Air Conditioner Coil and Condenser Cleaning

How often should you have it done? Our AC (Bryant) has never been touched since it was installed 10 years ago.
Am I living on borrowed time?

How mechanically inclined are you Bruce?

If you can look and see dust, they likley need cleaning.

One thing that may not get cleaned by many service people is the fan. On squirrel cage or centrifugal fans the veins can collect dust making the fan much less efficient at moving air.

A post of my experience with my heater was posted here > https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?301305

If you have to pay someone by the hour to do it, you will understand why I do it myself and would charge dearly to do it for someone else.

jtk

It's an easy job. The mechanical part is taking the screws out of the cover for the condenser unit. You can buy coil cleaner in hose end sprayers. My source is Supplyhouse.

edited to add: I just checked, and don't see the cleaner that comes in a hose end sprayer any more.

A lot depends on the conditions around your unit. If you have a cottonwood tree or dryer vent close by you may need to clean the coil every year. Ours is on its 15th year and is still clean. Keep in mind that the fins are delicate. Too much water pressure or inappropriate technique can damage the fins. Folded closed fins can be reopened with a fin comb. It is one of those jobs that builds character. Getting the top back on a condensing unit can be very difficult. Some designs benefit from having a ratchet strap put around the unit before you take the top off.

If you have cottonwood trees it may need cleaned once a month! I clean mine when its dirty, usually can go two years. If you don't know how hire someone to do as it involves removing the top and getting the condenser fan motor out of the way. Must be done with power off to the unit at the circuit breaker and then cleaning from the inside out.

Inside evaporator coil and blower motor wheel, IF your using a good filter as a pleated one they will stay clean for a long time.

Once a year at beginning of AC season, and a couple of quick rinses during cottonwood season.

We don't have Cottonwood, but we do have a Lot of Pine pollen once a year. The outside coils always get rinsed off after that's over with. I've never had to clean evaporator coils.

I had my condenser cleaned last summer when my A/C was seven years old. I failed to ask how how much it would cost when I set the appointment. They got me for $329! I would have told them no and done it myself for that kind of money. I could buy the coil cleaner and the special sprayer for maybe $125 and had enough for several years of cleaning.

Studies have shown excessive cleaning reduces the efficiency of the coils. They should be clean but not mirror clean. You do not want turbulence free laminar air flow.
Safest outdoor method is dish soap in a hose end or tank sprayer.
Bill D.

Jim K, I would say that I’m probably more mechanically inclined than most. The issue with DIY is that the condenser is on the roof and at 72, I have occasional balance issues. SWMBO will not let me up there anymore.
There are a few cottonwoods in the neighborhood, but nothing close by. This is NM so we have a bit of dust from time to time. :rolleyes:

I remember asking the installer about maintenance and his reply was “change the filter every 3 months”.

I’ll look into the cost of hiring a pro to service it.

Thanks for the comments.

I get mine serviced twice a year, and the technician picks up leaves etc, vacuums the inside, sprays the inside with a mildly high pressure hose, and vacuums again. To the extent that the condenser is part time (AC only, no heat pump), there are sturdy covers to cover the unit during time off. Additionally, there are top mounted filters which strap on to the top of the condenser and stop leaves, pine needles, and debris from entering the condenser while it is operating.

I do not recall ever seeing a AC condensing unit that the fan sucked air in, most all the fan is discharging air. Any restriction of the coil, dirt or whatever filter will cause the discharge pressure to increase and the amp draw of that propeller fan motor to increase. Just the opposite of a squirrel cage motor drive.

It makes a difference where the condenser is installed. In the grass or on dirt - not so good. Ours is on brick pavers in a flower bed that is well mulched. After 15 years it still looked fine but we vacuumed it from the outside and it looked a little better. Always ran fine.

We have all 6 of our rentals and our primary residence under service contracts.
They come out to clean twice a year, in Spring and Fall.

We do it - the contract - for a few reasons. It gives us an excuse to enter the property and check things out twice a year. It also gives us some leverage with the HVAC company should we need something done in a hurry. It's a way to let a tenant know we take an interest in the condition of the property and we aren't slum lords.
I suppose it also helps keep the equipment going.