@@UssaWashington Mine was installed in 2002 and wasn't cleaned, even with just water until 9 months ago and the a/c guy wasn't really cleaning, just pretended to be doing something.
Great video. One of the best tips for me was at the beginning - using the broomstick to prop open the fan. Simple and effective. I recently bought a home and the AC unit's coils didn't look like they had been cleaned in years. I bought a couple of cans of the Web Coil Cleaner, turned off the power, propped open the fan, vacuumed the inside, GENTLY vacuumed the outside of the coils with my shop vac using the brush attachment to get off the biggest chunks (spider webs, leaves, etc.), sprayed the coil cleaner inside and out, waited a bit, and then hosed the coils off - aiming from the inside->out. As someone previously noted, the unit pulls air outside->in through the coils, so if possible you want to push any dirt/debris the opposite direction vs. pushing it in deeper. Thanks for all of your great videos!
My ac broke and the motor stopped working, causing the fan to stop spinning. This channel helped me fix my unit by replacing the fan and motor, the capacitor, and cleaning the unit. Now it's cold, quiet, and working better than ever. Thank you.
When spraying the cleaner keep the spray as perpendicular to the coils as possible. It will tend to go into the crevices better than spraying on an angle. Thanks for the video
Well done. For every tech like me that works in the industry, four retire. This means that we aren't replacing maintenance or service techs at the rate we are losing them industry wide, at least in the U.S.A. So, you teaching this stuff may become the norm and in my opinion, will become an essential part of homeownership in the future. I work 77 hour weeks year around and most do now as we are overwhelmed. Lastly, foaming agents are okay, but a liquid/algae solvent mixed 1 part solvent 2 parts with warm water works best to penetrate and percolate in that tight mid spot when cleaning twins using a 1 gallon or even half gallon hand pump sprayer and flat head spray nozzle on your hose to rinse with water.
I just did one of my two units a couple weeks ago while I was changing out the fan motor. I use Viper Venom Pack with their coil gun. They say to do it from the bottom up. Seems counterintuitive but they make the stuff so I follow the directions. I am planning on doing the second unit today. If you can't see through the condenser coil it needs a cleaning.
I literally just did that this morning! Thank you for confirming the fact to do both internal fins, as well as the external ones. Keep up these great videos. 👍🏼
I used to cleaned my AC unit by hosing off without using a coil cleaner. Then the AC company cleaned it with a coil cleaner. What a difference this made in the sound. I now clean the coil per your instructions, saving $$$.
Or, use Google to find instructions. All children cleaners are not the same, inspite of all of them having the words "Coil Cleaner" in the title. BTW, how many other things do wash down with only water? Your car, perhaps?
I watched your previous video about cleaning coils and I ordered some coil cleaner from Amazon. Day after it arrived here my AC was not cooling properly mind you I had not cleaned the coils yet. I called my AC guy and my condenser dryer was rusting and slowly leaking which they showed me the oil. So they cut out the dryer, plumbed in a piece of copper and put the dryer outside the condenser with valves because I ended up losing all my gas because the way it was installed originally. I asked him about my coils and he said they did not look too bad and he hosed them down with water. One week later I used coil cleaner and then hosed it down and there was a lot of black stuff that came off. Moral of the story is use coil cleaner versus just using water. Thanks again.
This, and the previous one, are great videos, and gave me the confidence to do this myself. One minor thing I'd like to add is always make sure to turn the system off at the thermostat before disconnecting the outside power plug. I have a Lenox system, and I had to replace the thermostat because it got damaged from the minor surge that occurs when you unplug the outside plug. Even at the lowest it would have cost $500 to replace, but since the HVAC repair company won't install customer-purchased parts it cost $1600. Always be prepared for a substantial parts upcharge, and companies not working with pre-purchased parts. Apparently it has something to do with warrantees for both the work, and the parts.
Never heard of a thermostat replacement costing $1600. That is utterly insane. Nor have I heard of a thermostat getting smoked by cutting off power. Unless there is some inductive component at work, I don't see how that should happen. At most, I would have bought a replacement thermostat and installed it. You're getting ripped off.
@@RonnieCarter38501 You're absolutely right. The thermos online were only roughly $500 to $800 give, or take. They up-charged me for the part just like an auto repair place does. It wasn't a normal thermo. It was a Lennox icomfort S30-V1 hub that looks like a tablet. The problem is I know nothing about wiring them, and I wanted to make sure the part, AND the labor was warrantied. That being said, they would have refused to install a part I bought myself so I really had no choice. I TOTALLY got ripped off though, lol. As far as it breaking, the thermo was fairly old, (roughly 10 yrs) and there were known issues with it online. I'm honestly surprised it lasted as long as it did with the amount, and severity of the storms we get. The failure was most likely caused by a power surge resulting from either a blackout, or brown out power loss.
