Posted: 2/20/2005 4:29:35 PM EDT
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I'm working on a 10 year old central unit in a mobile home. I had vacumed the coils when I moved in- but never turned on the AC. I turned it on today and it would run for a fgew minutes and then stop. when I pulled the cover off- the coils had frost on them. It appears that the last tenant ran the AC unit without a filter  .It looks like the ac unit will work if I can get the crap cleaned out of the coils. Is the 'coil cleaner' from Home Depot any good??? or is the 'industry' better???? or what about a degreaser and compressed air??? How do you pro's clean a dirty coil??? BTW it's an 'a-frame' type setup- the coils form the two side of a pyramid and the air flows down through them, through the fan and out the duct. The fan works ok, and the outside unit turns on. It was supposedly serviced 6 months ago- but that repair tech is laid up with a hurt back. When I put a 6V lantern flashlight 'inside' the 2 coils, I don't see much light coming through- I'm assuming this is a bad thing. any input from AC pro's would be a big help. |
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To clean them I use a plastic type vegitable brush that has a handle on it. As for the coil cleaner from HD, that I dont know. I use a glyconl (?sp) based spray from my supply house. If the "blanket" covering the coil is thick enough you might be able to wet it and peal it off before cleaning the coils. That will save time and hassle. |
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It's not so much a 'blanket', as it is just a build up of gunk between the fins. I'm not sure how to clean between the fins without causing any damage to them. I think the Home Depot product is from the ZEP line. I guess oven cleaner would be a little too harsh???? 
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oh yeah- forgot to add: when I turn on the AC (with the coils all frosty-not frozen- just a little frosty)- there's an odd sound that sounds like water or liquid sloshing around......  I'll try simple green and canned air if no one has an opinion on the liquid coil cleaners. I want to know if they're viable, or just silly crap that a professional would never use. |
It will. Restriction in the air flow weather its from dirty filter, or either coil, will keep the refrigerant from expanding correctly in the coil and exchanging the heat from the coil. |
Either liquid in the suction line or air in the system. Edit to add: Frosting that soon is probably a dirty coil. |
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FYI: MSDS on both cleaners. MSDS for zep coil cleaner MSDS for Nu-calgon coil cleaner Read and follow directions on whatever product you get, but they look pretty close to what I use. |
hmmm -Diethylene glycol monoethyl ether of course, I shoulda known -alcohol and ether !!! I think i'll give it a shot. |
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Dirty coils WILL frost up a coil fast. Liquid sound you hear is the refrigerant boiling off... NORMAL! If you have room and NO RISK OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK get one of those sprayers that you can fill with hot water and pump up by hand and with the aid of a wet dry vac and that sprayer you should be fine. Clean out that coil. Why I dont like using those cleaners? because you get that crap on your coils and you then breathe it in when you turn on the AC. Soap and water is non toxic and wont make you sick. |
Thanx Doc. I'm wondering what my 'gunk' is compossed of...... if it's algae like I guess a good disinfectant would kill it off. If it's just dust matted down from the condensation, it still leaves the problem of the physical removal of the debris. Shop vac didn't seem to work that well. The cleaners seem to have a foaming /'scrubbin' bubbles' type thing going on......That's why I was looking at them- to loosen the crud so I can get it out of the coil fins. |