How to remove the split system with your own. Dismantling the air conditioner during the repair

Sometimes there is a need to dismantle the split system installed in the apartment. The inside of the air conditioner may interfere with the room. Sometimes, when moving, it is a pity to leave a well-proven device, for which, moreover, a lot of money was paid. There is an idea to dismantle it and install it in a new apartment. Is it possible to dismantle the split system with your own hands, or is it better not to take risks and not waste your time, but immediately turn to professionals?

Is it worth dismantling the air conditioner on your own?

Before you start removing the air conditioner yourself, you should carefully weigh the pros and cons. First of all, it is worth finding out how much the services of professionals in dismantling a split system will cost. On average, prices can be calculated using a simple formula: each watt of air conditioner power will cost one ruble. Thus, for the dismantling of a split system in an apartment, specialists will have to pay from 2,500 to 4,000 rubles.

Professionals, among other things, have all essential tool. It will have to be purchased or rented if you dismantle the air conditioner yourself. The gauge manifold required for the dismantling operation will cost no less than 1,500 rubles, possibly two to three times more. Plus a set of hexagons and a pipe cutter. cannot be ignored and possible faults that the air conditioner can receive during dismantling. The cost of repairing a split system will also be expensive.

Risks when dismantling the air conditioner yourself

If you are going to dismantle the split system yourself, be prepared for possible unpleasant consequences.

A refrigerant leak from a split system is the least of the troubles that can happen if you remove the air conditioner incorrectly yourself. To fill the liquid, you will have to call the master and pay not only for his work, but also for quite expensive freon.
The vacuum pump is the most delicate part of the air conditioner. For the safety of the split system during the sale, it is filled with inert gas, which is bled off during installation. The slightest scratch from a speck of dust or ice of condensate that has fallen into the tube will lead to its breakdown. Replacing the pump, which costs a lot of money, also involves adjusting the entire system, for which you will also have to pay.
It is strictly forbidden to transport air conditioners filled with freon. The fact is that the dismantling process, which will be described below, involves the transfer of all refrigerant from the split system to the external unit. In this case, a pressure of several atmospheres is created there. During transportation, the design of the device may not withstand the load, for example, if the car is shaken in a pit. Then, at best, the tightness of the air conditioner will be broken, and at worst, an explosion will occur.

In apartments located on the upper floors, climbing skills are required to remove the outer part of the air conditioner. Without them, risking your life to save a few thousand rubles is simply stupid.

In general, it’s worth trying to remove the air conditioner in the apartment on your own only if it needs to be removed for the duration. And when dismantling, you need to do everything according to the instructions and very carefully. If you are not confident in your abilities or are going to completely remove the split system, then it is better to call professionals.

How is the air conditioner removed?

The first step is to ensure the safety of freon for the split system. To do this, two fittings should be found on the outside of the air conditioner. More subtle indoor unit liquid freon is pumped, the thicker one serves to remove the gaseous refrigerant. The protective caps should be removed from them, and hex socket wrenches should be inserted into the slots.

The air conditioner turns on full power in cooling mode. At the same time, it is necessary to set the most low temperature provided for this model.
A pressure gauge is connected to the nipple located on the inlet pipeline.
After the split system has worked for ten minutes, a thin valve is closed, through which liquid freon is supplied.
As soon as the pressure gauge shows that a technical vacuum has formed in the system - pressure minus one atmosphere - the thick fitting is blocked, and the air conditioner is immediately disconnected from the network.

If there is no pressure gauge, then you will have to act "by eye". The steam fitting nut is tightened a minute after the supply of liquid freon is shut off. Naturally, in this case, the risk of damage to the vacuum pump of the air conditioner increases significantly. He might not be able to take it if he lingered a little. If the steam nozzle is closed too early, refrigerant will leak.

Unscrew all the pipes that connect the inner and outer parts of the air conditioner. And immediately hermetically sealed. This can be done with the help of plugs, adhesive tape or electrical tape. The main thing is to prevent dust from getting inside the split system, so as not to get into trouble with the vacuum pump described above.

All tubes and electric wires, disconnected in the process of removing the split system, must be marked, and for reliability, also carefully sketched. This will help to connect everything back and not confuse anything.

If you plan to move the air conditioner to another place, then it is easier to cut the pipes with a pipe cutter from the inside and outside of the split system at a distance of at least 15–20 cm from the fittings. Their ends must be caulked, you can use a small bench vise for this, or you can use a special rolling press.
All electrical wires and terminals are disconnected from the air conditioner.

