#1 Problem & Quick Fix with Central Air Conditioning Not Cooling 

*For one of the best filters you can get at an amazing price with free shipping click here* amzn.to/2EMytx4 - Please LIKE this video and SUBSCRIBE - Thanks for watching - UPDATE: To see a more in depth cleaning video for the condenser click here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nsRHhU6q5RY.html

The design makes this AC a possible alternative to ductless DYI systems. It works great. The remote control could be more visual aid oriented like a backligh design. Is impossible to see the lcd at least for me. Easy install ru-vid.comUgkx_hHgTlzH3uk31Fe2RVS3xEbXHGaN_z5Tation. Came on time . Great comfort around the house 5 🌟 again. Follow mfg instructions for care and all and this should be the only AC you need for those of is that don't live in new homes with central AC

You have SAVED our life; our AC was blowing warm air but now it's cold! It is a heat index of over 100 degrees today. We are getting a different filter right now, but what REALLY helped was rinsing the unit with the soapy water. We had a tree cut down right next to it and I never considered that it was blocked. Combine that with the hottest weather yet this year and we were suffering! It is blowing colder than it ever has!!! Thank you!

I enjoyed your video as I love the DYI dimension of RU-vid. As a chemist I can tell you the following to improve your method: 1. Dilute the soap at least 50:1. The dilution used here isn’t necessary, wastes money, and isn’t great for environment. 2. A more effective way to apply the soap to the vent is to use a high quality household spray bottle. This video uses way more than needed to clean effectively., again wasting soap and abusing the environment. 3. To ensure that you won’t damage the AC unit when rinsing, simply set your nozzle to a gentle spray similar to what you might use to water delicate flowers. Trust me. I worked with soaps and surfactants for over 40 years and am happy to share my knowledge. Keep up the good work.

As a former AC Tech and son of an AC Tech. I was taught to spray from the inside out. Sure it takes alittle more time but if you spray from the outside in you take the chance of packing the dirt and debris deeper inside the coil.

My first time cleaning the condenser, I used dish soap from the inside out. This option is much more effective. The mistake was spraying water around the entire unit accidentally wetting the electronics. I blew a capacitor. Fortunately I tested the electronics and determined it was just the capacitor. I called for repairs and they wanted $680.0 to replace a capacitor! Next day went to purchase the capacitor for $23.0 and ten minutes later the unit was working. Still clean the unit annually, but more careful with the water. That was six years ago.

In a residential hvac tech. Basic Pleated filters are better. Fiberglass doesn't capture enough debris. He will have to pay someone like me to clean his evap coil. Second. Plain water works.and don't spray water into the condenser ( outdoor coil) you will clog it up it needs to be from inside, were the fan motor is and spray towards the out side. That will push all the debris out of the condensing coil. But he is correct. Having a clean condensing coil will save you alot of money and life of the unit but please do it correctly or pay a qualified hvac tech.

Ive been in the trade for 25+ years, owner/operator of an hvac service business for most of those years, and this stepped tutorial video regarding your (and my) hvac system is 100% correct. I will go as far to say that you will get double the life expectancy out of your system. A+

As a struggling senior widow help like this is just what I need & appreciate.

Thank you so much. I went outside to rinse my “unit” (AC) and noticed someone stole it. I would have never figured out my problem if it wasn’t for your video. 👍🏼

