Thursday, March 28
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Air Conditioning Maintenance – Chemical Overhauls for Your AC

The aircon chemical overhaul Singapore is a partial replacement of the air conditioning system’s coolant, which provides protection against corrosion and freezing. The chemicals inside are known as hydrocarbons, which are inflammable liquids that lower the temperature through evaporation.

As part of an ongoing service contract or during an idle maintenance visit, take note of how much coolant is left in the system so you can plan for an overhaul at 70% to 80% depletion. If possible, use your supplier’s estimation tool to determine when this should occur. Check if spare parts depletion has already taken place to reduce downtime further.

Based on our experience with several projects, we’ve found that having spares will cut down your chemical overhaul time by half. Your aircon technician should be able to determine if the valves, sensors and pipes are in good condition or will need replacement.

For condenser units, inspect the coil for corrosion. A clear sign of oil leakage is black streaks on the side of coils, which can affect indoor unit performance due to excess humidity. These might need immediate replacement.

The evaporator coils also need to be inspected for lumps of dirt that have accumulated over time or yellowish residue caused by leaking chemicals – both signs that it needs cleaning or complete replacement. The indoor blower fans are another potential wear item that usually affects performance first before causing other problems. Lastly, check whether you’re currently using an R22 refrigerant as an alternative as it will be phased out from 2021.

When the time comes to replace the chemicals, it’s usually very costly due to their age and difficulty in sourcing. You can avoid this by having a chemical overhaul before depletion occurs instead of changing the entire system. Nevertheless, bear in mind that your warranty on parts will be voided if you do so. And never attempt an aircon chemical overhaul Singapore without supervision from a technician or you risk damaging your compressor.

You have 2 options:

  1. Inject new coolant into old lines
  2. Replace all internal components (pipes, valves, sensors etc.) along with coolant.

The former is less invasive but also has a greater chance of leaks occurring.

First, check if the compressor has accumulated oil or dirt which can damage fresh chemicals. The risk is lower with R22 coolant but still present. It’s best to get it checked by an authorized service center before proceeding with chemical injection to avoid further issues. For replacement jobs, your technician should strip down the system to its component parts and remove all traces of old chemicals.

He will then clean these components using pressurized air and/or replace them entirely depending on what’s suitable for the condition they’re in. Soaking metal coils in cleaning solvents followed by rinsing in distilled water is also effective against rust and corrosion for condenser units while evaporator coils are better off soaked in acetone instead to dissolve mineral deposits. He’ll then dry off the components using pressurized air before reassembling them with fresh chemicals.

Once done, purge out any remaining old chemicals by running the system at maximum cool for an hour to remove moisture and carbon dioxide.

If you have any questions or would like a quote, drop us a line at 7days aircon servicing Singapore.

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