Past couple of years I've been using the frost king. I like it better than the other stuff you used to use although that stuff is widely available here. The Frost King is not. Last year I got the Frost King at Walmart and they no longer carry it. This year I had to special order it from Ace Hardware and it look a week to get it in.
Next time I do mine I am going to cut all the wires to the fan and install quick disconnects on them so it is easy to remove the fan completely. Mine was so caked in dust and fuzz and pollen it had formed a solid sheet of material that could be mostly peeled off. I had to remove the entire enclosure which was a major hassle. I figure now if I rinse from the interior every year I should be able to avoid this.
I've always used Simple Green in a hand-pump garden sprayer, let set a minute or two, then flush it off from the inside. Having the fan assembly off the unit allows for a good cleaning inside, and I touch up the paint on the top of the compressor and fan motor, too. It's a good time to verify the lubricant on the fan motor is still doing its job, as well. Oh, and inspect those fan blades for cracking!
Great advice and tutorial. I clean my condenser coils each fall and get it all ready for spring. By removing a few wires I lift the entire top and motor free of the unit for easier access to the inside of the coils. After using coil cleaner, I direct the water from a hose washing the coils from inside the unit outward (opposite the units airflow.) This loosens and blows out all sort of dust and debris that the unit draws into the unit when it runs throughout the season. Cleaning the A/C condenser coils keeps the unit running at peak efficiency while all the while removing much of the strain on the compressor.
I have a Trane 4 ton 16 seer installed last year, it has a prickly stuff on the coils, kinda looks like small Christmas tree garland. How / what to use cleaning it? I had a Amana for 26 years and always cleaned it the way you described. Just wondering about this new stuff. Thanks.
I actually use a bit of dishwasher liquid with water in a lawn sprayer and spray from the inside and outside. I follow up with a good rinse. First wash was two years ago when the unit was five years old. It actually looked pretty clean but decided to do it after watching several videos.
Thank you Sir for all the cool AC and Electric stuff also. The funny part is my family thinking I'm crazy for wanting to service our AC/Heatpump myself. Just trying to save money.
@@HowToHomeDIY I am getting a whole new Lennox system next Friday and they told me that if I did not have them come out twice a year to do the maintenance my whole system wouldn`t have a warranty!
Another way to measure the efficiency gain is to measure the running AMPS with a clamp on meter inside the electrical panel or disconnect box. I measure a 30% drop in AMPS when I spray my AC coils down with water, helping them stay cool, the concept behind the AC misting products.
Did you wait for the coils to dry before you took your decibel measurement? Wet coils will definitely be more efficient due to the evaporation. The coils must be dry to get a valid comparison.
Thank you for putting out a great video. I did this after watching the video ane my a/c runs about 6 to 7 degrees cooler. It hadn't benn cleaned in a while so I will be doing this every spring. I am also thinking about a soft start install. Thank you for the information.
Typical tech answer. It is not true. Now there is no reason to use it on a regular basis as that could cause some etching to start happening but once a year, should not be an issue with most coil cleaners as long as you follow the directions. Many coil cleaners now are not caustic and are biodegradable. Just have to read up on what each one is and offers.
Thanks for not using a clickbait title like "What HVAC pros DON'T want you to know!" or "INSANE HVAC secret that is putting the pros OUT of business!" 😌
wow.. I was about to call the service provider to to a cleaning and as i was watching him do that for the next door neighbor and they just rinse it with water from the outside. Hmm Great timing on this video and now I am planning to take care of it over a weekend and safe a ton of $$$ Thank you so much
You are very welcome! Yup, that is very common for techs to just water it down. Does not actually get it clean. Glad the timing was good. Thanks for the feedback!
I cleaned my condenser for the first time in 6 years. It's 0.6 decibels quieter now. That doesn't impress me but I'm still glad I did it. Hopefully I'm still getting other efficiency gains. Maybe I'll clean it again in a couple years.
This just means your unit was probably not very dirty to begin with. If you are in a drier climate and don't have much vegetation around then your unit will probably stay cleaner longer. Which is a good thing!
On double coils trying to spread them apart can b risky can break one or more of those u tubes if unit has mutch age on it I have before if unit extremely plugged but a nervous time doing it this is why PM is so inportant
Has anyone used Super Clean for their condenser? I have a gallon of it for cleaning my car engine, etc and it works great. Just not sure if it’s ok for a condenser too.
Outdoor temperature can also affect how hard your compressor works. If it cooled or heated while you cleaned the coils, could alter your decibel readings.
Don't Touch the Fins. They always show some misalignment but it's not Critical.You will have to use a Fin Comb and most of the time you will end up bending as much as you attempt to correct.
Buy one of the thermal cameras for your phone and do a before and after, you will be surprised how much cooler the temp on the coils are after cleaning.
Just in time for summer, I am thinking of doing a rewire on a drill press that has been handed down from my dad and it has dated wiring and has a switch at the base of the bottom then continues uo to the motor, do you have a vid of this type of project? Thank you in advance.