I am an HVAC tech, a dirty system will definitely affect not only performance but will also affect the overall efficiency of your unit. I am in complete agreement with John Parish. 1. I would not use any solvents or cleaners that could possibly damage your coil in the long run. 2. Straight water with decent water pressure is all you need. I like to spray from top down (never at an sideways angle as this tends to bend the fins) to get the initial outer crap off the coils. Then I spray straight in to force dirt through the coil in order to get it good and clean. Be sure to clean around the base plate as there are weep holes that tend to clog, These need to be clean and clear in order for dirt and debri to drain from the unit. Also spray out from under the unit to help the unit to breath properly and to properly drain. That being said, I would NOT expect that 10 degree drop in temperature you saw in the video to last. Sure the initial drop will be significant because the outside condensing unit is WET! The fact that it is wet is going to temporarily supercool the coil and naturally drop the temperature of the air crossing the coil which in turn will help to lower the temperature of the refrigerant , which in turn will give you cooler air supply. As the unit dries out your temp will rise again. I am not saying it does not help, and you should always keep your system clean. Just do not go in expecting miracles to happen. Generally speaking, if your system is not cooling properly it is USUALLY one of two things, low refrigerant or lack of airflow (DIRTY FILTER being the most common ) a dirty condensing unit can become less efficient but is usually the lesser problem. FILTER< FILTER< FILTER!!!!!! Change it regularly and don't use something that overly restricts air flow. Keep in mind that systems do fail and if you are low on refrigerant, you have a leak somewhere, it doesn't evaporate into thin air. Time to call in a qualified tech. If your system has ice buildup on the lineset/unit it's either low on freon a clogged filter or clogged coil (indoor or out) Hope this helps! peace. ( by the way your can purchase misting systems that attach to your outdoor unit that constantly mists the coil ) That will definitely help to maintain that temp drop you saw in the video. Good luck and stay cool!!!!!!!!

I'm so glad I accidentally found your site. I heard different ideas about new and old filters. When I got an AC service I asked the business owner if new filter is appropriate for the old unit I have. He said new ones are better. It's probably better for him. Your video shows that's not the case. I've never had any problems with the older cheaper filters so I'm going back to them. Thank you.

*Great and Easy to instal **Fastly.Cool** Low noisy*

Literally did all this in like 2 hrs, worth it

This is an excellent video. Informative, right to the point, well-spoken and no singing, jokes, etc. You made great points about what to do and why.

I have been watching your channel for a few years now and have learned something from EVERY video you post! This channel is literally on the Mount Rushmore of DIY channels!

My H&A guy told me the same about the return filter. He said use the standard filter because of the airflow and change it every month if neded. It made a huge difference. Wise tip.

The first word in Air Conditioning is Air; I was an HVAC technician for nearly thirty years, and your video is right on the money. Two thumbs up.

I had a recurring problem with dirty/muddy coils from mud spatter from rain. My A/C tech told me to lay landscape fabric around the peimeter of the A/C unit base out to 12", then put 2-3 in. of gravel on top. No problems with dirty coils since!

OMG you're the best! That's an incredible 10-degree drop by cleaning the outside AC and inside vents! I'll have to tell our readers.

Good tips, went from 63 F to 54 F and saved a service call.

I cleaned our outside coil on our AC with Dawn soap and sprayed down the coils and it made a terrific change to our AC. It is performing much better today in our 95 degree heat here in Central Florida. Thanks!

The difference in temperature readings is amazing

Awesome and effective tips for DYI. I just realized, I have not checked my heat pump for over a year. It's on my Saturday to do list. Also, this will help in Winter time as well. Same heat pump, different direction heat is being pumped from. Thank you.

You are a life saver! I tried everything that the experts had on their videos and none of them worked. I was going to buy a new ac unit and one of your tips worked! The second you finished telling the 2nd fix, I jumped out of my bed and took off the new filter and like magic, the cold air started flowing in my house!!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

If you took the vent temp reading right after spraying the unit, the reading won’t be 100% accurate because the condensers job is to dissipate heat...everything has been cooled down from all the water. Wait till it dries then take the indoor temp.

What great tips! Thanks! I've rinsed it before but I've never used soap. I will be doing that soon. The owner who built the house used a seriously undersized condenser and so it has been very difficult to keep the house cool. I have a infrared probe that I can test with so I will do so :-) thank you so much.

