Professionals recommend that the coils be washed from the inside out, otherwise you may force dirt and grime deeper into the coils causing a less effective clean and causing it to be harder to clean next time. It is like a filter, you would not want to force water in the direction of the air going through the filter but instead backflush the filter to get the dirt out
Makes sense to me. Thanks for sharing. I keep mine clean so wasn’t a problem for me. This is good advice for those who defer maintenance way too long for sure.
I just had this done about three weeks ago. The repairman gave me great tips. He suggested always taking the top off and spraying from the inside out to clean the unit. He used a chemical which is commercially available. It is a Sodium Chloride based cleaner, so you flush with lots of water after spraying it. Some spray vertically (downward and toward the outside) also helps to dislodge blades of grass from the fins...some of which he also had to comb out for impact bending. He suggested creating a perimeter of about 1.5 feet with river rock or pavers around the unit to keep grass away. Pull the disconnect while mowing. It'll keep the fan off and not sucking in clippings. We also very carefully elevated my unit on its pad a bit for better drainage. My house is cooler than it has ever been.
that is correct and be very careful as the fan is still connected to the wires running to it. Inside out then outside in to clean it is "best".. also remove the leaves and debris that have fallen to the bottom of the inside. That said, outside in works and he did a very good job considering he is not an HVAC person. Unit looks great and is very clean so good for him. Another important point, there should have been disconnect outside near the compressor unit to meet code so for most people, they would pull the disconnect to shut off power. Regardless what you have, always shutoff power so correct, just different.
@@danpricerealtor I was also told that you should work from the bottom up when spraying so as to not dilute the cleaning agent before you sprayed the area.
@@williamjackson5942 I never thought of it that way. Remove top and be very careful with the fan connections and blades. Clean out debris. Spray on coil cleaner top to bottom since the cleaner rolls down the coils , more of it is there alway. Do this every heavy and let it stay to loosen the dirt. Then spraying from the inside of the unit starting at the top and going down, spray water to make sure to remove the dirt away from and not into the unit. You then do the outside as you want to remove all you can then inside again. Bottom to top does make some sense given most times people have blown yard clippings and anything else will be more concentrated there. Of course regardless the logic, make sure to clean really well. Bottom to top is certainly something to consider
After I initially spray down the coils with a hose with just water, should I let the unit dry before using this foaming agent? Or can I can apply the foaming agent while the coils are wet? Thanks!
Is 8mm standard bolt size? I have a Lennox unit and think my brother tried to clean it. There are 4 buttonhead(?) Bolts for the fan, one is broke off now. Three of 4 bolts around the perimeter on top are missing too. Not sure what they're for though because they don't hold the cover on as best I can tell and the remaining bolt has some sort of cross member under the cover. Aiming is best to clean from the inside out, it looks like there are maybe 8 bolts around the top of the side perimeter.
On a Bosch AC heat pump unit you cannot use a foaming agent.. The Bosch ac units have a special coating on the coil fins that makes water run off quickly after the defrost cycle. Using the Foaming agent would remove this blue coating, lower performance and allow proliferation of icing of the units coil fins.. Simple Green diluted with water at a ratio of 1 cup to a gallon of water is sufficient to use on the evaporator and condensor. Use a chemical pump sprayer to apply. Let it set a couple of minutes and spray off with a hose.
Hmmm great damn walkthrough brooo! I get 5 stars Riley my boiiii. But hey u think its cool if I do this process rn ? During August I mean that's considered fall right
Thanks bro! I tried to make a decent video so glad it was helpful. Where I am located in NC, it is full blown summer and fall doesn’t start until late September but yes, you can def do it now. A clean A/C will always run better than one that has been neglected. Let me know if I can help you with anything else. Cheers bro!
Can you use the coil cleaning spray on a portable A/c unit ? I have a Toshiba a/c heater unit . If so, how do I use the spray ? The spray part I can see but using a water hose ? Not sure .
That would be ideal. Spray the cleaner on the outside (where the gunk builds up due to air traveling from the outside/in as the fan spins and pushes upward causing a sucking of air from outside the unit and across the coils) and then spray rinse from the inside/out. That would be the way to get the absolute best results.
After you sprayed Coil Cleaner, I saw white foam on the system, the video clip jumped to another screen, where did the white foam go: Sorry I don't understand, but I still like it for you.
It goes on as foam and expands but the foam goes away quickly and you are just left with the wet surface where the coil cleaner was applied. Does that help clear things up for you?
