Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > House
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
 
Old 04-08-2020, 07:47 AM
 
7,421 posts, read 7,014,892 times
Reputation: 2770

Advertisements

Is spraying Air Conditioner Coil Foam Cleaner on the outside of your outside AC unit effective?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 04-08-2020, 03:01 PM
 
Location: on the wind
22,865 posts, read 18,149,192 times
Reputation: 74066
Quote:
Originally Posted by movin2Reston View Post
Is spraying Air Conditioner Coil Foam Cleaner on the outside of your outside AC unit effective?
What do you mean? If you aren't applying coil cleaner to the coils themselves, why would it be effective?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-08-2020, 03:06 PM
 
7,421 posts, read 7,014,892 times
Reputation: 2770
it is only about 4 years old but I understand it's being meant to the foam is sprayed on the outside of the coil so you let it set maybe get a brush to kind of mix it up some and then you hose it off.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-08-2020, 03:22 PM
 
Location: D.C.
2,867 posts, read 3,507,338 times
Reputation: 4770
Reston - do NOT brush those fins! You absolutely do not want to bend them, they need to stay as straight as possible to let the heat escape and cool down the compressor (i presume you're talking about the outside unit next to your home).

You can use a coil cleaner on them, the foam will expand within the coil fins and loosen/push out the dirt and grime, and then hose it down to get it all out.

But, this won't make the biggest difference if you're trying to improve the air flow/cooling inside the home, or the air quality. If you have a split system (which is very common), whereby you have a compressor unit outside, and then inside in your utility room (or attic), you have your furnace and duct work - then the best thing to clean is the EVAP coil on the inside unit. If you have that type of system - the evap coil is the piece on the top of that unit before the duct work goes back out into the home. THAT unit, typically looks like the letter "A" whereby the airflow comes up through the bottom of the "A", through the ultra-cold fins that make up each side of the "A" and then out to the home as cold air. That unit gets funky over time, collects dust, candle residue, smoke residue, etc. And when you turn on the system the first time for the season and it smells moldy in the home, it is the evap coil telling you it's moldy. It does get moldy as it gets wet from condensation and sits in the dark (best way to defeat that is to install a UV light into the system directly above it, but that's a different topic - but super easy to do).

Clean the evap coil (search youtube) to make the biggest impact. YOu'll need a yard type pump sprayer, some coil cleaner, and the ability to take the cover off to get to the coil itself (few bolts). Go slow, take your time, don't damage the fins, and the end result will make the home smell and feel very fresh and clean going forward. If you do the UV light after cleaning it, it'll stay that way for many many years (mold won't come back).
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-08-2020, 04:12 PM
 
7,421 posts, read 7,014,892 times
Reputation: 2770
As always thank you for the very informative feedback. Here's the type of brush I was referring to I had bookmarked last year when someone recommended one of the sprays to use let it set and then use this brush before hosing it off. every spring I have a guy that checks out my internal ACunit as well as the outside I was just looking to clean off some of the dirt and dust that had accumulated mainly from construction when I moved in a couple years ago.

Air Conditioner Condenser Fin and Refrigerator Coil Cleaning Whisk Brush https://www.amazon.com/dp/B075VFDN6N/


Quote:
Originally Posted by NC211 View Post
Reston - do NOT brush those fins! You absolutely do not want to bend them, they need to stay as straight as possible to let the heat escape and cool down the compressor (i presume you're talking about the outside unit next to your home).

You can use a coil cleaner on them, the foam will expand within the coil fins and loosen/push out the dirt and grime, and then hose it down to get it all out.

But, this won't make the biggest difference if you're trying to improve the air flow/cooling inside the home, or the air quality. If you have a split system (which is very common), whereby you have a compressor unit outside, and then inside in your utility room (or attic), you have your furnace and duct work - then the best thing to clean is the EVAP coil on the inside unit. If you have that type of system - the evap coil is the piece on the top of that unit before the duct work goes back out into the home. THAT unit, typically looks like the letter "A" whereby the airflow comes up through the bottom of the "A", through the ultra-cold fins that make up each side of the "A" and then out to the home as cold air. That unit gets funky over time, collects dust, candle residue, smoke residue, etc. And when you turn on the system the first time for the season and it smells moldy in the home, it is the evap coil telling you it's moldy. It does get moldy as it gets wet from condensation and sits in the dark (best way to defeat that is to install a UV light into the system directly above it, but that's a different topic - but super easy to do).

Clean the evap coil (search youtube) to make the biggest impact. YOu'll need a yard type pump sprayer, some coil cleaner, and the ability to take the cover off to get to the coil itself (few bolts). Go slow, take your time, don't damage the fins, and the end result will make the home smell and feel very fresh and clean going forward. If you do the UV light after cleaning it, it'll stay that way for many many years (mold won't come back).
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-08-2020, 10:17 PM
 
Location: D.C.
2,867 posts, read 3,507,338 times
Reputation: 4770
Yep I have that exact same brush - it’s useless to be honest. The hose will clean more than that brush in about 1/50th of the time.

My advice - go over to the Grainger store off of 28 and Old Ox in Sterling and buy a jug of something like the link below. Use the pump sprayer you’ve got, drench the fins of the condenser and hose down. One jug will be about 200% of what you need for one HVAC unit. This will clean it out much better than that brush and will take far less time.

ComStar 90-298 Coil Safe Professional Grade Neutral pH Evaporator and Condenser Coil Cleaner, 1 gal Container, Green https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D66YNWA..._gkPJEbP7ZX4HN


By the way - made the run to S/States today for my CaravanG. Lawn is lookin’ good this year! Might pass the golf ball test...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-09-2020, 11:00 AM
 
7,421 posts, read 7,014,892 times
Reputation: 2770
Thanks for the recommendation and link I will definitely check it out.

Great to hear about the lawn.


Quote:
Originally Posted by NC211 View Post
Yep I have that exact same brush - it’s useless to be honest. The hose will clean more than that brush in about 1/50th of the time.

My advice - go over to the Grainger store off of 28 and Old Ox in Sterling and buy a jug of something like the link below. Use the pump sprayer you’ve got, drench the fins of the condenser and hose down. One jug will be about 200% of what you need for one HVAC unit. This will clean it out much better than that brush and will take far less time.

ComStar 90-298 Coil Safe Professional Grade Neutral pH Evaporator and Condenser Coil Cleaner, 1 gal Container, Green https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D66YNWA..._gkPJEbP7ZX4HN


By the way - made the run to S/States today for my CaravanG. Lawn is lookin’ good this year! Might pass the golf ball test...
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > House

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top