Love, love, love 💕 the show-as-you go techniques in your videos! You do this well without excessive chitty chatter and banter and viewers learn something to boot!🤩

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! As a single mom, diy person, I bought the caustic cleaning solution last year and went through the headache of taking the sides off my unit. This year, no way!!! It's Dawn,water hose and no disassembly!! Bless you. 🙏

Thank you for this tip. You've just saved me hundreds of dollars in service call. 💯💯💯👍👍😁😁

The filter tip will increase air flow for a while but this will also let in more dust that will clog up your indoor coil. May take a year but once the indoor coil gets good and clogged this will decrease air flow to the point where the Freon lines will freeze up. Best to use a filter that will catch most dust particles and pet dander before it gets to the coil. Also, a better filter for people that have allergies. Keep them changed regularly and there should not be a reduction in air flow. I also work for a HVAC mechanical contractor so I'm not just speaking from my experience although before I knew about this I have needed to have my indoor coil cleaned several times because of the fiberglass filters. Your other tips were great and spot on. Thanks for the video!

Thank you. This was actually very helpful unlike some other videos I’ve seen.

Thanks for the help, the coils were dirty. I used your soap and garden hose trick. Once I did, my system cooled. Thank you

Fantastic video! Thank you… I live in Florida in the sweltering heat and the AC unit works double time… now I can help it a little 😎

Great tips my man but if I may offer a suggestion you should be washing the coils from the inside out. The air pulls dirt and pollen in from the outside so you need to backwash from the other direction. If you don't wash it we'll enough, you could actually be packing more dirt deeper into the coil and some a/c systems have really thick coils or even 2 coils sandwiched together.

Thanks for the tip! Helped fix our problem immediately

Thank you!! Finally someone understands that you need to get thinner filters and change them out more often!!! Don't get those fancy thick ones!! As a HVAC Technician it bothers me so much when customers get the thick ones because they don't want to change them out as often. Then they complain 3 months down the line the coil is frozen or the house isn't cooling as fast as they want!!!

Awesome!!!!! thanks so much for sharing!!

I've been using a light application of dish detergent and then immediately rinsing the outdoor fins for 15 years and everything still looks practically like new. I also clean all the debris out of the bottom of the unit (power off first, of course!) and then spray water from the inside out through the fins. After that, I dry and wax the outside of the unit. Every tech who has come for the yearly inspection of the system is impressed that our outside unit looks practically new, after all the years of use.

Thanks for posting this, Great tips I never heard of and going to do these first thing tomorrow. Not that mine is running warm, these tips would be great even for yearly to bi yearly maintenances.

The last time I cleaned my AC, I finally had to remove the metal housing which was not all that hard to do. I had cleaned and cleaned and there was still a ton of caked on dust/dirt inside the external housing. Once I removed the housing, it was easy to spray all the dirt away and do a more thorough job. My opinion is - any job worth doing, is worth doing well. Try removing the housing and see what you missed.

Silver cymbal First let me be very clear I am HVAC service tech of 24+ yrs. I’m only going to address the major areas of misinformation. First your air temperatures are everything. If the system is working correctly the supply air temp is supposed to be 18-22deg F colder than the return, with an ambient out door air temp of 85deg F. this is what the system is designed to do (unless it is a ductless split or a window unit neither of which you have). The difference between your supply air and return air temps (delta T) is the quickest and easiest way to determine if the system is operating correctly. First unless the system has airflow issues a standard or non hepa pleated filter should be fine but if your evap or indoor coil is restricted (dirty) adding a pleated filter will actually cause the supply air temp to be colder resulting in a delta T that is more than 22deg F. Fiberglass filters are junk along with washable filters. A disposable “poly” filter is way better you can get them at Home Depot or Lowe’s. Second you don’t ever have to use any type of chemical cleaner (dish soap or otherwise). Just rinse off the coil with a garden hose and moderate water pressure being careful not to bend the fins. Any additional dirt that chemical cleaner will remove will not give a noticeable increase in system performance.

Awesome advice thank you thank you thank you. I’ll do this 3 or 4 times a year now.

This is great. We just moved from Alaska to Florida; as you can imagine, your video was very helpful for us. THANK YOU.

