Mini Split Deep-Clean Solves Comfort Issue In A Boise, ID Home Office

Problem: The home office in a Boise, ID high-rise condo wasn’t as comfortable as it used to be. The condo owner was starting to feel sick after spending too much time there. The ductless system was twelve years old and was never cleaned. 

Solution: Performed a deep clean on the mini-split in the office. After that, the condo owner could breathe easier and felt way more comfortable, even for hours at a time.

Working from home has transformed from a luxury into a necessity. People like our condo owner here in Boise went from taking advantage of some flex time to using their home office 40 hours a week. Sometimes even more. 

When you’re in one room that long, all the little problems become more noticeable. Like how it’s getting too chilly in the winter. Or too hot in the summer. 

Or that your throat starts feeling scratchy, and your eyes get watery when the mini-split is running.

Like many people, our condo owner started thinking about his indoor air quality around the same time he began working from home more often (this was in 2020). And, he noticed that his respiratory symptoms resembled the signs of a mold infestation. 

But where did the temperature changes fit in? 

On a hunch, he thought it might have to do the ductless mini split he used in this room. He installed it twelve years earlier, and it always kept him comfortable and feeling productive. Now, however, it didn’t seem to work as well. 

The good news was that his theory was correct. And, the better news was that the fix was quick, easy, and inexpensive. 

At first, our homeowner was worried that he’d need to replace the air handler inside. After all, if it was moldy and gross, it was probably too messy to clean. At the least, he’d get stuck with an enormous repair bill. 

But, once he called us and said he’d never had it cleaned, his worries eased up. In most cases, a deep cleaning is all that’s necessary to take care of these sorts of issues. 

Both our hunches were correct! He identified the right problem. And we had the perfect fix for it.

In this case study, we’ll go over:

• Why You Need An Annual

• Deep Cleaning With Regular Maintenance
  

• How HydroKleen Deep Cleaning Works For Mini Splits

• HydroKleen In Action On A 12-Year-Old Mini Split

If you’ve never had your mini split deep-cleaned, reach out to us here at Hydrokleen today. We serve the greater Boise, ID area, and with one simple call, you can improve your indoor air quality and comfort. Click below or call (208) 779-5596.

Why You Need An Annual Deep Cleaning With Regular Maintenance

There are plenty of advantages to an annual tune-up for your mini split. You keep the warranty valid, and it ensures the system is in good working condition. 

Deep cleaning also helps the system perform better. And, your system will last longer because there’s less stress on a clean, smooth-running mini split. 

But, the most significant advantage is preventing the sort of indoor air quality issues our condo owner experienced. 

With regular maintenance, a technician will do some basic cleaning along with his inspection and any necessary repairs. But they don’t have the tools to get deep inside the system. Nor do they have the time to get rid of all the buildup. 

Meanwhile, that buildup leads to contaminants like mold taking hold inside the system. And, since it’s designed to circulate air, those pollutants circulate throughout the room. That’s what makes people feel sick.

Tiny microbial contaminants like those need darkness, warmth, and moisture to grow. You’ll find those conditions deeper inside the air handler — places you can’t reach without taking an air handler or heat pump entirely apart.

Until now, that is. 

With Hydrokleen, we’re able to reach every nook and cranny of your mini split components. And, we can do it much faster and more efficiently than if you paid someone to take each piece apart and clean them manually. 

How Hydrokleen Deep Cleaning Works For Mini Splits

Hydrokleen uses a dedicated hot water solution that cleans the inner workings of your mini split using special equipment to reach every inch of the system. It’s a quick and easy process that’s very effective with the right tools and know-how. 

Our first step is taking the panel and filter off your air handler. We leave those outside for a moment. 

Next, we’ll use the solution to pressure wash the inside of the casing. Then, we shoot the solution up through the barrel fans. Those fans play a major role in circulating the warmed or cooled air. 

In this case, the blades spin when we spray them down. That spreads the solution deeper into the system. 

And, as it all pours back out, you’ll see all the junk it brings with it. The solution goes in clear and often comes out brown or even black. It collects in a special catchment bag hanging just under the air handler. 

Next, we spray down the fins — the parts that look like the ribbed outer edge of a conventional outdoor AC condenser. Here, you can see the difference in just a few seconds. 

Finally, we headed outside to clean the casing parts we removed. And, while they dried, we used the same process as inside on the heat pump. 

By the time we’re done, the casing and filter are dry. We reassemble the air handler and turn the system back on. 

The entire process takes about an hour. By contrast, it would take a technician that long just to scrub around the barrel fans manually. 

Hydrokleen In Action On A 12-Year-Old Mini Split 

Back to our Boise, ID home office: The condo owner was excited to get back to having a comfortable workspace that didn’t affect his health. And, we’d get him there in the time it takes for a decent lunch break. 

As soon as we took off the front, it was evident that the cleaning would make a huge difference. There was a lot of visible grime on the casing and inside the unit. 

We could even see where previous technicians had tried to clean some of it. But, it was clear they only made a small dent in the problem at best. 

We cleaned the right half of the fins and left the left side so the homeowner could see the difference. You can see the effect here: 

Finally, we handled the outside unit and casing. Then, we put it all together. In all, it took us less than two hours, including the time it took to drive back and forth. 

And, the condo owner could tell the difference immediately! Once his heat pump started running again, he said he could smell the difference. And, the air in the room just felt cleaner and more comfortable. 

Now, he can work in silence and comfort. And, he’s breathing easier knowing his mini-split isn’t pouring contaminants into the air around him all day. 

If your mini-split is more than a year old and you haven’t had a cleaning, call us today! We’ll make sure your home stays healthy as well as comfortable by getting rid of the irritants that hurt your indoor air quality. And, with annual visits, we’ll ensure they never take hold in the first place. You can click below or call us at (208) 779-5596.