When buying an air conditioner, many users are faced with the choice: order its installation from a specialized company or install the device yourself. The latter option is, of course, less expensive, but you should approach the self-installation of an air conditioner very seriously.
- Firstly, whether the air conditioner will work or continue to work for a long time will depend on the quality of the installation.
- Secondly, one should be sufficiently informed to properly and efficiently cope with this task.
If you haven’t done this sort of work before and are not handy with tools. We strongly recommend that you leave the task of installing the air conditioner to specialists. Otherwise, you might do a poor job due to your lack of experience by installing parts incorrectly, breaking the equipment itself or leaving the install site in an unaesthetic state. When contacting the installation company please make sure they offer warranty and accept responsibility for the result and subsequent operation of the system.
Nonetheless, if you end up deciding to install the air conditioner yourself and want to learn the installation process, and materials needed, continue reading.Â
Table of Contents
Tools Needed to Install the Air Conditioner
First of all, you need to identify a list of equipment and components that are necessary to install the wall-mounted air conditioner.
This list includes a significant number of devices and materials that will help to carry out installation:
- 1. Hammers for drilling holes in the wall.
- Wall chaser for cutting narrow grooves in the wall.
- 3. Vacuum pump to remove water and air from the refrigeration circuit.
- Pressure gauge manifold with hoses for monitoring pressure inside the air conditioner.
- Leak detector to detect leaks.
- Freon (refrigerant) for filling the air conditioner.
- Pipe cutters for cutting copper and metal-plastic pipes of optimal length.
- Brackets for mounting the outdoor unit.
- Rolling and scrapping to eliminate roughness and roughness of copper pipes.
- Pipe benders to give copper pipes the necessary shape.
- Burner and solder for connecting copper pipes.
This is a basic list, but in addition to these tools, additional devices are needed:
- pliers,
- wire cutters
- metal cutting knife,
- roulette,
- level,
- a set of adjustable wrenches, etc.
It is worth noting that all of the above equipment costs a lot of money, as a rule, people who are engaged in the installation of such equipment must have some experience and knowledge for such work. Each tool has a purpose. Tools are needed to get a high-quality result and correct operation of the air conditioner.Â
Air Conditioning Installation Steps
When starting to install the air conditioner yourself, try to take things slowly as it’s a delicate job. It is recommended to start by studying the instructions of the air conditioner, which describes the main stages of installation.Â
By following the recommendations and carefully taking it step by step so you can achieve an excellent result.
1. Choosing a Place to Install the Air Conditioner
At this stage, you should decide where the internal and external units of the split system will be located. You must remember these rules:
- The indoor unit can be located in the room on any wall, but at a height of at least 10 cm from the ceiling;
- There shouldn’t be any objects 2 meters in front of the device because this can negatively affect its operation.
The outdoor unit is mounted at a distance of 20 cm from the wall on special brackets. It is installed outside the window under the windowsill to the left or right of the window. A route will need to be laid between the outdoor and indoor units, which consists of two copper pipes, a drainage pipe to drain condensate, and an electric wire. Therefore, it is recommended to place them at a relatively close distance from each other.
2. Drilling a Hole in the Wall
A special hole needs to be drilled in the wall at the site where the air conditioner is going to be installed. The hole will act as a conduit for the communication network between the outdoor and indoor units. Such communication lines include the Freon line for refrigerant movement, a drainpipe, and an electrical wire.
If the indoor unit is not placed on the wall, all the connecting pipes will need to be hidden inside a special plastic box that protects them from damage and give it a neat look.
3. Installing the Outdoor and Indoor Unit
First of all, you should install the outdoor air conditioning unit. After it is securely fixed to the brackets, all the necessary communications are connected to it, and then the indoor unit. The thickness of the pipes is indicated in the instructions for the air conditioner, and their required length and shape is achieved through the use of pipe cutters and mills.
4. Evacuation and Leak Testing
After connecting all the necessary connecting tubes, an important step is to remove air from the refrigeration circuit using a vacuum pump, and also remove excess moisture. It is also worth making sure that there is no leakage of freon. This can be prevented by applying a special sealant to the connecting sections.
It will also be mentioned that the factory refueling of the air conditioner with freon may not always correspond to the specific installation conditions since the mainline can be shorter or longer than so its calculated relative to the factory refueling. This can lead to a decrease in the efficiency of the split system.
5. Wiring Connection
This stage is also important when installing a split system. A separate electrical wire provides protection against short circuits, overloads and other network problems when the air conditioner is operating. To install the electric wire, remove the insulation from the ends and insert them as far as possible into the holes prepared for them.
6. Starting the Air Conditioner
After the installation of the split system is completed, and all necessary communications are connected, it is required to carry out a test run of the air conditioner. If it turns on without problems and effectively cools or heats the air, does not emit extraneous sounds, and does not turn off for no reason, then all installation steps are carried out correctly. If he doesn’t heat or cool properly or does not turn on at all, then somewhere you made a serious mistake.
Conclusion
In the light of what is written, it is a rather difficult undertaking to engage in the installation of an air conditioner yourself, unless you are experienced. If you are not sure about your ability and knowledge to properly install the air conditioner, contact professionals. They will save you time, financial expenses and nerves. They have installation teams with many years of experience in this field, so they are guaranteed to do a high-quality job.