Cleaning Aircon - Service/Contractors/Recommendations?

[saanya]

Hi,

Over the past two years in Thailand I have lived in a few rental homes, the ones that had aircon invariably had an issue with it not being clean.

You can detect what smells like mold, and even after changing the filters, you have to clean it more.

But I am not an expert. It is however making me ill, and I would like to research cleaning the unit instead of fleeing to another house.

It's part of life in Thailand, lots of rental options, but you have to get a few things right.

Are there people who's job expertise (i know, using expertise loosely here) it is to clean and maintain simple aircon units so they are relatively clean?

Does anyone know about the water systems in these units, and how to clean/clear the water?

I am sure this is simple maintenance stuff, but it really does seem to have an effect on my health.

I can be in other rooms (like new hotels) with aircon and am fine, it's just these old rental homes where you are amazed the unit even works, as it starts to wrestle back to life after a few months dormant.

Geckos flee, spiders have to make new plans, mold spores detonate, all so romantic...

-saanya

Edited June 20, 2010 by saanya

[Northpoint]

It is not big deal to to clean the filters yourself, unless your are disabled. I do it myself every few weeks and it takes only a few minutes. Most hotels in Thailand are pretty useless or too lazy to perform this simple task.

[saanya]

It is not big deal to to clean the filters yourself, unless your are disabled. I do it myself every few weeks and it takes only a few minutes. Most hotels in Thailand are pretty useless or too lazy to perform this simple task.

yeah I cleaned those, they were really corroded but spiffed up easily.

i still smell water from someplace in the unit, it looks like it circulates water, so I will visit the unit outside, which seems to be where the water goes in and out.

i bet if I open it there will be some maintenance container or something...

just have to make sure there's no cobra hanging out

[chickenslegs]

It is not big deal to to clean the filters yourself, unless your are disabled. I do it myself every few weeks and it takes only a few minutes. Most hotels in Thailand are pretty useless or too lazy to perform this simple task.

yeah I cleaned those, they were really corroded but spiffed up easily.

i still smell water from someplace in the unit, it looks like it circulates water, so I will visit the unit outside, which seems to be where the water goes in and out.

i bet if I open it there will be some maintenance container or something...

just have to make sure there's no cobra hanging out

Almost any place that sells AC units will be able to service/clean your unit (maybe not the supermarkets).

As a guide, we have paid as little as 200THB per unit for servicing, but found a company (Sattahip) that charges 500THB but they do a fantastic job - including taking the whole thing apart, cleaning and re-charging the units with coolant - so we use them annually.

AC units do not circulate water. However, quite a lot of water is formed inside the indoors part of the unit by condensation. This water should drip into a pipe that takes it outside (by gravity).

Sometimes the installation is done poorly and condensation water stays inside the unit (as it can't flow uphill) causing stale smells.

Other bad smells can be from small animals (particularly jing joks) dying inside.

I wouldn't recommend DIY, other than cleaning the filters every couple of months.

Edited June 20, 2010 by chickenslegs

[moe666]

It is not big deal to to clean the filters yourself, unless your are disabled. I do it myself every few weeks and it takes only a few minutes. Most hotels in Thailand are pretty useless or too lazy to perform this simple task.

yeah I cleaned those, they were really corroded but spiffed up easily.

i still smell water from someplace in the unit, it looks like it circulates water, so I will visit the unit outside, which seems to be where the water goes in and out.

i bet if I open it there will be some maintenance container or something...

just have to make sure there's no cobra hanging out

Almost any place that sells AC units will be able to service/clean your unit (maybe not the supermarkets).

As a guide, we have paid as little as 200THB per unit for servicing, but found a company (Sattahip) that charges 500THB but they do a fantastic job - including taking the whole thing apart, cleaning and re-charging the units with coolant - so we use them annually.

AC units do not circulate water. However, quite a lot of water is formed inside the indoors part of the unit by condensation. This water should drip into a pipe that takes it outside (by gravity).

Sometimes the installation is done poorly and condensation water stays inside the unit (as it can't flow uphill) causing stale smells.

Other bad smells can be from small animals (particularly jing joks) dying inside.

