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Old 03-21-2012, 02:01 PM   #5
5/0
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Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Mansfield,MA.
Posts: 3,322
Hey Mike,
You can get condenser coil cleaner @ almost any supply house or @ Graingers.
It should be around $20 a gallon make sure you ask for the foaming style,it's the purplish/blue kind & the mix ratio is 5:1.
1 1/4H2O - 1/4 Solution.

If you do it your self play it smart and step by step,first kill the power at the disconnect then make sure the condenser coil is cool,it doesn't hurt to pre rinse it with water.
Do not put the water pressure on full tilt you want a slight low 2 low pressure because you can damage the fins and defeat the sole purpose of cleaning it.

Now that the unit is cool take a nut driver most units are 5/16", 1/4" or Phillips, remove the screws that hold the condenser fan shroud on the top of the unit,then put your hands on opposite sides of the top and shimmy it lose till it slides off.
There will be exposed wires going from the fan motor running to the electrical box attached to the base,they might be in a liquid tight conduete or just zipped tied to the lid.
Handle this part carefully,what you want to do is prop the top part against the side of the house,wall,fence of what ever next to the unit.Using the bottom lip from the shroud and the top of the condenser coil top they should kind of lock together,but make sure it's stable and doesn't fall.
Now put the cleaning solution into a spray bottle/weed killer type sprayer and spray the solution on the out side of coil as evenly as possible(do just one side at a time).and wait a few minutes untill you see the solution turn to foam,it'll push out dust,pollen,dead bugs and leaves,it should come out looking blackish & brown.Once the foam starts to recede take the hose place it on the inside of the coil,meaning the interior where the compressor is and wash inside out,wash the coil down from the top to bottom as your doing this look on the opposite side of the coil and you'll really see the crap & filth come out of the coil.
Make sure you wash out all of the foam,some areas may be worse than others and may need repeating.
Clean each side one at a time,if you leave the foam on it will do harm than good,it will dry up and lock in what is already there so it's really important to rise it good.

Also don't get careless with the water and spray everything down,like the capacitor,wire harnesses & the harness connector to the compressor.you can wash out the bottom of the unit but don't do it till your done with all three sides or four sides pending on unit manufacture.


By cleaning the coil you will help bring back efficiency it use to have,it will disperse the heat evenly,quicker and it will satisfy sooner which equals to $$ in your pocket.

Last edited by 5/0; 03-25-2012 at 12:49 PM..

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