I want to clean my unit. But I am afraid to. There is a white coating on the fins. About four by four square. Could it be something leaking Hope someone can help
yeah the sound test was iffy... lol i will say though.... on an older system I had years back, i had it cleaned and the there was a notable drop in noise but that was years of neglect vs being cleaned.
Really like them. I have one on my unit and have for the past 4-5 years. I think it makes it easier on the compressor which should help it last longer and it cut my in rush amperage by about 70% making it even easier to run it with my generator during a power outage. Have a video on the channel showing the install and results if you’re interested.
They are called micro channel coils. You will know if you have them just by looking at them as they look almost nothing like standard coils like you see in the video. They will look a lot like the pattern you see on a vehicle radiator. If you google search micro channel coils you’ll see exactly what I mean. Also, in the video where I point out the 2 rows of coils at the end of the fins you can see a u shape copper coil connecting the two rows. Micro channel coils won’t be copper, they will be aluminum. Most people won’t have micro channel coils on their standard residential condenser units but I had to mention it as something to look for because there are some out there. I hope this helps!
There are 2 type of coils. Condenser Coils and Evaporator Coils. Each Coil should use a different Coil Cleaner. Check with the supplier or read the Intended Purpose to make the Decision
Apparently you don't have cottonwood trees nearby! Spraying on a "cleaner" from the outside of the coils/shroud is worthless in my case. Also; I cut the fan wires and installed some unplug/plug conductor connectors...got tired of the upper fan cover falling in and damaging the coil fins.
You don't need coil cleaner, but in extremely dirty or greasy situations. Most residential cond coils all you need is water to clean the condenser coil. I have seen many condenser coils ruined because they didn't get the coil cleaner out of the coil.. I've seen super high head pressure from a dirty coil in a residential home returned to normal by cleaning a coil with only water..
@@HowToHomeDIY most residential units at least in our area are not double layered coils. We do service a few. But our company does require we do it and no extra charge unless it goes over an hr but 89$ clean and check and 25$ extra for chemicals
I can tell you from my 42 years in the hvac field that double row coil DO need to be separated. I have seen many coils have a mat of cotton in between the coils and cleaner will help but not remove the lint. I have had one customer that clean his coil with spray cleaner and it LOOKED great but the head pressure was to high. I separated the coils and found a thick mat of lint. Separating a coil should not be done by a homeowner
No they don’t and most companies are not splitting residential units coils. Commercial yes. But almost nobody is going to split residential unless they absolutely have to.
Please elaborate on how you came to the conclusion that your unit is running more efficiently because of the sound pressure readings you took. You were not in a controlled environment, nor did you show the distance at which the readings were taken.
Sprayed mine with a firehose nozzle on my garden hose. Quickly flattened many of the aluminum fins! Placed a label on the unit to DO NOT CLEAN WITH..."
Don’t buy this unit unless you like LOTS OF BUGS coming through the unit to your nightstand light crawling all over you and computer screen.. I bought based solely on channel recommendation. Finally figured out the bugs are coming in through the unit when it is off.
@@HowToHomeDIY if you watch Chris Fixx he narrates his videos as he works and you only see his hands like in this video. You show your face in your videos but this video definitely has a Chris Fixx vibe to it. Probably meant as a compliment. 😊
@@HowToHomeDIY Very clear, concise how to videos with hand gestures that help move the story along and is nicer to see (for me, anyway) than just static footage. I am a subscriber!
Oh, not arguing at all against that, it absolutely is a good measure if not the best to get specific numbers. Some folks just have noisy units and by cleaning them it can really quiet it down. So I chose that demonstration. Another could be checking the temperature of the air coming out of the registers before and after. Should be a little colder afterwards.
As a HVAC guy who’s been in the industry 30 years, this isn’t a good way for stacked coils. The best way is to split the coils and use professional strength cleaner. The sound meter doesn’t measure efficiency and is a gimmick, good techs can now use software with sensors to show real time efficiency in seer and eer. I’ve done several of these where the homeowner cleaned annually like you, but it was packed in between the coils and had to be split.
I love to watch Your videos, but one thing is unclear for me. You always say "my" for things, like spray can, garden hose , and other stuff. Why is that ? I don't see purpose in saying "I don't have slack in my wiring", Please don't get me wrong , i am not judging just interested because engslh is not my spoken language, as You can see from my writing ;-)
I think he is saying that when you do this yourself, things might not look exactly as he is demonstrating. Generally, the differences are minor and can be adjusted for. And your English is better than my [any other language] 😉
@@RonnieCarter38501 not even close to the same comparison. . As I stated mine, hadn't broke down ever its coming to 20 years since installed.. Maybe the new units are junk and requires maintenance.
@@HowToHomeDIY It's nothing personal, and I'm not mad at all; just offering professional feedback when I see misleading information. Your cleaning job was totally ineffective at cleaning the coil. Look again at the water draining from the rinse at the bottom on the concrete. It's clean and clear because the cleaner you're using is useless, and foams up way too early. The foaming process is intended to foam out the sand, dirt, etc. The cleaner you used is more like shaving cream.