My coils need cleaned badly since fires ravaged my area last summer & covered my unit in ash. Will do this myself today. I can tell my house not as cool as previous years.
@@FiveStarLawnCareI'm in Colorado & picked up the Coil Clean, that u recommended, earlier this pm & used it per your instructions & as of right now my house feels amazingly comfortable! Thanks for taking the time to educate those like me!
Hey, Riley, thank you very much for making this video -- much appreciated, man! Quick question: Would it be better spray the outside of the coils, then open up the top grill/fan unit of the A/C unit and spray the rinsing water outward from the inside-out so that the dirt and grime don't get sprayed into the interior of the A/C unit? I know there are drains inside the unit, but if those aren't real clean either, opening up that top grill/fan unit would also allow you to get inside and clean that gunk out real good, eh? Again, great video and it'll gonna help me clean out my A/C unit this week! Liked and subscribed.
Hey Sean! Thanks for subscribing and great question! Yes, taking off the top grill/fan and spraying from inside/out would be the best option, especially if this hasn’t been done in a while. The A/C in the video had a well designed drain out so wasn’t a big deal but have heard from many that they got best results from spraying inside out after removing top. Hope that helps and let me know if there is anything else I can help you with. Thanks again and have a blessed one brother. You got this!! 💪😎👍
Just until it was done spraying it down. You can wait until it is dry if you like but it rains on it all the time with the breaker on so should be fine to turn back on when done rinsing.
Those are micro channel coils only simple green is suppose to be used. They aren’t normal OD coils that can be used with coil cleaners its going to eat the coil and leak.
Thanks for the video. I got a question. I have two options to heat my apartment. One uses the external heat pump unit like you have in the video and the second option uses the heat pump + the coils that glows red. The first option is more energy efficient that it takes more time to heat up the apt. The second option with the coils heat up faster but consumes more energy. Which one do you recommend to use? Please let me know when you get a chance. Thanks!
It all depends on your budget. Basically, if you have more money than patience, choose the quicker option. If you have less money, choose the slower but more cost effective option.
Option 1 is your heat pump heating your home..Your A/C unit reverses instead of cooling it heats and is used to heat your home... Option 2 are heat strips which will turn on if outside temp drops down to app. 35 degrees and below...This is not efficient..
Should be similar because its got evaporator coils on it as well. Just make sure you have towels and a way to catch the run off so things dont get too messy. Also, I would try to remove as much build up prior to spray treating with coil cleaner.
An HVAC repairman cleaned out coils after making a repair. He sprayed the foam on the outside of the coils and said the foam lifts the dirt out. He then rinsed by just letting the water run down the coils. He didn’t spray them like you did. He sprayed lightly letting the water run down the outside of the coils to remove the dirty foam.
@@johnbortell8326 Yes, and every situation is different so maybe with that unit, it was maintained on a regular basis and didnt need a little extra pressure. I have found no risk is denting the fins from a little water pressure. I mean, don’t take a pressure washer to it. Whatever we end up working on, it should be assessed what is needed. The particular unit I was cleaning NEEDED to be sprayed out to clean out the gunk. Not every unit is the same and I wouldn’t want the abrasive coil cleaner sitting on my fins, not washed off. That sounds like the tech was trained the wrong way in the first place, to get a bigger payout later for A/C company when the chems eat through causing refrigerant leak AND “new A/F unit install” needed. Those new A/C install jobs are the biggest profits for these companies. There are A/C companies that operate in unethical ways. Sad, but true. I have learned over the years to just give a little time and effort to thinking it through and to not just mimic someone else but to trust my own common sense. Never allow someone else in to do YOUR thinking.
@FiveStarLawnCare you're better than most. I personally didn't think your pressure was TOO high, but its hard to know unless its already too late. Depends if you jet the water directly or at an angle too. Just thought the point to the previous person was missed
Thank you for your question. I would assume it works as well as other comparable products but to be honest, I have not used the others because the Webb coil cleaner has always done so well for me.
I live in Goldsboro NC and the heat is crazy hot here. Does it matter if you spray from the outside in or inside out with the water hose when ready to rinse the dirty coils?
There are differing opinions here but many say to spray from inside out so dirt flows out and not into unit. I maintain my unit regularly and when I go to clean it it is not “way overdue” and completely gunked up so I have no problem with spray out in but totally your call. The most die-hard maintenance guys will say spray inside out though. Hope that helps.
