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Amana PTAC Maintenance & Cleaning: A Reference Guide

Amana PTACs are some of the most popular items we sell here at Total Home Supply, and for good reason: quiet and efficient, Amana PTACs are made in the USA and have been a trusted name in the world of AC units for years. An especially popular choice among hotel owners, Amana PTACs are also common fixtures in nursing homes, offices, college dorms, and apartment buildings.

Like any indoor appliance, your PTAC unit requires routine cleaning and maintenance to ensure maximum efficiency and a long lifespan. Dirty or clogged PTAC parts not only hinder your unit’s performance but can also pose a dangerous fire and/or electric shock hazard if left unattended for too long. We receive frequent questions from customers about how to go about properly (and safely) maintaining their PTAC units, and so we’ve decided to put together a comprehensive resource guide, based on Amana’s own instructions, on how to clean and care for your Amana PTAC.

Monthly Maintenance

Monthly maintenance of your Amana PTAC is a fairly simple process, and, for the most part, all a matter of making sure your unit’s filters and vents are clean. Follow the instructions below:

Air Filters

A unit’s air filters are responsible for collecting and trapping dust, dirt, and other allergens, to ensure the air in the room remains clean and safe to breathe. Understandably, this means the air filters get dirty pretty fast. We have previously written instructions on how to clean your air conditioner filters, and the process is fairly similar for all AC units, across the board.

Screen shot 2015-05-04 at 8.25.21 PM

Remove your unit’s filters by pulling them up and out the front of the unit, as shown in the graphic above. Run the filters under the tap and let dry completely on a towel before inserting the filters back into the unit. Using a vacuum to clean lint, dust, and dirt from the filters is an effective method, as well.

Vent Screen

Before cleaning the vent screen, disconnect the power by unplugging the power cord or by turning off the residence’s fuse box or circuit breaker. Because the process of cleaning the vent screen involves removing the cabinet front and working with parts inside the unit, disconnecting the power is an extremely important safety measure.

Screen shot 2015-05-04 at 8.26.10 PM

To remove the cabinet front, grab from the bottom and lift out and up, as if opening the trunk of a car (pictured below). Sometimes, but not on all models, the cabinet front is secured with a screw, so check and see how your cabinet front is attached before you attempt to remove it (to, you know, avoid frustration). Ideally, a filter is not cleaned but replaced.

Screen shot 2015-05-07 at 7.06.51 PM

Once the cabinet front is lifted, the chassis (which is essentially the “guts” of your AC) will be exposed. Unscrew the chassis and carefully slide it out of the wall sleeve until the vent screen is accessible, then clean with a duster or a vacuum. Reverse this process to put your PTAC back together.

Cabinet Front & Discharge Air Grille

This part’s easy. Every so often, wipe down your PTAC’s cabinet front and discharge air grille with a dampened cloth to keep the exterior of your unit dust-free and clean. As an added safety precaution, unplug the unit before doing this, and be careful not to get any water on the unit’s control board or other electrical components while cleaning.

Do NOT, under any circumstances, use hydrocarbon-based cleaners (acetone, benzene, naphtha gasoline, etc.), ammonia-based cleaners, or coil cleaners not specifically designed for use for PTAC products. These substances will damage and cause deterioration of the aluminum fin or coil material. Instead, use a mild biodegradable detergent, or simply warm water.

Yearly Maintenance

A “deep clean” and inspection of your PTAC unit should be conducted once a year. Certain environmental factors may require your unit to be deep cleaned more frequently, and if you reside near a dusty construction site or sea coast, for example, you should schedule inspection and thorough maintenance four times a year. Other local conditions can cause fungi to build up in the unit, and when such material dries around the inner workings of your PTAC it poses a fire hazard. Familiarize yourself with the kinds of spores and other airborne particles that can cause foreign material build-up in your area, and schedule deep cleaning maintenance accordingly.

Because this deep cleaning involves working with the most intricate parts of your PTAC unit, yearly maintenance should be conducted by a professional service person. This is important for both your own safety and for the safety of the unit. Most residences where PTACs are common (apartments, hotels, office buildings, etc.) will employ their own maintenance staff, but check-in with your super at least once a year to make sure cleaning and inspection will take place as scheduled. If you do not reside in a building with a maintenance staff, contact a qualified local service person.

Yearly maintenance includes cleaning the wall sleeve and checking the wall sleeve’s caulking and level, thoroughly cleaning the base pan and condenser coil, and performing a clearance check to ensure your unit is operating properly and safely. All service people are required to follow the cleaning and inspection instructions located in the Amana PTAC manual.

If you have any further questions regarding the cleaning and maintenance of your PTAC unit, please do not hesitate to contact us and speak to one of our qualified salespeople. Total Home Supply is an Amana Preferred Dealer.

Kristen Turner

Featured blogger for Total Home Supply.

5 thoughts on “Amana PTAC Maintenance & Cleaning: A Reference Guide”

  1. 2015 AC Buying Guide: This Year's Top Units says:

    […] product listing here, and don’t forget to check out our guide to PTAC cleaning and maintenance, as […]

  2. 2016 AC Buying Guide - Best Air Conditioning Units says:

    […] Full product listing here, and don’t forget to check out our guide to PTAC cleaning and maintenance! […]

  3. Michael Sonja says:

    I work for a ptac cleaning company we do service work for hotels. Is there an over the counter coil cleaner that will have the same power that the ultra be clean that we use does?

  4. Carlton Larret says:

    When replacing the air filters after cleaning them for an Amana PTAC unit, does the “smooth” side of the air filter face the front (toward the room intake) and the side with the “ridged” plastic frame protruding face the rear, toward the wall?

  5. C m corbett says:

    Yes as the above question asks. Which way is the filter supposed to go. Does the molded grab part face toward the front of the unit or the back. Thank you

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