No, you just can’t see the dirt, algae, and grime in the water that came off the coils and fins because A: it’s video, not in person, and I didn’t zoom in and B: I take care of my unit and don’t let it get the large chunks of dirt built up in it. The cleaner works great and it is obvious because the unit looks cleaner, gets quieter, and the air blows colder even though it was a hotter point in the day.
Its only after owning my own house did i realize how 'professionals' scam people! Things that cost less than 50 dollars in materials and less than an hour in time commitment get billed at 1000s of dollars? I am only here because the other day, my neighbor's ac fan stopped spinning. HVAC 'professional' quoted 600 to fix it. I offered to help, found the issue to be a faulty capacitor. ordered one of amazon at 16 dollars and replaced the capacitor. Problem solved! I wouldn't feel bad if that specific HVAC tech goes hungry due to lack of work!
I am curious. How long has it been since your AC unit was cleaned? And what have you used to clean yours?
About 9 months. I think the a/c guy just used the water hose and nothing else. He certainly didn't lift the lid or vacuum.
Love it cool
Never in 10 years, shame I know now ! And thank you 🙏 sir .
@@UssaWashington Mine was installed in 2002 and wasn't cleaned, even with just water until 9 months ago and the a/c guy wasn't really cleaning, just pretended to be doing something.
it’s been a couple seasons it’s due for a really good cleaning thank you for the heads up 😊
Great video. One of the best tips for me was at the beginning - using the broomstick to prop open the fan. Simple and effective. I recently bought a home and the AC unit's coils didn't look like they had been cleaned in years. I bought a couple of cans of the Web Coil Cleaner, turned off the power, propped open the fan, vacuumed the inside, GENTLY vacuumed the outside of the coils with my shop vac using the brush attachment to get off the biggest chunks (spider webs, leaves, etc.), sprayed the coil cleaner inside and out, waited a bit, and then hosed the coils off - aiming from the inside->out. As someone previously noted, the unit pulls air outside->in through the coils, so if possible you want to push any dirt/debris the opposite direction vs. pushing it in deeper.
Thanks for all of your great videos!
My ac broke and the motor stopped working, causing the fan to stop spinning. This channel helped me fix my unit by replacing the fan and motor, the capacitor, and cleaning the unit. Now it's cold, quiet, and working better than ever. Thank you.
When spraying the cleaner keep the spray as perpendicular to the coils as possible. It will tend to go into the crevices better than spraying on an angle. Thanks for the video
Well done, my friend. You have an exceptional delivery. Makes us unskilled folks really appreciate your tips and suggestions. Keep up the great work!
Really glad to hear you like it. I really appreciate the kind words. Thanks for the feedback and hope to see you around the channel again!
Well done. For every tech like me that works in the industry, four retire. This means that we aren't replacing maintenance or service techs at the rate we are losing them industry wide, at least in the U.S.A. So, you teaching this stuff may become the norm and in my opinion, will become an essential part of homeownership in the future. I work 77 hour weeks year around and most do now as we are overwhelmed. Lastly, foaming agents are okay, but a liquid/algae solvent mixed 1 part solvent 2 parts with warm water works best to penetrate and percolate in that tight mid spot when cleaning twins using a 1 gallon or even half gallon hand pump sprayer and flat head spray nozzle on your hose to rinse with water.
I just did one of my two units a couple weeks ago while I was changing out the fan motor. I use Viper Venom Pack with their coil gun. They say to do it from the bottom up. Seems counterintuitive but they make the stuff so I follow the directions. I am planning on doing the second unit today. If you can't see through the condenser coil it needs a cleaning.
좋은 영상 잘 보구 갑니다. 전 한국에서 에어컨 설치하는 전문가 입니다. 이렇게 다른 나라의 기술자분들의 기술을 보니 공감가는 장면들도 많고 참 흥미롭네요!
I literally just did that this morning! Thank you for confirming the fact to do both internal fins, as well as the external ones. Keep up these great videos. 👍🏼
I used to cleaned my AC unit by hosing off without using a coil cleaner. Then the AC company cleaned it with a coil cleaner. What a difference this made in the sound. I now clean the coil per your instructions, saving $$$.
Or, use Google to find instructions. All children cleaners are not the same, inspite of all of them having the words "Coil Cleaner" in the title. BTW, how many other things do wash down with only water? Your car, perhaps?
@@nothankyou5524 What are "children cleaners?" I used soap on our kids...
I watched your previous video about cleaning coils and I ordered some coil cleaner from Amazon. Day after it arrived here my AC was not cooling properly mind you I had not cleaned the coils yet. I called my AC guy and my condenser dryer was rusting and slowly leaking which they showed me the oil.
So they cut out the dryer, plumbed in a piece of copper and put the dryer outside the condenser with valves because I ended up losing all my gas because the way it was installed originally.