I wouldn't recommend DIY, other than cleaning the filters every couple of months.

When I check into a hotel I always clean the filters and man-o-man does it work better. Your problem itn the old houses is the drain pan collecting water could be plugged drain pipe or poor installation as one poster mentioned. Also the coil will collect dirt and mold can grow on the coils as well. just look around neighborhood should be someone in the business who can clean the unit for you. After cleaning you will think you have a new unit.

[saanya]

It is not big deal to to clean the filters yourself, unless your are disabled. I do it myself every few weeks and it takes only a few minutes. Most hotels in Thailand are pretty useless or too lazy to perform this simple task.

yeah I cleaned those, they were really corroded but spiffed up easily.

i still smell water from someplace in the unit, it looks like it circulates water, so I will visit the unit outside, which seems to be where the water goes in and out.

i bet if I open it there will be some maintenance container or something...

just have to make sure there's no cobra hanging out

Almost any place that sells AC units will be able to service/clean your unit (maybe not the supermarkets).

As a guide, we have paid as little as 200THB per unit for servicing, but found a company (Sattahip) that charges 500THB but they do a fantastic job - including taking the whole thing apart, cleaning and re-charging the units with coolant - so we use them annually.

AC units do not circulate water. However, quite a lot of water is formed inside the indoors part of the unit by condensation. This water should drip into a pipe that takes it outside (by gravity).

Sometimes the installation is done poorly and condensation water stays inside the unit (as it can't flow uphill) causing stale smells.

Other bad smells can be from small animals (particularly jing joks) dying inside.

I wouldn't recommend DIY, other than cleaning the filters every couple of months.

When I check into a hotel I always clean the filters and man-o-man does it work better. Your problem itn the old houses is the drain pan collecting water could be plugged drain pipe or poor installation as one poster mentioned. Also the coil will collect dirt and mold can grow on the coils as well. just look around neighborhood should be someone in the business who can clean the unit for you. After cleaning you will think you have a new unit.

So I went with getting the professionals to come and clean it. They said before 12 Noon, which I knew would actually turn out to be 3PM, so I went and did all my usual daily errands and came back at 2:45PM, and sure enough they rolled up at 3:07.

I love that I have been here long enough to understand the concept of time here. And yes, the cost of 500 baht.

They took the whole thing apart and sure enough, in many places, standing water, I took some of it in a glass to see it, and it's most certainly the culprit for my throat illness.

They cleaned the outside unit and the inside unit, ran a pressure hose to clean out the condensation hose, and various other tasks using about 3 unique bits of equipment. Took about 30 minutes all told, but was very involved and professional.

Now, the thing operates like new, there is no smell, and the sound is much quieter and i'm sure the power usage will go down slightly.

From a hygienic standpoint, this is nice to have done. I called a few places that sold the exact same unit and found their service teams that way.

Apparently, certain manufacturers have special equipment for servicing that hooks up to the systems, and training is involved.

So while a cleaning lady can get at the filters and clean those, to actually purge the unit of mold and other stuff, you'd be better off with the service techs coming with their special equipment.

While this doesn't focus entirely on Thailand.

Yet, the aircon units I asked about are very prevalent here. also, as an expat, you need to be able to assure your landlord you are not going to break their aircon unit, that you can take care of yourself by handling a health hazard in a way that they won't lose face or feel you are over stepping your role as a tenant.

If you ask to have it cleaned, you may notice a certain puzzled look. Handle it in the manner best suited to Thailand. Avoid the implication that "your aircon unit is drity and making me sick" and instead voice it almost like "I like to always pay to clean homes I stay in because it's in keeping with my status".

I did as mentioned above, researched the cleaners, got a quote, and a time of arrival, and noted that the landlady would call with questions and then ask for them to come, with the understanding I would pay and "be home all day".

My landlady showed up and sat nervously watching the guys take apart everything and clean it, and left only after they were done.

So the lesson from this post is two-fold, how to keep yourself healthy by knowing how to clean an aircon unit in Thailand, as well as handling it in a way your Thai landlord can preserve face.

Not one of the most important topics, just one of those small daily issues you might run into.