My brother is a HVAC tech and he said once the power is off, you should remove the top grate and shoot the water from the inside OUT, as the dirt and junk is being drawn from the outside IN.. I accompanied him on a service call in Nebraska once and we flushed crap out of the coils on this suys unit for 30 minutes! Fine little seed pods from his weed patch completely blocked the airflow through the coils. What a difference it made. Luckily we were able to get to the guys house that Sunday afternoon as he was elderly and probably would have died as the temps inside his house were just over a hundred degrees. Brother only charged the landlord a $75 service call which the landlord complained about! I told him, that same service call in Virginia would have cost over $400 he finalyl shut up.

Thanks for helping homeowners avoid the big cost of having to call For HVAC service. There are so many simple things you can do like you pointed out it’s all about airflow

After simple cleaning, life becomes so much better! Thank you for sharing.

Amazing! I’m learning so many tips as a homeowner that I did not know. Thank you!

I'll be honest I was very skeptical but I hosed down my outside unit just now and my air vent temperature improved by 9 degrees! At best it's been measuring 69 all week but now it's running at 59!! It's no wonder I haven't been able to cool my house below 70 all summer, now I'm excited for a cool house.

Fiberglass filters do very little when it comes with removing dust. Paper Merv 8 are a safe bet.

Down here in Southern Mississippi, we live with our AC's on almost all day, every day. Thanks for the tips.

Great information. I always pull the fan and blasto from the inside...

I'm returning here to say thank you very much Silver Cymbal and to give credit where credit is due. I followed your instructions and changed out that fancy air filter and replaced it with a fiberglass filter and my ac's been working great again. I actually had contacted an ac professional about replacing my ac unit; but after watching your video and changing to a fiberglass filter, my ac has been working so much better than before. You've just saved over $1,000 and thank you very much :)

I see outside units with dryer vents right next to or behind outside unit a lot and man cleaning it make all the difference

Thank you A million thank yous! Cleaned my outside condenser unit that is 23 yrs old Cool air now!

Good info. I also might point out that living in New England I put dryer sheets in my screwed in electrical area of my condenser after shutting the power off. Keeps the rodents out that tend to eat the wires and fried my machine one year when I of course neglected to do this.

One thing to note: the after service temperature reading might be artificially low if taken while the condenser coils are still wet from evaporative cooling.

Only thing I would add is on that Ruud/Rheem/weather king you have to take the door off to expose the rest of the coil, and it will be the dirtiest part of that unit. Your spot on with your tips.

I just discovered your channel in every tips he was like it’s going to be very helpful I’m excited to try them tomorrow is going to be the first day and I’m going to the air-conditioning outside unit and I’m going to find out because we just replaced our filters but I’m gonna see if we can replace them for the next six months with the ones that you’re talking about thank you so much

That’s what I did to mine & huge difference! That helps prolong the unit & save on your electric ⚡️ bill

Thank you so much for this! My wife and I just bought a 10 year old house in Central Florida and the AC wasn't really getting that cold. I did the steps you recommended in this video and it's literally a night and day difference! I'm so glad we are able to save some money!

If your room is 100° and you have 63° air coming out, then your A/C is a damn beast!!! That would be about a 30° delta-T between the return and supply. The standard is 18° in most cases.

I just discovered your channel while trying to learn how to snap off blades on a craft type knife. This is good info. Glad I discovered your channel. Tfs. 👍🏻👍🏻

Another excellent video..thanks again for the tips

If you want to use the higher merv filters, consider having another return line and filter register installed to compensate for the resistance to the system

Awesome video! I'm switching to fiberglass filters! And I'm going to clean my outside unit like you did. South Florida summers are brutal here and it's just around the corner.

What you're saying is very good tips to clean your air conditioner and it does work real well I've done it for years but I'm watching your video anyway just to just to watch it

Maybe I’m 3 years late, but these are reasonable homeowner tips. Well done, SC!

You are spot on about the filters , I've been telling people this for years. Those "high efficiency" filters restrict air right out of the box. The only thing I'd do different is that I would pop the top off of the condenser (outside part), spray the cleaner on the coil, let it clean for a few min.s and then rinse from the inside out. Keep your filters changed and you shouldn't have air restriction problems.