I asked him about my coils and he said they did not look too bad and he hosed them down with water. One week later I used coil cleaner and then hosed it down and there was a lot of black stuff that came off. Moral of the story is use coil cleaner versus just using water. Thanks again.
🤣 yup. Almost all of them will just use water. It does not get them clean enough. Appreciate the feedback!
This, and the previous one, are great videos, and gave me the confidence to do this myself. One minor thing I'd like to add is always make sure to turn the system off at the thermostat before disconnecting the outside power plug. I have a Lenox system, and I had to replace the thermostat because it got damaged from the minor surge that occurs when you unplug the outside plug. Even at the lowest it would have cost $500 to replace, but since the HVAC repair company won't install customer-purchased parts it cost $1600.
Always be prepared for a substantial parts upcharge, and companies not working with pre-purchased parts. Apparently it has something to do with warrantees for both the work, and the parts.
Appreciate the input!
Never heard of a thermostat replacement costing $1600. That is utterly insane. Nor have I heard of a thermostat getting smoked by cutting off power. Unless there is some inductive component at work, I don't see how that should happen. At most, I would have bought a replacement thermostat and installed it. You're getting ripped off.
@@RonnieCarter38501 You're absolutely right. The thermos online were only roughly $500 to $800 give, or take. They up-charged me for the part just like an auto repair place does. It wasn't a normal thermo. It was a Lennox icomfort S30-V1 hub that looks like a tablet.
The problem is I know nothing about wiring them, and I wanted to make sure the part, AND the labor was warrantied. That being said, they would have refused to install a part I bought myself so I really had no choice. I TOTALLY got ripped off though, lol. As far as it breaking, the thermo was fairly old, (roughly 10 yrs) and there were known issues with it online. I'm honestly surprised it lasted as long as it did with the amount, and severity of the storms we get. The failure was most likely caused by a power surge resulting from either a blackout, or brown out power loss.
@@RonnieCarter38501 yeah I installed a whole 3 indoor unit minisplit for 3.2k in 2018. Wild
This granny found a better video for my grandkids! They're in hvac school
I love all of your HVAC Videos. I love how you explain Step by Step. Keep up the Great work.
Excellent video and explanation as usual. Thanks Adam.
You’re very welcome! Really glad to hear you liked it! Thanks a lot for taking the time to leave that feedback!
Past couple of years I've been using the frost king. I like it better than the other stuff you used to use although that stuff is widely available here. The Frost King is not. Last year I got the Frost King at Walmart and they no longer carry it. This year I had to special order it from Ace Hardware and it look a week to get it in.
Next time I do mine I am going to cut all the wires to the fan and install quick disconnects on them so it is easy to remove the fan completely.
Mine was so caked in dust and fuzz and pollen it had formed a solid sheet of material that could be mostly peeled off. I had to remove the entire enclosure which was a major hassle. I figure now if I rinse from the interior every year I should be able to avoid this.
I've always used Simple Green in a hand-pump garden sprayer, let set a minute or two, then flush it off from the inside. Having the fan assembly off the unit allows for a good cleaning inside, and I touch up the paint on the top of the compressor and fan motor, too. It's a good time to verify the lubricant on the fan motor is still doing its job, as well. Oh, and inspect those fan blades for cracking!
Just ordered my Frost King. Thanks for the info. I’ve also liked your other AC maintenance video. I appreciate the update.
You are very welcome! Really glad to hear you liked it. The frost king coil cleaner works great! Thanks a lot for the feedback!
Great advice and tutorial. I clean my condenser coils each fall and get it all ready for spring. By removing a few wires I lift the entire top and motor free of the unit for easier access to the inside of the coils. After using coil cleaner, I direct the water from a hose washing the coils from inside the unit outward (opposite the units airflow.) This loosens and blows out all sort of dust and debris that the unit draws into the unit when it runs throughout the season. Cleaning the A/C condenser coils keeps the unit running at peak efficiency while all the while removing much of the strain on the compressor.
i need to look at doing this. my power cables for the fan are waaay to short to even just raise it up a little bit.
I have a Trane 4 ton 16 seer installed last year, it has a prickly stuff on the coils, kinda looks like small Christmas tree garland. How / what to use cleaning it? I had a Amana for 26 years and always cleaned it the way you described. Just wondering about this new stuff. Thanks.
I actually use a bit of dishwasher liquid with water in a lawn sprayer and spray from the inside and outside. I follow up with a good rinse. First wash was two years ago when the unit was five years old. It actually looked pretty clean but decided to do it after watching several videos.
Another outstanding video. Thank you!
You are very welcome! Really glad to hear you liked it. Thanks a lot for the feedback Mark!
Thank you Sir for all the cool AC and Electric stuff also. The funny part is my family thinking I'm crazy for wanting to service our AC/Heatpump myself. Just trying to save money.
I am the same way haha. I have saved a lot doing it myself. I can't do everything but most things on it. Appreciate the feedback Joseph!
