HVAC Evaporator Coil Cleaning
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- Опубликовано: 13 сен 2024
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I've been cleaning my own coils every two or three years for many years. This is what I do and have had great success. I am not telling you to do it my way.
I've never had to pull the evaporator out of my air handler. I simply turn off the A/C and trip the breakers at the circuit breaker panel to both my evaporator (air handler) and condenser (compressor) I also trip the breaker at the air handler. My air handler is inside a small hall closet on an air handler stand. I also had one sit on a plywood box. I use a heavy duty 6mil plastic painters sheeting that is about 5 feet square. I lay it on the floor and duck tape it under the air handler/coil to the legs to create a sort of tub/basin that reaches up to the bottom of the air handler in the back and on the sides and about 6 inches high in the front where I am working to catch and contain dirt and liquid. I use additional plastic tarp to protect the floor where I am working from over spray and dirt wish is negligible. I also get my wet vac, lawn water hose with spray handle attached and two gallon pneumatic pressure sprayer. I then remove the side panel to give me access to the top of the coil as well as the bottom. I mix a quality coil cleaner (Nu Calgon) the recommended strength in the sprayer. Starting at the top of the evaporator from the discharge side, I spray down the coils with the cleaner and let it work for about 15 or 20 minutes.. I also spray the evaporator from the underside/intake side starting at the top. All the dirt, extra cleaner will either drip down into the tarp basin or into the drain pan. Ensuring I don't have too much pressure coming out of my garden hose sprayer to accidentally bend the fins, I rinse the coil starting at the top from the discharge side. I use my wet vac to suck up the few gallons of water that accumulate in the tarp basin.... I then repeat the procedure a second time just to make sure everything is out deep inside the fins... Finally I also clean the drain pan and drain pipe.... Start to finish including getting everything ready and clean uptakes about an hour and a half and cost me about $10...
thanks for the info. I was looking for something like this. didn't think about the shop vac. We'll see what happens.
Michael Lee... My heat coils have always been above my evaporator. We owned our last house for over 18 years and nothing ever rusted out... Don't let this guy scare you...
Oh one other thing. The best way I found to clean my drain pipe is to use my wet vac on the drain tube outside. Using my hand to create a seal around the drain pipe while the wet vac is running to essentially use the drain pipe as an extension of the hose to the air handler I have my wife pour a couple gallons of water mixed with about a 1/4 cup of bleach into the tube at the air handler using a funnel... We clean the tube about once a year.
Tom Frazier j
Damn ! You should make a vid. This is the first time I've seen a vid or comment about spraying it from the topside while attached. Obviously a great idea if you can pull it off as I think pulling the evaporator can only be done by a pro. And, I'm not sure how good a job can be done with a brush, I'm thinking of using my house vac with the brush attachment, from the underside.
The problem is some older furnaces don't have provisions for opening them up to get to the coils. I think mine is going to have to be opened up like a sardine can and new sheet metal put back on. Getting to the coils is never addressed in most of these videos. This is a good video on how to clean the coils once you get to them.
Great video. I know this video is older but it's so necessary. A clean system is a happy system and will preform at its intended peak performance when takin care of and installed properly. Thank you for taking the time to shoot this video, edit and post these videos for all of us to watch! You are appreciated!!!
Do you realize how difficult it is to find a conscientious and reliable service person such as yourself? That was a lot of work and most companies will not do that kind of work. Sad but true.
Agreed, man. Those wash it place jobs are the half assed way of doing it. A lot of times, it makes the problem worse.
@@rubenmejia9020 tahat is why you hired a mexicancuz mexi- can🤣🤣🤣 joking good video.
Awesome educational video, just got my EPA and love watching your videos on what to expect out in the field.
Thanks Edgar, the best part about RUclips is we are able to show you what's it really like out in the field. There is no book out there that can prepare you for what is really out there. Good luck
Ralph, Great video, very informative and I must say, very honest. I live in SW Florida and it seems to me that the integrity of the HVAC profession is pretty bad down here. The industry really could benefit from more technicians like yourself. Hats off to you sir!!
great job ralph,,,,,, yes thats the best way to clean them properly,thumbes up
steve is working again yall
Great video and editing! That coil came out brand new! Nice job Ralph!
Thanks leanorlando
Anytime T&N Services LLC.
2:11 🤣
Has to be the HVAC DIRT SONG of the YEAR
I always get the convient store that hasn't had a filter on the unit for a few years and the dirt has turned into a hard gray crud. I have to use a blue can of calgon spray foam some water, let it foam for ten minutes then water and CO2 pressure. I had one with airborn barbeque sauce in the evaporator. The worst are Chinese restaurant walk in cooler condensing units on top of the cooler, they get plugged with gooey sauce from the woks, it gets on your tools for a month.