GREAT video- thanks. I GET that the fiberglass filter will improve the airflow, BUT the filtering efficiency is going to be pretty poor, as those filters only filter out massive particles. I've Had REALLY good results with a 3M 1500 , as I READ that is provides an excellent balance between filtration efficiency and airflow , AND I've found that To be true. There's very little dust In the house, AND the air circulation is really good.

Thanks a million. I'm going to do this, first thing in the morning while it's cool

Thank you! I especially appreciated the tip about fiberglass filters.

You saved me a service call. mine was 77 degrees and after cleaning if t dropped to 56 degrees THANK YOU

helpful.. gonna do it on mine. Thx brother.

Excellent video! I had been the a/c business for many years. Your suggestions are right on!

Excellent video! You nailed it! Safety everything!

Soothing. Informative. Thank you

Thank you this was a money saver and saved us from a very uncomfortable night. The tips about the filters were illuminating

This was a great find! Thank you very much for this critical information. Saved me money and stress!

This worked praise God thank you so much for this video I really appreciate you taking the time to make this video

Making a LOT of mistakes in this video. I'm an HVAC professional and have been for 32 years. The high efficiency filters work ok. Anything higher than Merv 8 is too high. But, you'll be changing the filter more often. Those cheap filters still let a lot of dust through getting your evaporator coil dirty. That cost $ to have a tech come out and clean. So spend a fee extra bucks for better filters and check more often. 2...cleaning the condenser coil. Do NOT spray the coil the direction the dirt goes in. It'll just push the dirt deeper in the coil. You need to take the top off and wash it out the opposite direction. Not high pressure either. More volume the better. I've used Simple Green and it works great. Last. Taking a temp before and after is ok but what really matters is your difference in Temperature from your return vent and supply vent. That's called the Delta T. If you get a decent 18 to 25 degree delta T you're doing pretty good. Other things to consider is how well your house is insulated. Windows, outlets etc. Most power companies offer a free energy check which includes insulation. Do it. If you work on your own equipment please be safe!

thanks for such a excellent video for air conditioner works much better now

Thanks, good video. I want to change the return hose insulation but am unsure what wall thickness to use for pipe insulation and wonder what is the (exterior grade) spray foam that is used at the wall?

Thank you sir Today I am learning the new things

I tried this and I was tot amazed at how quiet my unit was after the cleaning. Awesome video. But I also removed the whole cover off the ac unit to really be able to see what was being cleaned.

On really hot days I take a hose and set it to a mist spray on outside unit. Water is more effective at displacing heat. Just with water misting I've seen my vent temps drop at least 15 degrees. Misting a bit of water is a lot cheaper than longer run times at high voltage and current draw to get your house to thermostat settings.

thanku so much, im disabled an my ac is not cooling on one of the hottest days,...........im going to see if i can try these tips before calling a service, they are very exspensive.....again ty so much

thanks for the info I am going to try it tomorrow

I’m going to try it and I’ll get back to you !!! Thanks 👍🏼

Bravo sir keep these coming! Your videos will help make more service calls and new installs for guys that know what they are doing!

Wonderful videos. Thanks for sharing with us how to maintaining AC unit.

Nice , good info I will be doing this to my house and my rentals. Thank you.

I’ve Been in the business for 25+ years and this video is very good and informative for DIYers. I have shown and told people to do the same method. Please make sure electric is off and good idea to have the thermostat in the off position as well. Good job.

Best advice is clean coils outside and the inside. The fiberglass filter will cause the indoor coil to plug up more often.

Very Helpful! Thank you!

Great video very easy to follow and do btw I live in Phoenix AZ and do this every month and I am now on my 2nd AC unit in 15 year’s Where did you get the AC thermometer

Great video for the home DIY'R. I do similar videos for the home automotive mechanic and I like your style!

We put medium grade filters in our HVAC and put the high MERV 13 filters (20x20") on a simple box fan. Super cheap, fast and easy. And relieves the stress put on the main HVAC system. The air is much cleaner overall and we don't have to change the HVAC filters nearly as much.

Thank you great tips I will try tomorrow morning here in Southern California

Thank for the information. I going to try. See how it works. Thanks.