@@HowToHomeDIY I am getting a whole new Lennox system next Friday and they told me that if I did not have them come out twice a year to do the maintenance my whole system wouldn`t have a warranty!
Another way to measure the efficiency gain is to measure the running AMPS with a clamp on meter inside the electrical panel or disconnect box. I measure a 30% drop in AMPS when I spray my AC coils down with water, helping them stay cool, the concept behind the AC misting products.
Did you wait for the coils to dry before you took your decibel measurement? Wet coils will definitely be more efficient due to the evaporation. The coils must be dry to get a valid comparison.
No, they must be essentially "the same" to get a valid comparison. Hence, the use of the word "comparison."
Also, you have to make the db measurement at the exact same distance/location to make a fair comparison.
All of the above was done.
@@HowToHomeDIY Thank you!
@Leonardokite yes sir! Very welcome 🤗
Thank you for putting out a great video. I did this after watching the video ane my a/c runs about 6 to 7 degrees cooler. It hadn't benn cleaned in a while so I will be doing this every spring. I am also thinking about a soft start install. Thank you for the information.
Thank you for posting this. I really appreciate it.
Ok, one of my houses has 2 microchannel fins. So besides only water what cleaner can I use?
This is helpful, but how do you clean the coil attached to the furnace, above the fan (squirrel cage)?
Reversing the breaker in the box, would make me nervous, as it's too easy to mix up the off and on settings.
Compare before and after current readings its much better proof of any cost savings
It was my understanding, from speaking with many hvac tech. never use coil cleaner or it will damage the aluminum.
Typical tech answer. It is not true. Now there is no reason to use it on a regular basis as that could cause some etching to start happening but once a year, should not be an issue with most coil cleaners as long as you follow the directions. Many coil cleaners now are not caustic and are biodegradable. Just have to read up on what each one is and offers.
Do you have to spray the coils with the cleaner from the inside? Also, and then wash it out. Are.
Thanks for not using a clickbait title like "What HVAC pros DON'T want you to know!" or "INSANE HVAC secret that is putting the pros OUT of business!" 😌
You are very welcome!
wow.. I was about to call the service provider to to a cleaning and as i was watching him do that for the next door neighbor and they just rinse it with water from the outside. Hmm Great timing on this video and now I am planning to take care of it over a weekend and safe a ton of $$$ Thank you so much
You are very welcome! Yup, that is very common for techs to just water it down. Does not actually get it clean. Glad the timing was good. Thanks for the feedback!
Just subscribed Thank you for this informative video .
I cleaned my condenser for the first time in 6 years. It's 0.6 decibels quieter now. That doesn't impress me but I'm still glad I did it. Hopefully I'm still getting other efficiency gains. Maybe I'll clean it again in a couple years.
This just means your unit was probably not very dirty to begin with. If you are in a drier climate and don't have much vegetation around then your unit will probably stay cleaner longer. Which is a good thing!
My new condenser specifically says to use water only. Thoughts?
Sweet!! Thanks for the info.
You are very welcome! Really glad to hear you liked it. Thanks a lot for the feedback!
Thank you for the lesson. I learned a lot! Much appreciated.
On double coils trying to spread them apart can b risky can break one or more of those u tubes if unit has mutch age on it I have before if unit extremely plugged but a nervous time doing it this is why PM is so inportant
Yeah, definitely do not recommend trying to split the coils.
Has anyone used Super Clean for their condenser? I have a gallon of it for cleaning my car engine, etc and it works great. Just not sure if it’s ok for a condenser too.
Outdoor temperature can also affect how hard your compressor works. If it cooled or heated while you cleaned the coils, could alter your decibel readings.
It got warmer as it was later in the day and my decibel reading still went down.
Question: Do you recommend straightening the flattened fins?
Don't Touch the Fins. They always show some misalignment but it's not Critical.You will have to use a Fin Comb and most of the time you will end up bending as much as you attempt to correct.
Buy one of the thermal cameras for your phone and do a before and after, you will be surprised how much cooler the temp on the coils are after cleaning.
Just in time for summer, I am thinking of doing a rewire on a drill press that has been handed down from my dad and it has dated wiring and has a switch at the base of the bottom then continues uo to the motor, do you have a vid of this type of project? Thank you in advance.
A guy does a video on cleaning your a/c coils and you're asking about rewiring an old drill press? Yup, that makes sense...
I want to clean my unit. But I am afraid to. There is a white coating on the fins. About four by four square. Could it be something leaking
Hope someone can help
I've been using Nu-Brite with good results.
Was the coil dry as it was in the first decibel reading.
yeah the sound test was iffy... lol i will say though.... on an older system I had years back, i had it cleaned and the there was a notable drop in noise but that was years of neglect vs being cleaned.
Yes the coils were completely try by then.
What's the PVC vent pipe next to the compressor pad for?
That's the condensate drain.
I have a gas furnace. Is there a different way to clean the inside of that?
