack of refrigerant is replenished until the pressure gauge shows the desired pressure.
Fan failure
It is quite easy to find out that the fan drum of the indoor unit has broken: there is no air flow, there is no breath of coolness, it's time to call the master.But the outdoor unit hanging outside the window does not often attract attention. The split buzzed, the compressor turned on, but the idle fan prevents efficient heat removal. Therefore, the efficiency of the air conditioner drops sharply, and the owners note that the unit “cools weakly”.
Fan failure can occur for various reasons:
- bearing wear and tear
- axle jamming;
- breakdown of the electric motor;
- in rare cases, damage to the impeller.
Valve malfunction
Almost all modern split systems operate in cooling and heating mode. This is possible thanks to a special device - a four-way valve, which redistributes the flow of freon circulating through the line.
With a partial breakdown of the valve, the refrigerant moves only according to one scheme - for heating, as a result of which the split does not cool the room, no matter what temperature is set on the remote control.
Only valve replacement, which is desirable to entrust to a qualified specialist.
Blockage of the capillary system
Blockage of the capillary system
The capillary system is a thin tube with a section of a millimeter or less. It regulates the difference between the states of condensation and evaporation of freon, providing the necessary pressure. A clogged “capillary” can either simply worsen the cooling of the air conditioner or force the automation to turn off the motor-compressor.
Question answer
Most likely, the physical capabilities of the equipment have been exceeded. 16° is the minimum programmable value. With a significant difference between the actual and desired temperatures, it is unlikely that it will be possible to achieve the latter.
Maybe if the thermostat is broken.Then the device will not turn off, continuing to catch up with cold or, on the contrary, it will blow very weakly with barely cool air.
The indoor unit filters have little effect on the air conditioner's output temperature. In order to feel the difference, they need to be very heavily clogged. However, they still need to be cleaned - so that there is less dust in the air.
Video tips for determining the cause of poor air conditioning cooling
