23 Year Old A/C Evaporator Coils - Cleaned For 1st Time

This is largely a surface cleaning and not as efficient as removing the coils from the unit and cleaning more aggressively.. garden hose, stronger chemicals, compressed air etc.. But better than not cleaning at all.. Like I didn't do for 23 years..

[@michaelh7527]

I live in south Alabama and it's 100 today. My elderly neighbor has been suffering with a warm house, high power bills, and no money for the issue. I just got done cutting away all the brush and cleaning her outside unit. I also cleaned the inside coils which had a 1/4 sheet of dirt on them. After cleaning, the air is not only colder. The air flow from vents is 3 times stronger. She said her home wouldn't go below 79. Before I left, it was already 76. I will check back with her about 6 this evening.

[@tongo117]

You're a good neighbor!!

[@saxon1177]

My wife watched your video and now I get coil cleaner every birthday. Thanks a lot!

[@maxeyac]

If you use a spray bottle first to wet the dust first you can pull the dust off in sheets. It works much better than trying to brush it off dry. Then use the coil cleaner when you can actually see the coil. Your welcome...

[@desertsun1000]

It will peel of like tape?

[@imapcfreak]

Good point. It also means less dust in the air to breathe

[@raf747]

Thank You.This is a very didactical Video. I did a procedure similar to this a few years back. I employed also a Car Radiator cleaning spray from the autopart to penetrate even more inside the Coil.( I had some mild ether smell for less than a week after the procedure)..My AC evaporator and Fan are from 1973 and still doing their job after 44 years!

[@zuzanahoudkova4497]

I am pleased with this air conditioner. It’s extremely quiet compared to the smaller unit we were using. Would buy again if we have no issues in the near future.

[@lonnieking4466]

Thanks again brother for being there 🙏 bet ya listen to Travis T .Too have a good one Lonnie 👍

[@charlescoker7752]

You are fortunate to have a coil you can get to easy. I have the A shapped one. They seem to get dirt all over the inside of the A frame. As well as on the side the filter is on.

[@riverc6638]

I have the same problem. How do you clean them? A frame fins are giving off a terribly pungent smell and its such an awkward angle I can't figure out how to clean it.

[@paulcalif]

I'm getting ready to do my 24 year coils. Pulled the panel on the wrong side, the other side is going to be a pain but has to be done. Thanks for the video.

[@tongo117]

You are welcome.. Good Luck with yours..

[@terryguin9529]

Before brushing spray the dust with glass cleaner (or water in a spray bottle) to dampen the crud and it will remove easier-sometimes like a blanket. After that spray the coil with full strength glass cleaner, put unit back together and turn it on.

[@lonnieking4466]

Thank ya peanut butter man just love that southern voice and hospitality that you give with trying ta help the best that ya can I kinda miss that anymore in this world thumbs 👍 up and subscribed just another simple laid-back country man Lonnie 👍

[@tongo117]

Thanks Lonnie, lots more good people in this world than bad, don't believe the hype and keep the faith..

[@callmebackfriday2]

You did a excellent job. My a-coil is extremely hard to clean inside because it blocks by pipe and the triangle panel is hard to remove at all (I don't want to break anything). and I wonder why a-coil is designed like that to cause home owner so much pain. As of now, I clean the outside and see whether it helps at all. Thanks for the video.👍

[@brinks128]

I've been living in my home for 5 years and never done it. I can only imagine how dirty it is because the last home owner probably never cleaned it. I have checked for an access panel and does not have one... what to do please help?

[@nbroachful]

Dont feel bad man. Mine was in for much longer before i FINALLY cleaned it.

[@jaymeez]

Lived in my house for 15 years and I’ve never done this. I have a musty smell coming from the vents so I may do this and hopefully fix that smell

[@DUKETACTICS333]

I guarantee you that's where the smell is coming from, you'll also lower your utility bill if you do it on the outside on the condenser

[@TB-ms9xl]

Just cleaned mine lived in my house for 7years and it looked just as bad as that. We have the same smell issue im hoping that did the trick

[@xisotopex]

@@DUKETACTICS333 the evaporator coil are in the air handler and the condenser coils are outside on the heat pump?