Sir I just did mine, it’s one wire to un lip, then the motor can be taken fully out.
I never gave growth here in the dry area and water is plenty good from what i see here at home
Do you recommend a 2nd wash if it i has not been done in a few years?
No, if everything was covered with the coil cleaner it should be clean. I usually just wash mine once a year.
@@HowToHomeDIY Thanks much.
Great info - what's your thoughts for a soft start add-on for A/C systems??
Really like them. I have one on my unit and have for the past 4-5 years. I think it makes it easier on the compressor which should help it last longer and it cut my in rush amperage by about 70% making it even easier to run it with my generator during a power outage. Have a video on the channel showing the install and results if you’re interested.
You actually see it set up on his A/C in this video
@on3kill762 yup! Very observant.
Thank you and God Bless😊🙏
Gracias 🙏 that was a great video 😊
De nada! Really glad to hear you liked it. Thanks a lot for the feedback!
@@HowToHomeDIY Thank you for taking some of your busy time to respond to my comment…Saludos!!!👋😃👋keep up the great work!!!
And how much will one month of training cost?
Why dont you have insulation on the cold lines under the fan?
How do you know if you have the type of coils that the cleaner can’t be used on?
I’d like to know the answer to this as well. I don’t want to order a cleaner if it can harm my unit.
They are called micro channel coils. You will know if you have them just by looking at them as they look almost nothing like standard coils like you see in the video. They will look a lot like the pattern you see on a vehicle radiator. If you google search micro channel coils you’ll see exactly what I mean. Also, in the video where I point out the 2 rows of coils at the end of the fins you can see a u shape copper coil connecting the two rows. Micro channel coils won’t be copper, they will be aluminum. Most people won’t have micro channel coils on their standard residential condenser units but I had to mention it as something to look for because there are some out there. I hope this helps!
There are 2 type of coils. Condenser Coils and Evaporator Coils. Each Coil should use a different Coil Cleaner. Check with the supplier or read the Intended Purpose to make the Decision
Can i just use a brake cleaner, purple power, anything like that?
Thank you good info
Apparently you don't have cottonwood trees nearby! Spraying on a "cleaner" from the outside of the coils/shroud is worthless in my case. Also; I cut the fan wires and installed some unplug/plug conductor connectors...got tired of the upper fan cover falling in and damaging the coil fins.
I have a bunch of cottonwood trees in my area so I put window screen around unit works great and we keep it super clean when cotton is falling
What's the best time of the year to do this? Thanks.
Any time other than winter unless you’re in a warm climate. I typically do it in the spring. Get the unit ready for the hot summer.
Good Video
Really glad to hear you liked it. Thanks a lot for the feedback!
You don't need coil cleaner, but in extremely dirty or greasy situations. Most residential cond coils all you need is water to clean the condenser coil. I have seen many condenser coils ruined because they didn't get the coil cleaner out of the coil.. I've seen super high head pressure from a dirty coil in a residential home returned to normal by cleaning a coil with only water..
We split the coils when we service them if there 2 or more rows
I have never seen a tech split the coils on a residential unit. I’ve seen it on commercial units though.
@@HowToHomeDIY most residential units at least in our area are not double layered coils. We do service a few. But our company does require we do it and no extra charge unless it goes over an hr but 89$ clean and check and 25$ extra for chemicals
Will the cleaner harm or kill the grass after rinsing off?
thanks
Any different process for a heat pump?
Nope. Mine is a heat pump.
I can tell you from my 42 years in the hvac field that double row coil DO need to be separated. I have seen many coils have a mat of cotton in between the coils and cleaner will help but not remove the lint. I have had one customer that clean his coil with spray cleaner and it LOOKED great but the head pressure was to high. I separated the coils and found a thick mat of lint. Separating a coil should not be done by a homeowner
No they don’t and most companies are not splitting residential units coils. Commercial yes. But almost nobody is going to split residential unless they absolutely have to.
my fan power cables are too short to even raise a little bit :( I tried.
Please elaborate on how you came to the conclusion that your unit is running more efficiently because of the sound pressure readings you took. You were not in a controlled environment, nor did you show the distance at which the readings were taken.
Sprayed mine with a firehose nozzle on my garden hose. Quickly flattened many of the aluminum fins! Placed a label on the unit to DO NOT CLEAN WITH..."
Should I use a pressure washer? I do have one.
No. Not advised.
Too much pressure will damage the fins.
Is this a re-upload? I swear I have watched this before a long time ago
Same subject, completely different video with some updated practices.
It looks like all of the black fin coating is gone on that carrier unit. Coil cleaners tend to remove that coating
There never was any.
@@HowToHomeDIY hmmm
Don’t buy this unit unless you like LOTS OF BUGS coming through the unit to your nightstand light crawling all over you and computer screen.. I bought based solely on channel recommendation. Finally figured out the bugs are coming in through the unit when it is off.
Huh? It is a condenser unit. Bugs cant get in from it.
Why not just use dawn dish soap?