Damn Jim, sounds like you need a special tool box just for those calls.
also! you don't charge by Super Heat if it has a TXV, you charge by Sub Cooling only!
What an informative video. Amazing job on the cleaning. Loved the scrolling text about the evils of DIRT!
I don't know what swedging is? But looks brand new brother, as a craftsman I appreciate someone who takes pride in their work
Awesome video
Thanks for educating the community and appreciate your volunteering.
Thanks to team for producing this video
Please please keep making videos on every small repair and maintenance short videos that would be your Social Service to the world
I wish Good Luck and Love
Somewhere in that house runs a hairless dog. I know you had to remove some refrigerant on that one. I think you have a second career in video editing, great vid.
Thanks Charles, LOL I saw the 2 dogs right before we left, they still had a full coat, that means it's going to need it again in a few years. I think he will be a little more pro active on the filter changing from now on though. I'm trying on the editing though. Every video will get a little better
Some where in that house is an air filter...NOT!
Good stuff buddy, pull and clean takes time but beats buying a new motor or circuit board!
Pulling and cleaning is the only way to do it
@@foobarmaximus3506 educate me please
Great looking swages! Glad you had this coil as a demo for the video. What a difference in performance they'll notice. Thanks for showing.
What is the typical fee for this procedure?
A couple to a few hours labor and up to a few pounds of refrigerant.
So what he's saying is, $600-$1k to have it pulled, about $200 to have it cleaned in place, about $40 to do it yourself provided you have the tools, don't mess it up or cause more problems. They have a no-wash evaporator spray that if its done as part of regular maintenance, will keep it free flowing and unplugged for the life of the unit.
That was the best edited pull and clean I have ever seen. Good job.
Thanks talyn875
really? So....what about the random sudden burst of music did you find to be "best" ? EVERYONE'S A CRITIC HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAH....I'm mocking myself. BOOOM can't push me off the cliff if I already jumped!
Why they still design a-coil in the attic where no one can access it, even if you can, you have no room to open or work on it. I ask all my family members, their a-coil Never Clean in the past 30 years. Thanks for the video.
There's no way a A-Coil gets that dirty unless the homeowner was running without a air filter in place.....FOR A VERY LONG TIME!
garbage filtration is what causes that along with lack of maintenance. owner saved on it all those years for this
PULL IT?! That's not even remotely feasible. You have to freaking recover the refrigerant, desolder the suction and pressure, then cap them off on both ends to prevent moisture and other contaminants from getting in, then you still have to get the damn thing out (which likely was never out and came mounted in the air handler from the factory) before finally cleaning it.
I mean, obviously it's the best way, but it simply isn't feasible. Even if I had the equipment to do it, it would be absolutely ridiculous going through all that. And some evaporators are hard enough to get to just to clean, let alone take out for an even better cleaning. Shhhhheeeeeeeeeshhhhhhhh.
Refrigerant lines aren't "soldered" they are sliver brazed. Cold solder or "sweating" is for plumbers and waterlines, not HVAC techs and refrigerant lines.
R-410A on a hot day can exceed 400 PSI on the high side (liquid). Even R-22 systems exceed what I would feel comfortable with sweating the joints. You can hit 250 PSI and even greater.
100% agreed, its not even possible to get mine out without massive amounts of work (I'm in a town home)...you'd literally have to cut a hole in the wall to access it, and then good luck getting it out..is there no way to get behind the coils from the "front"?
Great video Ralph! It's right up there with Harry Dickson's fire hose video.
Thanks for the great video. So all the 30+ year old units look this bad? I'm having problems with it freezing up.
Get a pair of metal cutting shears cut that triangle cover once unscrewed. You can use aluminum tape to cover cut. This will make removal easier and help for future access.
Great explanation Ralph on coil cleaning !!! awesome video.
Thanks Harry
Great job Ralph !! The labor for time "trying" to clean in place plus the call backs and additional return trips to clean again make doing it right the first time their best option. Sometimes their light between their ears just will not come on though. MacEdit is cool. Take care, Brett
Thanks hvactecster79 the MacBook is the bomb!!!!
