Price and Scheduling
How much does it cost to have a mini-split cleaned?
$199 for the first indoor mini-split, with its outdoor compressor included, and $119 for each additional mini-split on the same visit. Extra compressors are $69. A two-mini-split system on one compressor is $318; three is $437. It is the same price for a deep clean, a mold and odor job or a seasonal visit. Count yours in the calculator or read the full cost guide.
Why does the first one cost more than the rest?
The first mini-split carries the drive out and the setup — masking the electronics, hanging the bib bag, laying out the wash gear and buckets — and that work happens once per visit. Everything after is only the cleaning, so it is $119. It also means a flat rate would overcharge the four-unit house to subsidise the one-unit house.
Is a moldy or soot-loaded mini-split more expensive?
No. It takes us longer, and it does not cost you more. The one thing that can change a price is the count — if we find a mini-split or a compressor you forgot to mention, it is added at the same $119 or $69, and we say so before touching it.
What counts as a mini-split and what counts as a compressor?
Every indoor unit on a wall, in a ceiling or on a floor is a mini-split. Every outdoor box is a compressor, and the first one is included in the $199. A multi-zone system has several mini-splits running off one compressor, so a three-mini-split system on one outdoor unit is $437.
Is there a minimum charge?
$199, which is exactly what one mini-split and its compressor costs. There is nothing smaller to buy.
How long does a cleaning take?
About 60–90 minutes for the first mini-split and 45–60 for each additional one. Heavy soot, grease or mold adds time, not cost.
Do I need to be home?
Someone needs to let us in and we like to show you the bucket at the end, but many seasonal owners and landlords arrange access and get photos and the service record by email instead.
Is there a good time of year to book?
May and October, before the seasons turn, and both fill up. Emergency-smell calls come in July; if you can, book the deep clean in spring before the coil starts sweating.
Smell, Specks, Drips and Weak Air
Why does my mini-split smell musty when it starts?
Mold and bacteria on the blower wheel, the back of the coil and in the drain pan. The smell is strongest in the first minute after start-up because that is when air first moves across the growth. It has to be physically removed with the mini-split open — see mold and odor removal.
What are the black specks on the louvers?
Usually mold, or mold mixed with dust and soot, flung off the blower wheel. Wiping the louvers removes the evidence, not the source. Our guide covers when it matters for your health.
Why is water dripping from the mini-split?
Most often a slimed or clogged condensate drain backing up the pan. A deep clean clears it. If the mini-split is dripping and also icing or not cooling, that can be a refrigerant problem, which is an HVAC call — our leaking guide tells the two apart.
The airflow is weaker than it used to be. Is that dirt?
Almost always. A blower wheel with a film of dust and growth on every blade moves noticeably less air, and a coated coil resists what is left. After a deep clean most owners notice the airflow difference before we have packed up.
I sneeze when it turns on. Is that the unit?
Often, yes. Start-up flings whatever is on the wheel into the room. If it happens in the first minute and fades, the mini-split needs to be opened and cleaned.
Intervals
How often should a mini-split be cleaned in New Hampshire?
Deep clean every 1–2 years for a typical year-round home; every year with pets, wood or pellet heat, allergies, or a mini-split that runs dehumidify all summer; at opening for seasonal camps; every season for short-term rentals. Rinse the mesh filters yourself every few weeks in season. The interval guide has the full table.
Does wood heat really make a difference?
A big one. Wood and pellet stoves put fine soot into the air, and a mini-split running alongside them pulls it across a wet coil where it sticks. Wood-heat homes are on a yearly cycle at minimum — see the wood-heat guide.
My unit was installed under a rebate a few years ago. Does it need anything?
If it has not been opened since install, yes. NHSaves and NH Electric Co-op paid for a large share of the mini-splits put in around the Lakes Region since 2019, and most of those mini-splits have never been deep cleaned. Two-plus years and never opened means it is due.
What You Can and Can’t Do
Can I clean a mini-split myself?
You can and should wash the mesh filters every few weeks and wipe the louvers. Anything past that — coil, wheel, pan — needs the mini-split opened, electronics masked and a bib bag hung. Our DIY guide draws the line.
What about the spray cans sold as mini-split cleaner?
They reach the front of the coil and leave a residue that grabs dust. They do not reach the blower wheel or the pan, which is where the problem is. Bleach corrodes the aluminum fins; a pressure washer bends them.
Will cleaning damage the unit or void the warranty?
Not when it is done with the board masked, a coil-safe cleaner and low-pressure water. Manufacturers expect the interior to be cleaned by a service professional; filter neglect and the wrong chemicals are what cause damage.
What We Do and Don’t Do
Do you install or repair mini-splits?
No. We clean and maintain them. Refrigerant, electrical faults, failed boards or motors and new installs are licensed HVAC work, and we tell you plainly when what we found needs one.
Which brands do you clean?
All the common ones in NH — Mitsubishi, Daikin, Fujitsu, LG, Samsung, Gree, Bosch, Carrier, Trane and the rest. Wall-mounted mini-splits, floor consoles, ceiling cassettes and ducted air handlers.
Do you clean the outdoor unit?
Yes, as an add-on or as part of a maintenance visit: cleared of leaves, cottonwood and nests, coil rinsed, clearance checked.
Does cleaning lower my electric bill?
A dirty coil and wheel move less air and make the compressor run longer for the same result. The U.S. Department of Energy puts the gap between a maintained and a neglected heat pump at 10–25% of its energy use. At NH rates that is real money — the energy guide runs the numbers.
Where do you work?
The NH Lakes Region — Laconia, Gilford, Meredith, Moultonborough, Wolfeboro, Alton, Tilton, Franklin, Plymouth, Bristol and the towns between. See all 23 towns.