Hi All
Just wondering how often others are getting their air conditioners professionally cleaned?
I did it a few years back in my previous apartment which had an old air conditioner, its cost 13,000 Yen, the service guy enclosed the Air con unit with a special bag and cycled some sort of cleaning fluid through it. The air conditioner did seem to behave better afterwards.
I have since moved and bought some new Air conditioners for my new place which are now a couple of years old. With a toddler in the house they get used pretty often. One of these conditioners is supposed to be self-cleaning but it looks pretty dirty on the inside of it.
Thanks
Air Conditioner Cleaning
Re: Air Conditioner Cleaning
I've never done it since I've been in my current apartment (a little bit more than two years) and was precisely considering that since we'll soon be in summer.
I wondered if it should come out of our pocket or if it is something we could ask the owner or the building management (but for less than 15,000 once in a while, it wouldn't hurt anyway).
I'm not exactly sure how often it is supposed to be done either.
I wondered if it should come out of our pocket or if it is something we could ask the owner or the building management (but for less than 15,000 once in a while, it wouldn't hurt anyway).
I'm not exactly sure how often it is supposed to be done either.
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Re: Air Conditioner Cleaning
In my experience the tenant is responsible for cleaning. There are tons of companies that do it. We do it every couple of years for my wife's school.William wrote: ↑Tue May 02, 2023 8:00 am I've never done it since I've been in my current apartment (a little bit more than two years) and was precisely considering that since we'll soon be in summer.
I wondered if it should come out of our pocket or if it is something we could ask the owner or the building management (but for less than 15,000 once in a while, it wouldn't hurt anyway).
I'm not exactly sure how often it is supposed to be done either.
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TokyoBoglehead
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Re: Air Conditioner Cleaning
I think even the most frugal of people tend to go with a professional service for this as the equipment, prep and technique are a bit involved.
My wife has seasonal allergies and we do it yearly. We also have a bedroom air cleaner that self cleans daily (bit requires manual cleaning and emptying ever 3 months or so).
Go with a reputable service with good reviews and not the cheapest local service.
My wife has seasonal allergies and we do it yearly. We also have a bedroom air cleaner that self cleans daily (bit requires manual cleaning and emptying ever 3 months or so).
Go with a reputable service with good reviews and not the cheapest local service.
Re: Air Conditioner Cleaning
I get mine done fairly regularly.
I spoke to the last cleaner guy, and his comments were:
Once every two years is fine, or maybe once per year if you want it done more often.
The issue is not the dust, etc. in the fins (You can clean the filters under the tap), but mold / fungus / Kabi that grows in the back of the air conditioner.
It doesn't make much of a difference whether the air conditioner has a self-cleaning function or not, or whether it's a cheaper or more expensive model, they all grow mold / fungus / Kabi, and need cleaning over time.
You may notice the Kabi if the air conditioner starts to smell when it is turned on.
Some air conditioners have a function where it will run after you turn it off to dry out any condensation in the unit, which is where the Kabi might grow. If not, you may want to run it on a 30 min timer to circulate the air and dry out any condensation in the unit before turning off.
I spoke to the last cleaner guy, and his comments were:
Once every two years is fine, or maybe once per year if you want it done more often.
The issue is not the dust, etc. in the fins (You can clean the filters under the tap), but mold / fungus / Kabi that grows in the back of the air conditioner.
It doesn't make much of a difference whether the air conditioner has a self-cleaning function or not, or whether it's a cheaper or more expensive model, they all grow mold / fungus / Kabi, and need cleaning over time.
You may notice the Kabi if the air conditioner starts to smell when it is turned on.
Some air conditioners have a function where it will run after you turn it off to dry out any condensation in the unit, which is where the Kabi might grow. If not, you may want to run it on a 30 min timer to circulate the air and dry out any condensation in the unit before turning off.
:
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This Guide to Japanese Taxes, English and Japanese Tai-Yaku 対訳, is now a little dated:
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:
This Guide to Japanese Taxes, English and Japanese Tai-Yaku 対訳, is now a little dated:
https://zaik.jp/books/472-4
The Publisher is not planning to publish an update for '23 Tax Season.
Re: Air Conditioner Cleaning
We just had our air conditioner cleaned for the first time since I’ve had it (about 5 years). I don’t use it much, so it was actually pretty clean according to the cleaning guy.
I went with a local guy through this website:
https://curama.jp/aircon/
He was really friendly and did a great job. I thought I had a self cleaning model, which are more expensive to clean, and paid that price. But when he came and checked it out it was actually not a self cleaning model. So he discounted the price back down.
I went with a local guy through this website:
https://curama.jp/aircon/
He was really friendly and did a great job. I thought I had a self cleaning model, which are more expensive to clean, and paid that price. But when he came and checked it out it was actually not a self cleaning model. So he discounted the price back down.
Re: Air Conditioner Cleaning
Thanks! everyone for your replies
Seems with heavy use, cleaning it every 2 years is the recommendation
Seems with heavy use, cleaning it every 2 years is the recommendation
Re: Air Conditioner Cleaning
For what it's worth, we just talked to the concierge in our mansion. He told us that if the AC unit is broken or doesn't function properly, we should report it and they will send someone... However, for regular cleaning, everyone in the mansion just use their chosen provider.
A while ago, I saw that Tokyo Gas also offers some service, combining the cleaning of the AC unit and other appliances. I might go for one of these. Not sure if being a customer brings any discount.
A while ago, I saw that Tokyo Gas also offers some service, combining the cleaning of the AC unit and other appliances. I might go for one of these. Not sure if being a customer brings any discount.
Re: Air Conditioner Cleaning
One horror story I heard:
An acquaintance had his air con cleaned by a standard cleaning company. They found something broken inside it. When he went to get it sorted on his warranty, the manufacturer refused as, because he hadn’t used their cleaning service, it invalidated the warranty. Saving a bit of money on the cleaning ended up costing a lot more in repairs, about as much as buying a new air con.
I don’t know how embellished his story was but it might be better going with your manufacturer’s recommended cleaning service in case it invalidates your warranty.
An acquaintance had his air con cleaned by a standard cleaning company. They found something broken inside it. When he went to get it sorted on his warranty, the manufacturer refused as, because he hadn’t used their cleaning service, it invalidated the warranty. Saving a bit of money on the cleaning ended up costing a lot more in repairs, about as much as buying a new air con.
I don’t know how embellished his story was but it might be better going with your manufacturer’s recommended cleaning service in case it invalidates your warranty.