@@TandNServices how much does this cost
@@deedash7033 probably more than a new one
My EVAP is building up water down by blower motor it blows it in a corner it's not the drain pan I checked I filled it with water saw no leaks it's not the drain I checked that too it's not frosting over idk where the water is coming from I have a video of it
I got a new 4 ton ac unit installed! The evaporator coil i did not get it changed. So right now I got 2 different kind of freon! He never flushed the old freon out of the evaporator to put in the new freon to match the freon from the new ac unit outside. Now my new ac unit makes a loud sound every time it kicks on!
U are fucked I'm sorry
Thank you for this info..my in-laws have an older home..and honestly I have no clue if the coils have ever been cleaned lol
Clean and ready to go again good job
Talking about the worst POS ever, I have a condo in a building with a chiller on the roof and slant coils in each condo. Mine a/c (and heat too I guess) is just barely functioning. I took off the panel and see the top of the coil (blower is at the bottom) is covered in blue corrosion. For all I know, it's eaten through all of the little flutes? I'm getting ready to try cleaning the coil, but it may be a lost cause. What do you suggest to clean the corrosion off the flutes. I have to clean this thing in place, trying to avoid all the wires and motor since all of that is BELOW the coil....UGH!!!! Can you blow it out from the top with an air compressor??? What all is involved in pulling the unit? Do a video on how you pulled it please.
I have a situation. My ac is not reaching the setting. I have it set at 75 and it never gets lower that 79 in this summer heat in south Texas. During the day it's always running. I had a tech come out and he said the high side number on the meter is 275 which is high and the low side was 60 I believe. He's saying the evaporator coil is clogged and needs to be replaced. His estimate is $1,800 for a trane coil and $1,200 for a off brand. He never said anything about just cleaning it. What's your opinion?? Thanks and great video.
fk that guy is my opinion. if you need to just have him pump it down for you then call him back when your done to reinstall it
That technician probably did not do a static air pressure test... before and after the evaporator coil. A big static pressure reading equals restricted airflow = a dirty coil.
search evaporator coil online, e.g. price, less than $400 for 2.5Ton...
Was thinking about doing it myself. But I can't do that.
Wonderful video! Thank you.
Would you like to shwo us how to remove this from the artic withot damage or brake domething?
My evap coil is old. The pan under the coil is steel and has rusted. It seems to drain OK. but I would like to swap it for a new coil that is clean and new also. Did you do a pump down to remove the coil in the video? I have the equipment to do that.
I also have extra R22 to replace a shortage. The condenser says it takes 7 LB.
I had no trouble cleaning mine in place, and that metal plate was really easy just to slide out.
bill smith what car u got
You have a whole cat or dog in that thing!
NETWizzJbirk Lol
You would be amazed what a piece of cardboard can do to clean coils like that that are mostly matted lint etc. the cardboard molds inside of the coil fins some and will pull all of that off in big sheets
I had an hvac service co give me a quote of $750 to pull and clean the coil. I almost passed the hell out. Dam! July 2020
U better buy a new one with that money
thieves one wanted 300 for a capacitor after charging 800 for remove and clean a 9 year old coil, in 2007 money.
all this dirt and hair just went past the filter?
"Sometimes I'm a professional" LOL!
Excellent. Would it be cheaper to just replace it?
If you use a toothpick to clean it, it's even harder.
To clean the coil this way you have to pump it down, take it off of the system and clean it.Then you have to do the reverse to put it back. How much do you charge for this?
How much for this in Houston texas . I need this service
When you need to call a HVAC technician use Angie’s list and find somebody small. Big HVAC companies have billing policies like hospitals. They don’t charge by the hour they charge by the job and they can charge you $500 to replace a $15 capacitor that is covered under warranty and takes 15 minutes to install but can be done in 10 minutes. My home is only 2 years old and I paid the company that installed my AC for maintenance and they already tried to charge me over $2100 to change the evaporator coil with the part under warranty. It’s not my fault they let my AC run without a filter when my house was under construction and it’s not just my house. Every house in my community is new and had their units running without filters while under construction it’s Florida and Lyndstrom installed all of them. Why can’t people just use compressed air and a non foaming spray solution ?
More of a question than a comment. What if there is a downflow furnace with the coil mounted horizontally in the crawl space with access panels mounted in the ducting before and after the coil, i.e. the furnace is vertical in the house and the coil is mounted horizontally downstream in the crawl space. I would think cleaning the coil in place would very much be a possibility.
your average home owner or property manager, can't perform this. Without knocking down the freon R22 or 427a...cut copper, flare a new fitting and reinstall. Vacuum the lines out to recharge the system. Best to clean in place, carefully and with precision.
would a dirty one cause no hot air to blow out the fan outside??