Would this cause my air conditioner too randomly freeze up? It unfreezes eventually. Also, would this cause a lot of dust too settle in my home? I can dust today & tomorrow the dust is back. It’s driving me crazy! 😝 LoL… Any tips would be appreciated. Thank You all so much! Have a great day! May God continue to Bless and Protect Us All! ✝️💪🙏👣💜
No. What causes your air conditioner to freeze is a low refrigerant charge, dirty EVAPORATOR coil (which isn't this coil) or lack of airflow over aforementioned coil.
You can turn it back on when you are done rinsing if you like. Don't forget it gets rained on all the time with the power on. I just wouldn't recommend having the power on while spraying it! ⚡️⚡️⚡️⚡️ 😉
If you read the coil cleaner manufacturers recommendations most say to have the unit off while using their product. If you're just going to spray it with a hose you don't need to turn it off but you'll probably get wet.
I"m also in Charlotte. I've heard of some coil cleaner will eat the paint/finish on the AC unit. Does this one do that? Also, why did you put the clearer on the outside of the coils,and not go from the inside?
Hi Jason Chalanick, Thank you for subscribing and for your comment. This coil cleaner does not eat the paint off as far as I know but then again, I removed the panels and was careful not to spray it on the painted surfaces of the A/C unit, just the coils.
In my opinion, the coils are much easier to access from the outside spraying in with the coil cleaner/rinse water then it would be from the inside out having to work around the internal parts of the unit and come over top which is why I prefer to work outside-in and not inside-out but either way will work. If the unit is extremely nasty then it would make sense to work inside-out more than it does when done once or twice annually for routine A/C maintenance. One way or the other, please be sure to turn off your power breaker to protect against a shocking experience lol⚡️
Best be careful when cleaning your condensor coil, some HVAC manufactures require specific cleaners and the wrong cleaner will slowly dissolve the coil and cause refrigerant leaks. Trane is one brand I know that is specific with certain coils.
I think you do a better job cleaning the coils if you remove the fan and rinse the coils with water from the inside. In my case I have to remove the fan anyway to clean the leaves out.
That's great. But...the best way to clean the unit is to remove the fan and clean from the inside out...but...whatever works better than nothing at all.
Does this help with the smell I am getting everytime my ac unit starts? We already cleaned the conducts inside the house and the smell like humidity still there
Have you looked into the internal build up within your air ducts inside of your home? These may need to be cleaned out as they can accumulate buildup over time.
Take the top assembly off, clean out the leaves and shite, spray outside and inside preferably using a the garden hose gun applicator for pro grade cleaner Set a bit then rinse Where’s your disconnect?
Good video...I usually go to either Loew's or Home Depot and buy 6 cans at a time. I also have a rental unit and use it on that central air and my son has his house only 3 doors away from the rental unit so I make sure that we have enough for his has too. In fact, just thinking...I should buy another 6 cans so I would have 12. Tomorrow is shopping day I guess...It's cheaper to get them at your local store because amazon they charge too much. I only pay about $6.00 and change for one can. On amazon they wanted like $15.00. Forget that!
Always spray the coils from the inside out and from top to bottom for best results. Also be careful of the product you use as that specific coil was an all aluminum microchannel coil and some cleaners will strip the metal and cause a refrigerant leak. 5 years of hvac experience BTW
The procedure is better done inside out than as shown in this video. Apply the cleaning foam on the inside by removing the top. Start at the top and then move down. Let it sit for 15 minutes before water wash with garden hose.
Those are one in the same. In this video, I am cleaning the condenser coils or condenser “fins”. The condenser coil is of similar design to the indoor evaporator coil or “fins” as some would call it. The major difference though is that the evaporator coil picks up heat from INSIDE air and the condenser coil or “condenser fins” release heat into OUTDOOR air, thus in this video I am cleaning the condenser coils/fins. The load of heat energy extracted from your home and compressed in hot refrigerant vapor is rapidly released when refrigerant circulates into the coil and condenses to liquid. As the refrigerant releases its heat load, a fan incorporated in the unit blows air through the condenser coil passages and heat is dispersed into outdoor air.
RU-vid is a strange place to be because before I started watching this video I was watching a video about Richie Aprile on The Sopranos and his compilation.
Best to get ahead of Crabgrass in a Fescue lawn. Spaying to kill a weed like emerged Cragbrass is considered a post-emergent application. Crabgrass is one of those weeds you need to get ahead of with a PRE-emergent. This is where a good year-round fertilization and weed control program comes in strong. Some weeds are hard to treat after they have emerged and are best handled with a pre-emergent herbicide like Prodiamine. I get mine on here ( amzn.to/3P0kKFk ) and if applied correctly, it takes most of the post-emergent work out of the way altogether! Again, I will reiterate, Crabrass is a weed you want to prevent before it's seasonal emergence.
