Cleaning a mini-split blower

Roswell · 04-30-2023, 08:36 AM

Into my fifth year with a Mitsubishi mini-split. Works great. The only ongoing maintenance is cleaning the blower fan. The HVAC company that installed the unit charges in excess of $300 to clean the blower in the inside unit. The process involves hanging large plastic bags under the unit and spraying the blower fan with a cleaning solvent.

There are several issues with this process. I believe that the blower never really gets clean, and that the process leaves a residue on the fan blades that attracts dirt.

After watching this video, I cleaned the blower myself. Start to finish in under an hour. Huge difference.

I know several of y'all are mini-split owners, so check it out:

David · David's Garage

Mine is about 12 years old and last year I finally got around to the one hour cleaning probably similar to what you did. I doubt I’ll do the bag cleaning.

Rawknees'Turbo · 10-05-2024, 05:00 PM

Thanks for posting this, Roswell - video is straight forward and easy to follow, without extra BS, such as the guy trying to be a comedian.

I just did this on my 2 ton Mitsubishi, and you are right, cleaning the blower wheel and inside cavity (

) using any other method than this partial disassembly is not going to get jack shiit.

hcoles · 10-06-2024, 12:33 PM

Thanks for this. I got a Mitsubishi MS system installed last year. Working now with the 100F heat here. I cleaned the filter on one of the indoor units awhile back and there was very little dust. I didn't know the fan needed cleaning.

Rawknees'Turbo · 01:40 PM

^^^

By using a flashlight, and looking into/up through the louvers, you can see the blower fan and will be able to see if there is a buildup of dirt, mold, etc. on there. I've found that living in a very high humidity area, and using the system year round like I do, a tremendous amount of filth builds up on the fan and inside cavity for it and the evaporator. I'll likely need to do this type cleaning at least twice a year, but others might not even need to do so yearly.

BTW, with the power off, you can open the louvers by hand in order to get a look - no problem with that.