Lol.. The audience is relentless
Nice video Ralph, looks like you found their missing cat. But we change our filters all the time. Nice cleanup. Keep up the good work.
Ray
Over50TXtech they were using that cheap green fiberglass filter. I explained to them why not to use it. I checked the blower wheel on the system(the homeowner) had already cleaned it.
We have a brand new heat pump and it’s been freezing up. I’m wondering if maybe this is what we need done??
Thank you for sharing this video. Idk how some companies claim they can properly clean the coil installed. Nice job
One of your best video yet! Good job Ralph A+++++++++++++++++
Thanks Mike, I'm trying to do the best I can!!! Hopefully the rest of my videos turn out as good. Thanks for the compliment though!!!!!
Gtreat video Ralph, I wish I could convince more of my customers to spend a little more money and do it the right way, but most of them don't want to go for the extra bucks.
Hey Richard, you gave me a great ideal for a video. This call came from one of my RUclips videos, he had someone come out and check his system and they found it dirty, he started looking up dirty coil cleaning and saw one of my videos. He thought he could do it himself but after he saw the video he called me.
Thats a great idea Ralph, I will recommend my customers to check out your video too so they could see exactly how the right way to do it is done.
Hello, did you install txv bulb outside the coil?? after the txv bypass? al new adp coils have sensing bulb before the txv bypass
How much does this cost?
I loved the sound effects 😊
Did that have a filter???? Pretty dirty
Ralph, thank you for posting the video. What material do you prefer to insulate the txv sensing bulb after installation? I took the plate off of my unit but damaged the existing insulation.
I normally use foam tape but you can use pipe insulation as long as you secure it good
I use a merv 13 filters from 3M . yeah they are pricey about 25 bucks each . but do a great job .
Yep, have old Bryant 2 ton coil only with 10 kw duct heater on a 40 Year apt. with the old Bryant 566 thru the wall condenser with double squirrel cage. the place has 400 apt. all r-22 1/4 liq line 1/2 suction line. In the closet for the indoor section water heater setting on floor. Drain line is stopped on 3 story building. Apts are not the same floor plan on each floor. The top floor Coil drains water into drain pan under water heater with 1/2 drain line goes down into 2 nd floor water heater drain pan then down to efficiency apartment into a 2 '' hub going into the city drain. I too out cleaned the coil in middle apt. No warranty. Except that the coil is clean. worked for 30 days now has leak in coil. They do not have another $1700.00 to do over. I will not do over. The buildings circle a pond that the foundation was not tamped down. The buildings with 30 apts in each building are sinking. The apts have fixed the end apts by pumping light concrete. level the floor but its 8"" Incomming water lines have snapped where it takes 2 90 deg ells 18'' apart and they are 2" water lines for incoming water for people living there. The place is 95% full. Yep told them to tear it down and start over. Now they want $1700.00 back. no way I have my contract and told them I would try one. See what happens. They don't want to lessen. Looks like no filters in 40 years. good luck. The ones you know you should not take u do and it wants to come back and bite. Have a good summer
idk what filter much system is designed for but i use the 3m 1500 filters which filter down to .3 microns...even so, those evaporators still sbould be removed yearly and inspected for corrosion (possible future leak) and disinfected with lysol or something of the like because you will still get mold and mildew growth even if there's no dust.
your 3m filter will do a good job making your electric bill go up. IT REDUCES AIRFLOW
+Leonard Cantrell only when it's dirty. I tested the airflow compared to no filter and the difference is insignificant when new. and since I change the filter regularly, I don't have a problem with airflow. my goal is to keep the duct system and evap clean of dust so I don't have to worry about having ducts and evap cleaned every couple years of so.
Nice job Ralph.
Thanks Rob HVAC
Where was this thing, in a dirt factory?
Had this problem. The problem wasn't that I didn't change the filter. The problem was that. There was a tiny crack between the wall and the floor. You couldn't see it unless you shined light behind it.
Will washing it off damage the unit?
So what do you think about those "spray on cleaners" or even better"no rinse foams"?
So pretty much saying, pay us to do it. Don’t touch cause it’s fragile and will break. I would say try and if you don’t think it’s do-able then pay a pro to do it. Seems to me like taking coil out is higher charge and easier work for the tech. Most don’t want to bother spending more labor on trying to clean on unit.
I don’t think “dirt” is that critical it’s a mechanical system. It’s air flow not an engine. I think this was an advertisement.