@@FiveStarLawnCare so I have to pull the patches of crabgrass as they emerge? I take care of my lawn, but my neighbor does not. The crabgrass creeps over to my lawn.
@@ThunderStruck94660 If you apply pre-emergents correctly at the right times, you wont have to deal with crabgrass at all. No need to pull when your pre-emergent applications stopped the crabgrass seed from germinating and establishing in the first place.
Don't know that I like that cleaner. It appears to foam up before it even hits the coil, preventing it from penetrating as deep as other coil cleaners before expanding.
To each his own. Some people have commented they have gotten good results with just dawn dish soap + water mixed in a sprayer and sprayed on, let it sit for 10 minutes or so and then rinsed off once in the spring and once in the fall. Definitely more than one option out there for routine A/C maintenance. Find what works best for you and just stay consistent, that’s most important 👍
You have to take the top completely off. There are metal clips that hold the two coils together at the ends. Take those clips off and you should be able to spread the coils apart and spray in between them.
Best coil cleaner is water once or twice a year n then focus on other house chores. Dudes get excited about their ac. Also no need to clean out bits of leaves either.
As many have mentioned, you should take off the top. Clear any debris from the inside. Spray the coils from the inside and then rinse from the inside out. You should remove this video and redo it correctly so you don’t give bad advice.
Thanks for your feedback. I hear you. I keep my A/C cleaned regularly so the issue with it getting clogged by spraying from the outside in is really not an issue for me. I understand if someone has never done this preventative maintenance on their A/C that it would probably make more since to take the top off and spray from the inside out. Just need to use a little good ole individual discretion to make that call for what works best for you.
Fyi it appears that you might have Zinsco breakers. That type of breaker panel has been known to have issues. You might want to have a professional take a look at it. Save you from a fire.
Have it professionally cleaned it is cheaper and thay ck the inside coil to see if it needs to be cleaned. thay use pro cleaner goes on as a liquid and turns into a expanding foam which pushes the dirt out of the coil and they also clean your condensation drain line and check all safety switches for around $100 bucks
This is great for Harry homeowner and I’m all for diy however being in the business for almost 30 years I can tell you from experience things a pro looks at like motor amp draws, indoor blower removal and cleaning, drain pan cleaning, condensate trap cleaning with the line and testing ,checking contacts to make sure there is no future damage refrigerant level, and testing the capacitor- these are all normal tune-up thing done by professionals for a reason you think yours saving and you may be for now but, there is far more to it than this I promise
You're right, Matt! Unfortunately, I did not capture any footage due to the fact that by the time I had the idea to make this video, I had already cleaned the bulk of the debris off with water the day before to prep to apply the coil spray cleaner. Thanks for your constructive feedback. I will definitely do a better job in future videos. This was my very first how-to video and I will admit, it's a little rough ;)
One must consider the unit to be cleaned. This particular A/C unit produced by York can be effectively cleaned either direction as there is drain pan at bottom with plenty of holes designed specifically to allow for proper drainage of water and debris. As I mentioned in another comment on this video; if the A/C unit is properly maintained on a semi-annual basis (every 6 months) as it should be then there will not be a ton of build up and the drain pan can easily drain the water, dirt and debris out of most drain pans as they are designed. However, if the unit has been neglected for years then absolutely I would recommend starting from the inside and spraying out to get the bulk of the gunk to fall on the outside.
@@FiveStarLawnCare they usually don't state why, but from what I believe, they are concerned about the chemical not being rinsed completely off and causing a reaction with the aluminum.
@Brentmette1... Bob is a snake oil salesman, and or cant comprehend your question. Handyman services and lack of professionalism. He agreed it needs to be cleaned inside out but made a video cleaning it outside in!! Wont be surprised if his company no longer exists
@@FiveStarLawnCare dont you have microchannel coil it will eat the aluminum and then you will have to pay lots of money to replace it. Use Aerosol Coil cleaner its non corrosive viper and nu cal make it.
@@FiveStarLawnCare Brand: Nu Calgon 4.6 out of 5 stars111Reviews Nu-Calgon Tri-Pow'r HD 4371-88 Cleaner for condensers, evaporator coils. It's Awesome! Rinse it off complete.
Yes it does. If the ambient air, which is cooler than the liquid refrigerant, can not pass over the refrigerant in the condenser coil then heat transfer doesn't take place.
