Air Conditioner Cleaning: What You Can Do Yourself, and When You Need a Technician

The filters should be cleaned every 250 operating hours or less, per Tadiran, or about once every three months for home use, per Tornado. On an AC that runs 8 hours a day in summer, 250 hours is about a month.

The importers' recommendations:

• Tadiran: clean the filter every 250 operating hours or less, depending on the air-conditioned space. On some ACs a FILTER light comes on after 250 hours, and the Tadiran Connect app sends a reminder at the same time.
• Tornado: clean the indoor unit filters about every 3 months at home, and at least once a month in a business.
• For a portable AC, Tornado recommends checking the filter every ⁦6–8⁩ weeks, and more often in a dusty home or when someone has allergies.
• Self-clean: the Family manual recommends running the self-clean function (CLEAN) every 3 months.

Deep cleaning by a technician is not needed every year in most homes. It is needed when there is a moldy smell, dripping that returns after cleaning the filters, or a drop in cooling despite clean filters.

Another Tornado recommendation: even in seasons when you do not use the AC, run it for about 10 minutes once a week, so the gas and oil circulate and sensitive parts do not dry out.

Wash the filters in lukewarm running water, air-dry them and put them back. It takes about 15 minutes, and you do not need to take anything apart except the filters.

The steps, per the guidelines of Tadiran, Tornado and Family:

• 1. Switch off and unplug. Switch off the AC with the remote, and unplug it or switch off the breaker. The Family manual stresses that you must disconnect from power before any maintenance work.
• 2. Open the cover. Lift the indoor unit's front panel until it locks in the open position. On some models it opens upward, and on others it pulls out. Check your model's manual.
• 3. Remove the filters. Pull the plastic mesh filters down and out. If there is an additional filter, like a carbon filter or ionizer, check the manual whether it may be washed.
• 4. Wash. Rinse under lukewarm running water until all the dirt comes out. Tornado recommends rinsing against the direction of airflow, i.e. from the clean side. If the filter is very dirty, Tadiran allows soaking it in mild soap and then rinsing it well.
• 5. Dry. Let the filter air-dry, but not in the sun. Tadiran's guidelines say so explicitly. Do not dry with a hot hair dryer.
• 6. Replace and reset. Put the filters back when they are dry, close the panel, reconnect power. If a FILTER light came on, reset it per the model's instructions. On Tadiran you press OFF or RESET.

While the panel is open, wipe the louvers and the air outlet with a damp cloth. Do not spray water into the unit and do not try to take the blower apart.

If the AC drips inside the home, Tadiran recommends stopping it immediately. In most cases the problem is the drain hose or clogged filters, not the gas.

What to check, in order:

• Drain hose: per Tadiran, dripping not caused by faulty installation can come from a drain hose that moved, kinked or clogged. Make sure the water flows freely downward, and that there are no air bubbles blocking the outlet.
• The hose end outside: per Tornado, if the leak continues, the drain hose near the outdoor unit may be clogged. Blowing hard into it may free the dirt.
• Filters: Tornado recommends washing the filters, because a clogged filter can cause dripping.
• Usage: running for long periods at a very low temperature, like 16°C in summer, increases condensation. Tornado recommends avoiding this, also because of wear and power use.

Water outside the home is normal. Per Tadiran, dripping from the drain hose outside is condensation, and the amount depends on humidity. Tornado notes that an average AC condenses about 2 liters of water an hour. If the water bothers the neighbors, the drain hose can be extended. Per Tadiran, the extension costs about ₪⁦10–15⁩ per meter. Other add-ons are detailed in our AC installation cost guide.

If the indoor dripping continues after you have checked the drain and the filters, call for service. If the dripping started right after installation, contact the installer first. Per Tadiran, the installer is responsible for the installation, not the AC importer.

An unpleasant smell from the AC usually comes from mold and dirt on the evaporator coil, in the drain pan or in the blower. Washing the filters is not always enough.