Vacuum cleaner?
why take the metal plate off can't you just open up the blower panel and spray it above the blower inner coil should be exposed
Did you edit video on your new Mac, excellent outcome. I broke out the popcorn and told everybody to shut up. I almost thought I heard a little BOM CHIKA BOM BOM but I was wrong. If there was a Locks of Love for dogs you can donate that rug.
I read your comment to my wife and she died laughing!!! It means a lot to read comments like this one. Yes I did do the edit on the MacBook.
Clean at home? I need to inspect it in place. I don't know how. I'm not cutting my lines nor evacuating them, etc.
Like that funky music...
Thanks Carl, I'm trying to make some of these boring videos a little more interesting. I'm learning on every video
That look like a protective cleaning filter that you peeled off!
nope, thats hair and skin nixed with dust, danger etc. Keep your filters clean
That's exactly how I felt when I saw it getting peeled off. Was it some sort of filter as I've never seen dirt that stuck before.
do you feel a difference? when cleaning the coils?
How old was this unit that there was so much hair & dirt coming off ?
You're a good man Charlie Brown. :).
it is ok to clean it Yourself. I did many times
Yeah if you can do so on certain models. But pulling it like that and loosing freon. I’d leave it to the pros
Wow ! Nice Job !
Did they ever use a filter?
After watching this video I think I'll call a professional!
thats the goal here
Great video, how much did this process cost?
15 years ago, the tech charged $300.
I am sure that you just pumped all the freon into the condenser and closed the service valves. Pulled out the evaporation coil to clean it and that way you only have to pull vacuum on line set and evaporation coil then just open service valves to charge system and adjust charge to subcool once up and running. At least that is what I do.
English please
No guy is willing to come and do this job for me. I can clean the outside unit by self but the attic part is complicated.
"Then you take a chance on shorting your motor out" if you have a system with the blower below the coils, yeah. Luckily, we do not ;) nothing below the coils except a large piece of ductwork connecting to the filter rails.
Downflow furnaces are backwards and a pain in the fucking ass to service and work on. You are UNLUCKY, not the reverse!
John Doe o
Your videos are awesome. I was surprised however there were a few slip ups in this one. I want to share my views on this with you. Your coil has a txv so your charge is by subcooling not superheat as mentioned in 3 minutes 45 seconds. Also saying it won't be cleaned good enough and its better to replace? If a coil is plugged up 30 percent and I can get it to 15%, better is good. Why say it needs replacement? As far as hurting those capillary tubes, you can bend them out of the way to remove the tin triangle from the coil. I personally agree with you cleaning it in place is not ideal but I clean coils in place because it's charity work (I only do this for friends) and I'm not pulling it on a free job if I don't have to. Everything boils down to cost and willingness/ability to pay. When people neglect their system for 15 years (often due to a poor installation that offered no filtration protection) then sometimes better is the best we can do given their finances. I wish every system came with an aprilaire 5 inch pleated 213 filter. Only way to go. The coil looks great now, what a mess- you made a major improvement in performance!
Apartment complex are know to have many coils like that. Cat hair is the worse. Did you edit this video with your new lap top?
Hey POPS, I DID edit this on my new laptop. As far as apartments go there's just no hope for them. As long as they have managers who don't care or don't know any better things in that world will not change
So if I cant get the cover off easily without damaging any lines just set a kicker box in.front of the closest vent and blow that shit off with subsonic frequencies???!!!
Wow! Good job!
I used to clean window units with 4 in 1 coil cleaner from Johnstone Supply. That stuff is really nasty. It's caustic, and will burn your skin.
Did that system even have an air filter, or was there so much by pass air around the filter that the lint finally plugged the coil? Looks like pure neglect.
This is their first house, and they didn't understand the importance of using a proper filter. Now they know and won't make the same mistake twice.
Was there any air moving thru there and I guess filters are over rated
Great job !!!!!
Im scare to do this but im sure i needed since my heating has declined and my cooling dont work properly that whole coil got frozen in the middle of summer so i stop using it
NOT to be a Troll but whats killing me is yeah I can pull my coils out but if you "remove" them from the system " cut the copper lines " there goes your Freon. so you wind up spending cash on a service call anyway. ( that's is if you don't have a one way valve - I assume ) I sure would love to be able to take mine outside and hose them down.
+Mister Farrow there's no way of pulling it out without pumping down the unit. Then after you reinstall it you will need to pull a vacuum, then open the valves, then adjust the freon charge as needed. Shouldn't loose any freon while doing so.
again I like the your videos. replace the coil. don't waste your time cleaning it
+Dave Nichols it's one of those choices I let the customers make. If it's leaking I would never just clean it.