If necessary, the fastening nuts are unscrewed and the outer part of the split system is removed from the brackets. Such work may require special equipment if the apartment is located high and it is not easy to get close to the air conditioner.
Removed from the indoor unit protective cover. It is important to correctly understand which system the latches that hold this part of the air conditioner work on. Usually it is enough to pull the block a little up and towards you. Most often, in order to get to the latches, you have to remove the evaporator cover. In this case, one must be extremely careful: thin tubes that are located in the immediate vicinity of the latches can be damaged.

Often the heads of the fixing screws of the air conditioner face the wall. In this case, you can unscrew them using a piece of Phillips screwdriver, turned with pliers. It is clear that with such an attempt to unscrew the bolts almost blindly, the risk of damaging something in the split system increases many times over.

In addition, this work cannot be done alone: someone must hold the entire split system unit so that it does not collapse to the floor after being released from the mounts.
On last step the mounting plate is removed from the wall, and the entire air conditioner is packed for storage or transportation.

Thus, it is possible to rent an air conditioner in the apartment on your own. But because of the high risks, it is wiser to entrust this work to specialists. When moving to a new place, it is easier to leave the split system to new owners for the appropriate fee than to risk its possible breakdown when moving to new apartment. Moreover, the service life of such systems rarely exceeds 6-10 years.

Before dismantling the air conditioner with your own hands, you need to study the instructions. The difficulty lies in the fact that in the split system, the refrigerant moves between the blocks. If you perform incorrect actions during the removal process, you can disable the equipment. Some units consist of only one block, so there are no problems with them.

To understand how to dismantle the air conditioner with your own hands, you need to know what problems you will face. They are as follows:

Refrigerant may leak during operation. It will start escaping into the atmosphere. This will lead to the need for extraordinary refueling of the unit. Better not to let that happen. It is necessary to carry out dismantling so that the substance remains in the system.
Water entering the refrigerant will cause the liquid in the evaporator to freeze. Hard pieces of ice will destroy the compressor. To prevent this from happening, you can not work in the rainy season.
located with outside walls outdoor unit may fall during disassembly. To eliminate the risk of such a nuisance, work should be carried out with an assistant.
Structural elements must not be damaged. Freon will begin to escape through the crack or dirt will get inside. Therefore, care must be taken in the work.
Care should be taken when disconnecting from the branch pipes of the mains. They are soldered with threaded horns that can be torn off.
When disconnecting wires, record their location. This will come in handy when reassembling.
Do not cut short drainage tube through which the condensate escapes.

Stages of preparation

At the preliminary stage, it is required to keep the refrigerant in the system. It is located in the circuit, which consists of a compressor, evaporator, condenser, as well as connecting pipes.

Freon enters the evaporator in a liquid state, so small-diameter tubes lead here. Evaporating, the refrigerant enters the compressor already in the form of a gas. Here the branch size is larger.

Purpose of the preliminary stage: to collect all the gas in the condenser. To do this, follow these steps.

Qualified shutdown and dismantling of the air conditioner requires masters special training and availability professional equipment. Split system removal services can be quite expensive due to their significant labor intensity. And below you will find out how much it costs to dismantle the air conditioner and about the process itself in more detail.

Modern models of split systems are designed for long-term operation and are characterized by high reliability. Qualified dismantling of the air conditioner involves the implementation of a whole range of complex operations that are associated with high-altitude work. Attempts to deal with the problem on your own may result in the failure of the device after its further installation and connection.

Dismantling of household air conditioners and modern split systems is carried out by specialized companies that work in this area. A reputable company must have necessary equipment and well trained staff. We are highly qualified, which ensures the operability of expensive equipment after its dismantling.

When do you need to remove air conditioners?

Split systems are installed by the owners of residential premises ( country houses and apartments) and company management in offices. Installation and dismantling of household air conditioners most often occurs with the involvement of qualified specialists. The main reasons for the need to dismantle the device are as follows:

Moving a person to another place of residence.
Termination of lease office space with the departure of the company from the premises.
The occurrence of significant malfunctions, which cannot be eliminated without dismantling the air conditioner with further installation after repair.
Damage to the indoor or outdoor unit of the split system, making its subsequent operation impossible.
Replacement of a broken air conditioner, which has not yet worked out the warranty period, by representatives of the service center.