What you can do:

• Disinfect the evaporator: Tornado recommends disinfecting the evaporator coil in the indoor unit with a dedicated antibacterial AC cleaner. Use only a product designed for this, per the manufacturer's instructions.
• Self-clean function: on the Tornado remote (model RG36), a long press on the TURBO button activates CLEAN SELF, which dries and cleans the evaporator automatically. In the Family manual, the CLEAN function runs for up to about 30 minutes, and it is recommended to run it every 3 months.
• Drying after switching off: some remotes have a mode where the blower keeps running after switching off, to dry moisture and prevent mold. Per pro.co.il, the button is sometimes marked BLOW.

If the smell persists, a deep clean is needed. Per Midrag, in such a cleaning the technician partially disassembles the AC, washes the evaporator coil, the blower and the drain pan, and uses chemical or organic products when there is mold. The work takes about two and a half hours.

With the outdoor unit, your job is to keep it clear and not block it. Internal cleaning of it, such as the condenser or fan, is a technician's job.

What you can and should do, per Tornado's recommendations:

• Clearance: leave the air inlet and outlet clear. Do not store crates, plants or laundry in front of the unit. Per Tornado, blocked airflow increases current draw and causes improper operation, and in extreme cases a compressor fault too.
• Leaves and dirt: remove leaves, plastic bags and coarse dirt stuck in the grille by hand, when the AC is off and unplugged.
• Drain: make sure the drain hose is not crushed or clogged. Per Tornado, blowing hard into it can free a blockage.
• Laundry enclosure (mistor kvisa): if the unit is in an enclosure, make sure the louvers are open enough for hot air to escape.

What not to do yourself: do not open the cover, do not wash the unit with a hose or pressure washer, and do not handle the gas. If the AC runs but does not cool, despite clean filters and a clear unit, Tadiran recommends contacting service, because it may indicate a gas leak.

With a ducted mini-central AC (mini merkazi), the customer mainly cleans the filter behind the return-air opening. Cleaning the unit itself, which is hidden in the ceiling, is a technician's job, and sometimes the drywall has to be opened.

What you can do yourself:

• Return-air filter: usually behind the large grille of the intake opening. Switch off the AC, open the grille, take out the filter and wash it like a wall unit: lukewarm water and air-drying.
• Diffusers: wipe the outlets in the rooms with a damp cloth if you see dust or stains on them.

Deep cleaning: per Midrag, cleaning a mini-central AC starts at about ₪⁦600–700⁩ plus VAT, and can reach about ₪2,000 in difficult cases that involve breaking drywall. Midrag notes that not every technician works with drywall, and sometimes another tradesperson is needed. Find this out in advance.

When planning a new mini-central AC, ask the installer for an accessible service hatch to the unit, so that future cleaning and repair do not require breaking anything. The explanation of planning and installation is in our mini-central AC guide.

Call a technician when the AC does not cool even after cleaning the filters, when it keeps dripping indoors after checking the drain, or when it does not switch on at all. A stubborn moldy smell is a reason for a deep clean.

The cases in which Tadiran recommends contacting service:

• The AC does not start and the STAND-BY light is off, even after checking the power and breakers.
• In heating mode, the indoor fan does not start after about 20 seconds, after you have checked it is not blocked.
• The remote does not work, even after replacing batteries and checking the range.
• Output remains weak after cleaning the filters. Per Tadiran, this may indicate a gas leak.
• The indoor leak continues after checking the drain hose.

Prices, per Midrag (no update date on the page):

• Visit for filter cleaning: about ₪⁦250–300⁩ plus VAT. You can do it yourself.
• Deep clean of a wall unit: about ₪⁦400–500⁩ plus VAT, about two and a half hours of work.
• Deep clean of a mini-central AC: about ₪⁦600–700⁩ plus VAT, and up to about ₪2,000 when drywall needs to be broken.

During the warranty period, contact the importer first. Routine cleaning is usually not covered, but a fault is. If you are not sure what a light or symbol on the remote means, check our Tadiran AC remote symbols guide.