AC cleaning condensor coils - inner side seems dirty

elfie

when I shoot water thru the vertical coils, there is a cascade of flow on inner side, and some areas no flow can be seen (ie. water doesnt directly thru)



does this mean inner coils are dirty



can inner side  be cleaned without removing the fan unit?



should i increase water pressure from hose to break up the debris (while being careful not to bend the coils) - i am using foam cleaner.



thanks

A.J.

rinsing coil

Not necessarily  we see that when we clean coils . Don't forget the side of the coil that the air is coming into is the side that will get the dirt build up so that is the side to make sure is clean . Rinse with low pressure, so you don't bend fins,  your only rinsing the dirt off at that point

A.J.

Techman

Dirty cond coils

With an AC system that is washed/cleaned every year it is a breeze to wash the cond coil. With the cond fan motor assembly removed then you can get to both sides of the cond coil. On an unwashed unit,that being a new to me customer. This is what happens. By washing from the inside of the cond coil to the outside you will be forcing the dirt, bugs, grass, leaves out . BUT , and this is a big BUT, a lot of the debris simply "hides" on the opposite side of the tubing from the water direction, and that is why it is advised to wash from in to out, then reverse as many time as necessary until you get clean water AND no crap is being washed off of the coil. Also you should be watching the water as it leaves the coil to see when there is no more debris being washed away.Without looking at the leaving water how can you possibly know when the section of the cond coil that you are washing is clean? Wash as MANY times as necessary! On many new to me units it is necessary to remove the outter metal jacket for the 1st time. That metal cover holds in a whole bunch of debris. Also with the cond fan motor assemble removed you can check the comp electric terminals. Same applies to evap coils. Some years back it took me 8hrs to "clean " an 100ton evap coil (4-25hp comps). The evap coil was 8-10' long  x 6' high x 8'' thick. Back and forth and back and forth.

heatpro02920

I use....

the foaming cleaner with my goodway coil pro machine {mine is the cc600, they have a bunch of them now, even battery powered}... flip the service disc., pull the top and the fan out, soak the coil and straighten any bent fins, apply the foamer, rinse with the coil pro restraighten any bent fins, install fan assembly, and reapply power, done...

Eugene_Silberstein

Be Aware of Nested Coils

Some manufacturers are using nested condenser coils, that actually look like one coil nested inside the other. In instances where the condenser is very dirty, the condenser will need to be carefully lifted and removed from the condensing unit housing and separated to access the space between the sections. Dirt can accumulate there and can be extremely difficult to get out.



As with foam cleaners, be patient. Spray coil, spray cleaner, WAIT, wait a little longer, gently spray to remove foam cleaner.



If you spray water through the coil immediately, you are not giving the cleaner a chance to, well, clean.



Don't rush coil cleaning. Take your time, do it right.



Enjoy the warm weather!

elfie

foam not seen on inner side

there is airflow thru the coils (paper gets sucked up against side of coils) and they dont appear dirty



how come foam does not seem to flow out of inner side of coils when applied to outside of coils?

Techman

Dirty cond coil

Check to see if you have  two cond coil's as The Professor said. Now you will have to take the outer jacket off. There will always be some air flow thru the cond unit so the "paper test"isn't all that good. No water thru certain areas of the cond coil mean that 1- the coil is plugged dirty or 2- You have REALLY good aim by squirting the water directly onto the outside face the actual tubing,  and not the fins. The height of the "rows" of tubing is offset so washing down & up on a 45*angle does real good.