In the latter case, the costs of work can be recovered from the manufacturer of the equipment or its representative office. The manufacturer fulfills warranty obligations if the primary installation and connection of split systems and air conditioners, as well as dismantling for repair, is carried out by automated companies.

It is important that this be documented, otherwise you will not be able to confirm your claims in court. The equipment manufacturer will invoke warranties and refuse to perform with good reason.

So, how much does it cost to remove an air conditioner? Average prices

We list the stages of dismantling the air conditioner

Removing an air conditioner involves performing a complex set of works that require experience and high qualifications from the performer. Dismantling, just like installation, must be carried out in a certain order, adhering to which you guarantee the preservation of the equipment in good condition. It is important to adhere to the following sequence of actions:

Disconnecting equipment from the network, bleeding from the refrigerant system.

Disconnection of pipelines and removal of the indoor unit of the air conditioner from the wall for further removal of the bracket.

Preparation for outdoor work and securing knots and parts with safety ropes to prevent them from falling.

Removing the outdoor unit of the air conditioner, console bracket, etc. installed elements on the outer surface of the device.

Often, work on the dismantling of air conditioners is associated with the need for manipulations on high altitude. Such operations are carried out by industrial climbers with rich experience.

To find out the prices for the dismantling of air conditioners and calculate your costs, we recommend that you write to us using the feedback form.

Modern air conditioners are basically split systems of one of several varieties, from wall-mounted to ducted indoor units. For the high energy efficiency, cooling capacity and noise insulation of split systems (compared to window models), the consumer pays with the complexity of installing and removing such devices.

Common reasons for withdrawal

Split air conditioner withdrawn due to:

moving the owner to a new place of residence;
replacement of obsolete equipment with a new (similar) one;
moving the air conditioner to another room;
for the period of repair (repainting, whitewashing, removing the block from the wall for gluing new wallpaper, installing wall panels, tiles, etc.);
major restructuring and redevelopment of one room, the entire floor or wing of the building.

In the latter case, dismantling is carried out when the room has turned, for example, into a warehouse and is crowded, and the specifics of the room are such that no cooling is required in it at all.

Required inventory

You will need the following toolkit:

screwdriver and a set of bits for it;
a device for vacuuming and filling with freon, a cylinder with a compressed refrigerant;
side cutters and pliers;
a pair of adjustable wrenches (20 and 30 mm);
a pair of box or open-end wrenches (the value depends on the nuts used);
flat and curly screwdrivers;
a set of hexagons;
electrical tape or tape;
a set of heads for keys;
clamp or mini vise;
mounting knife.

If the air conditioner is on the ground floor, you can easily reach the outdoor unit from a ladder or a lightweight "transformer". Dismantling the air conditioner on the second floor may require a three-section retractable ladder. For the third and higher floors, a truck crane is rented. Climbing above the 5th floor may require a special outdoor lift used by builders or the services of industrial climbers. The dismantling of the outdoor unit, if freon preservation is required, is not carried out in parts. Disconnect the compressor and refrigeration circuit it is forbidden. To remove the outdoor unit indiscriminately, the help of a partner is required: a powerful split system weighs about 20 kg.

Workplace preparation

It is necessary to escort people who are unnecessary at the moment from the territory or place of work, to ensure the safety of passers-by by putting identification marks. If work is being done on bearing wall high-rise building, the place is cordoned off with a red and white tape. The fact is that if a spare part or tool accidentally falls from the 15th floor, then this item can kill a passerby or break a car glass.

At the work site, remove furniture and personal items, pets, etc. from the room. If the air conditioner is dismantled in winter, take care not to freeze yourself or cause inconvenience to others.

If safety equipment is used, work out a plan for its use. It will save you from unpleasant and even catastrophic consequences. Arrange the tools in accessible place This will make your work more efficient.

Dismantling steps

Saving freon will help reduce the cost of re-installing the air conditioner in a new place, where it will subsequently continue to work. Correct pumping of freon - without loss, as reported by the instruction manual. Freon destroys the ozone layer earth's atmosphere and is itself a greenhouse gas. Yes, and refilling the air conditioner for 2019 with new freon, when you lost the old one, will cost several thousand rubles.

Releasing the system circuit from the refrigerant

Be sure to transfer freon to the outdoor unit. This is done in the following way.