You can. Just doesn’t work quite as well.
Somebody is a fan of Chris Fixx.
I’ve heard of him but what makes you say that?
@@HowToHomeDIY if you watch Chris Fixx he narrates his videos as he works and you only see his hands like in this video. You show your face in your videos but this video definitely has a Chris Fixx vibe to it. Probably meant as a compliment. 😊
@@HowToHomeDIY Very clear, concise how to videos with hand gestures that help move the story along and is nicer to see (for me, anyway) than just static footage. I am a subscriber!
How to clean a window ac ?
There a YT videos for this. I’ve come across them. Just do a search.
Really? I was taught that checking amp draw was a good measure of energy efficiency. So, now we need to do a sound check 😅.
Oh, not arguing at all against that, it absolutely is a good measure if not the best to get specific numbers. Some folks just have noisy units and by cleaning them it can really quiet it down. So I chose that demonstration. Another could be checking the temperature of the air coming out of the registers before and after. Should be a little colder afterwards.
@@HowToHomeDIY With your EasyStart, measuring current draw is trivial :) But you already knew that.
@@JCWren really? Please take a class on motors or HVAC/R
@@leealtmansr.3811 Why the heck are you tagging me in this comment?
I just used water
Hello, my name is Bayram. I am from Turkmenistan. Will you take me as your assistant?
Algorithm boost.
Much appreciated!
I believe doing it from the inside out, without cleaner is the best.
As a HVAC guy who’s been in the industry 30 years, this isn’t a good way for stacked coils. The best way is to split the coils and use professional strength cleaner. The sound meter doesn’t measure efficiency and is a gimmick, good techs can now use software with sensors to show real time efficiency in seer and eer. I’ve done several of these where the homeowner cleaned annually like you, but it was packed in between the coils and had to be split.
I love to watch Your videos, but one thing is unclear for me. You always say "my" for things, like spray can, garden hose , and other stuff. Why is that ? I don't see purpose in saying "I don't have slack in my wiring", Please don't get me wrong , i am not judging just interested because engslh is not my spoken language, as You can see from my writing ;-)
I think he is saying that when you do this yourself, things might not look exactly as he is demonstrating. Generally, the differences are minor and can be adjusted for. And your English is better than my [any other language] 😉
@@wallyky good explanation, thanks
Why my AC not cool
Could be a lot of reasons for that.
@@HowToHomeDIY Ask a stupid question..........
Why the clickbait thumbnails and stupid faces if the information in the video is good?
What the heck makes it clickbait? I don’t think you know what actual clickbait is. Not even making a face 😂
I haven't cleaned my unit ever... It's 18 years old..don't see the point
Not my job to try and convince you.
I promise you you will feel a huge difference in performance and you will save yourself some money because it won't run as much
You don't "see the point" in routine maintenance? Do you change the oil in your car, or just buy a new one every year? SMH
@@RonnieCarter38501 not even close to the same comparison. . As I stated mine, hadn't broke down ever its coming to 20 years since installed.. Maybe the new units are junk and requires maintenance.
Not something a homeowner should ever do. This can lead to death if not done correctly. This can also lead to damage to your equipment..
Omg 😂. And getting behind the wheel of a car can be fatal too. I mean where do you draw the line? It’s not rocket science. Let me guess, AC tech?
Way too yappy. Should have been a good two or three minute video...
😂 I think UA-cam shorts might be more your speed then. I wasn’t talking about the weather.
This video is proof why ONLY a trained, seasoned, licensed professional should service A/C systems.
Here we go. Betting this is another AC tech mad that this exists because it opens the door to homeowners doing it themselves. 😂
@@HowToHomeDIY It's nothing personal, and I'm not mad at all; just offering professional feedback when I see misleading information.
Your cleaning job was totally ineffective at cleaning the coil. Look again at the water draining from the rinse at the bottom on the concrete. It's clean and clear because the cleaner you're using is useless, and foams up way too early. The foaming process is intended to foam out the sand, dirt, etc. The cleaner you used is more like shaving cream.
No, you just can’t see the dirt, algae, and grime in the water that came off the coils and fins because A: it’s video, not in person, and I didn’t zoom in and B: I take care of my unit and don’t let it get the large chunks of dirt built up in it. The cleaner works great and it is obvious because the unit looks cleaner, gets quieter, and the air blows colder even though it was a hotter point in the day.
Why? So, you can be charged an outrageous amount of money for a simple fix that anyone can do?
Its only after owning my own house did i realize how 'professionals' scam people!
Things that cost less than 50 dollars in materials and less than an hour in time commitment get billed at 1000s of dollars?
I am only here because the other day, my neighbor's ac fan stopped spinning. HVAC 'professional' quoted 600 to fix it.
I offered to help, found the issue to be a faulty capacitor. ordered one of amazon at 16 dollars and replaced the capacitor. Problem solved!
I wouldn't feel bad if that specific HVAC tech goes hungry due to lack of work!