How Do You Clean Mini Split Coils?

Although your mini split technician will visit your home to clean the mini split components you can’t (and shouldn’t) reach, you can take care of some basic maintenance jobs yourself in the meantime.

One such job that you can safely do is clean your mini split coils. This quick guide will tell you everything you need to know.

First, before you touch anything, you must power down your ductless mini split system and unplug it. Give the parts adequate time to come to room temperature before you begin cleaning.

Both the indoor air-handling unit and the outdoor compressor have coils you can clean. We’ll start by telling you how to clean the air-handling unit’s coils.

To do that, you’ll have to take the cabinet off. With that out of the way, it’s finally time to start cleaning.

We recommend using a soft, clean microfiber cloth. You’ll also need a coil cleaner product of choice.

Following the product instructions, apply some of the coil cleaner onto the microfiber cloth. The cloth should be dry when you do this.

Then begin to wipe at the coils using the microfiber cloth. The coil cleaner will easily remove particles such as mold, dirt, and debris.

Once the coils look sparkly, clean, and new again, replace the cabinet where it was.

Now it’s time to move on to the coils within the outdoor compressor. You can use a gardening hose to clean these coils since they’re larger. Moisten the area and then apply the same coil cleaner as before.

Use a soft, clean microfiber cloth to wipe down each coil until it’s free of any mold and other residue that might reduce the efficiency of the coils. Dry the coils too. Then you’re finished!

Well, with cleaning the coils, that is. Here are some other mini split maintenance jobs you can take care of yourself.

  • Replace the filters: Every couple of months, check the air filters that come with your mini split system. Take out reusable filters, clean them, and replace them. For single-use filters, throw the old filter away and put a new one in its place.
  • Drain the condensate pan: All the water that a mini split produces when it dehumidifies has to go somewhere, and that somewhere is in the condensate pan. Drain the water and then clean this part of your mini split. Don’t forget the drain too!
  • Clean the compressor: Before you clean the compressor coils, check the exterior of the unit for grass, leaves, twigs, and other unwanted debris. Manually remove the debris by hand.
  • Rinse the compressor: You can use a gardening hose for this job. Giving the compressor’s exterior a quick cleaning like this should remove stuck-on grime. Be sure to use a soft, dry microfiber cloth on the compressor when you’re done.

As you can see, the maintenance that your mini split requires isn’t difficult nor too time-consuming. Committing to this maintenance routine every few weeks or months will keep your unit running well!

Please make sure that electronic components DO NOT get wet!