Start the "cold" mode of operation.
Use the remote control to select the bottom temperature limit eg 17 degrees. This will allow the indoor unit to quickly pump freon to the outdoor unit. Wait until it's cold.
Unscrew the bronze plugs that close the valves of the "route" tubes.
Close the valve between the outdoor unit and the thin pipe. For air conditioners manufactured in the past few years, the valves are rotated using hex keys.
Connect a pressure gauge to the outlet of the larger valve.
Wait a few minutes for the freon to go into the circuit of the outdoor unit. It is convenient to track the process of pumping freon with the help of an arrow, which should reach the zero mark of the pressure gauge.
Wait until warm air blows, and close the valve on the thick tube. Turn off the air conditioner. Its shutdown is indicated by horizontal and / or vertical blinds, which close automatically after both blocks stop.
Screw the caps back onto the valves. So you protect the outdoor unit from the penetration of foreign particles that interfere with its operation. If there are no separate plugs, wrap these holes with electrical tape.

Run the air conditioner in ventilation mode (no compressor). Flow warm air will blow out the remaining water condensate. Power off the devices.

If you can’t pull the tubes out of the wall, then have a snack with the help of side cutters copper tubes at a distance of 20 cm from the fittings, flatten and bend the resulting ends.

Disconnection of electrical circuits

Removal of electrics and pipelines produced according to the following scheme.

The casing of the indoor unit is removed. Disconnect and remove electrical wires.
Disconnect and remove the drain hose.
Freon lines are unscrewed and removed.

After that, the indoor unit can be easily moved and removed. The external block is disassembled even easier, but in the same sequence.

Disconnect power cables. Mark them - this will allow you to quickly, in a couple of minutes, connect them to the appropriate terminals when reinstalling the split system.
Unscrew the smaller diameter tube from the fitting. Similarly, remove a larger diameter tube from the other fitting.
Turn off the drain and drain the water not removed when the air conditioner is running in the blowing mode.

Removing the indoor and outdoor modules

To remove the indoor unit do the following.

Determine the location of the latches and locks of the case, carefully snap them off. To do this, use a special puller designed specifically for latches and locks. Flat screwdrivers (even with a thin point), knives and mounting spatulas, which, for example, remove rubber from bicycle wheels, can break these locks. Be extremely careful.
Referring to the arrows on the case, unscrew the screws holding the indoor unit to the mounting plate.
After releasing the case from the bottom fasteners, move its bottom edge away from the wall. Don't remove it completely yet.
Remove the power cable that supplies the indoor unit. To do this, dismantle the terminal cover, release the ends of the cable and pull it out of the indoor unit.
Disconnect the drain hose. You can pour up to a glass of water - substitute a glass or mug in advance.
Remove the thermal insulator and unscrew the freon tubes from the fittings. Immediately plug the fittings so that dust and moisture from the air do not get into the refrigerant pipes of the indoor unit.
Lift the outdoor unit up. Remove it from the retaining plate.
Set the block aside. Remove the mounting plate itself.

The indoor unit has been removed. For removal outdoor unit do the following.

Remove the mounting cover from the side, disconnect the electrical wires from the air conditioner and pull them out of the terminal block. Screw in the terminal screws and close this cover.
Disconnect the drain hose that drains the condensate from the outdoor unit to the outside.
Remove the freon lines in the same way as on the indoor unit. Move them aside.
Remove the bolts on the brackets holding the outdoor unit. Remove the block itself from these mounts.
Remove the screws holding the brackets to the wall. Remove fasteners from it.
Pull out the "route" and electrical cables from the holes in the wall.

This completes the dismantling of the split air conditioner. Pack the outdoor and indoor unit (and all hardware).

Nuances when removing split systems of different types

If the dismantling (remounting) of a simple split system is relatively simple, then more complex devices, for example, ducted air conditioners, are much more difficult to transfer. They have a large set of components and weight, require special approaches when built into the interior of the premises. The electrical line is de-energized and disconnected before removing the hydraulics, and not after it. Before installing the air conditioner in a new place, it is necessary to blow and vacuum the freon circuits of both units. Rigidly immured communications are simply cut off.

If the hole is wide enough to pull them out, then start with the easiest parts to pull out. Then the rest are taken out.

Do not store a disassembled split air conditioner for a year or more. Over time, the freon will all evaporate. Air with moisture will enter through the drying valve gaskets and oxidize the pipelines. In this case, the entire circuit must be replaced. Often, not a single master has parts for an old air conditioner, because the entire line of compatible models has long been discontinued, and the owner is forced to buy a new split system.

Dismantling of the channel conditioner

The disassembly of the channel split system begins with the dismantling of the air ducts. Work begins where the duct grilles communicate with the air in the refrigerated rooms. Having removed the channels, they begin to extract the indoor and outdoor modules of the equipment. Run the air conditioner after pumping freon into the outdoor unit - the valves holding it must be closed and isolated with plugs. At the end of purging the system, the power cable is disconnected.

Dismantling a split system consisting of an indoor and outdoor unit is much more difficult than a monoblock window air conditioner. The main problem is in the distributed refrigerant circuit, which will have to be depressurized. Let's talk in detail about how to remove the split system and keep it working.

In what cases can you do the dismantling yourself

There are a few mandatory conditions, at which it makes sense to dismantle the split system with your own hands:

The location of the outdoor unit allows you to disconnect pipes and cables, dismantle the unit itself and the mounting structure without the use of equipment for industrial climbing or special equipment.
There is available (own or rented) a pressure gauge or a manometric station (collector) to work with exactly the type of freon that is pumped into the system.
An assistant is needed to dismantle the rather heavy outdoor and indoor units, as well as to safely shut down the compressor.

Why is freon storage important?

If the air conditioner has exhausted its resource, then it can be dismantled without saving freon. Of course, according to scientists, this method will cause some damage. environment, but it will be completely insignificant (even compared to improper disposal of a fluorescent lamp).

Dismantling without preserving the freon of the "working" external unit of the split system is technically easier, but after that the air conditioner will have to be thrown away. And the reason for this will be the almost guaranteed failure of the compressor vacuum pump.

The tightness of the pump chambers during its operation is ensured not by gaskets or piston rings (they simply cannot withstand a significant difference in temperature and pressure), but by high machining accuracy and perfect balance of parts. The slightest scratch on the surface of the chamber from dust or ice of frozen water vapor, which will surely get into the pump along with atmospheric air, will lead to the loss of operability of this main compressor unit after the secondary connection and injection of freon.

Removing the outdoor unit

There are two fittings on the external unit, to which tubes fit: thin for liquid freon from the condenser and thick for gaseous freon from the evaporator from the indoor unit.

Both fittings have shut-off valves closed with threaded caps. Valves are adjustable with socket heads spanners. A nipple departs from the gas fitting, also closed with a lid.

Remove all covers before starting work.

A pressure gauge is connected to the nipple and the air conditioner is turned on in the “cold” mode.

After 10 minutes, when the air conditioner enters the specified operating mode, the liquid fitting valve is tightened, which turns off the supply of freon from the condenser of the outdoor unit.

Then the pressure gauge is removed and all three covers are screwed onto the fittings.

At this time, all the freon is collected in the condenser of the external unit, and in the rest of the system (evaporator and tubes) there is a technical vacuum.

Now you need to disconnect the outdoor unit from the pipelines. There are two options:

Unscrew the union nuts that fasten the flared tubes to the flanges of the fittings. Close the entrances to the fittings with pre-prepared covers with the same diameter and thread pitch as the nuts. But if there are no covers, then they go the second, more radical way.
With the help of side cutters, cut (in turn) tubes 10-15 cm from the fittings. The cut end is bent from the side of the fitting and firmly clamped with a metal vise. The same procedure is done with the "reciprocal part". This method is considered more reliable, as it reduces the risk of dust entering the fitting itself during the disconnection of the tube.

It remains only to disconnect the cables (power and signal) from the external unit, unscrew the fastener of the unit to mounting structure, remove the block.

Features of the location and connection of indoor units

Internal blocks of split systems have different variants placement and fastening.

In principle, most types of blocks (except for the channel) have a similar dismantling algorithm:

remove the cover;
disconnect cables;
disconnect the pipes of the refrigerant circulation system (the same two options as for the outdoor unit);
pruned drainage pipe;
empty the drainage container;
release the latches securing the indoor unit to the mounting plate (for each type and trademark own system)
remove the block;
dismantle the plate.

The most difficult dismantling of the channel air conditioner. And it’s not so much difficult to remove the indoor unit, although you still have to get to it, how much to dismantle the system of air ducts, adapters, diffusers and grilles.