[@xisotopex]

so the spray is on the intake side of the evaporator, wont the leftover cleaner get sprayed into the ducts?

[@Bassistdan1]

Thank for this, PeanutButterMan! Consider me a subscriber! I live in Sarasota Florida and we're getting a cold front moving thru. I tried to turn on my heat yesterday morning after I got home from work and it smelled really bad and only blew heat for about 10 minutes before it all went cold!!! I reset the thermostat and changed the filter. Still blowing cold! I've seen a few videos on how to clean the evaporator coil - and most of them involved removing it. I'm NOT going to do that unless I can't gain clear access to it. Wish me luck, man! And once again, thanks for this. It was helpful!

[@tongo117]

You are welcome.. Good luck with yours..

[@alexpaul9055]

You can leave that cleaner on in areas that produce a lot of condensation running in cooling mode. You should not leave it on if you live in a dry climate. Instead just take a pump sprayer and use a really soft stream so you’re not pushing into the return. Some areas of the country don’t produce enough water to be able to sufficiently clean. 👍

[@ooohjaime]

i need to do this, I'm big on DIY, however, my A/C stuff is in the attic in the garage! i changed my capacitor about a month ago, and gonna do the outside coils after seeing this

[@xisotopex]

I have wondered... and I am about to find out, in my 24 year old air handler....

[@msdespain]

Most all these systems are not "owner friendly" meaning you have to go through a big learning curve to understand the system, and buy the tools to maintain the system, or the product designers want you to hire a "licensed professional". But, these systems should be designed to be maintained by the homeowner. Instead of mounting the filter at the system, the filter should be at the point of entry, the intake vent inside the house. It's MUCH easier to look down "Oh, the filter needs to be changed", then you wash it out or change the filter. Once I saw that the entire coil was "caked" I had to remove the entire squirrel cage and use a shop vac and a toilet brush to clean, not only the coils, but the entire squirrel cage and motor. Once inside, I found remnants of old filters, with the cardboard frame. Anyway, these AC designers would be doing homeowners a BIG favor by designing systems in favor of the homeowners to do the maintenance. Since Covid, these systems have doubled in price. And after 25yrs, we just need a new upgraded system. Anyway, thanks for posting! Your video is very important and informative!

[@tongo117]

If the systems were more user maintenance friendly HVAC companies would lose money on service calls.. But also homeowners would likely damage their systems trying to maintain them cause lots of people (myself included) get in over their heads and do stupid things...

[@careykerr1340]

mine was over 25 years old before I checked it and was amazed that outside and inside of the A shaped coil looked brand new yet???

[@picklerix6162]

I replaced my HVAC system after 27 years and I was surprised that the A coil only had a little dust on it. The blower wheel did have some impacted dirt on it. I had religiously replaced the filters over the years.

[@FoxNewsNewYork]

You mentioned the evaporator pan was rusty. Did you replace it? If so, was it hard to do?

[@tongo117]

I did replace.. I had to transfer the drain line and float switch from the old pan to the new but it wasn't that difficult.. However, the compressor on the outside unit failed in 2020 and we had a new system installed.. The one in this video lasted 27 years 1993-2020..

[@tableseven8133]

Now you already said that you do use a air filter on your system. Now in my house when I bought it. It had been recently remodeled including the new Furnace and AC system. Oh they had a filter in this unit a pretty much useless one. Once I saw it I had to modify the slots for the filter and buy a real paper pleated filter. I still had to smash the carboard frame some and often have to take off the side panel to help it in but it was a wise choice. They had a blue mesh in there as the air filter. That mesh might have caught a few spiders, and dog or cat hairs, but pretty much everything else would flow right through. I don't know how my inside evaporator looks now after living here about 16 years but I can hope it does not look as bad as yours. If I would not have change out that junk filter for a real one I would have had to replace the furnace or parts of it would have had to be repaired or replaced, like this inside coil..

[@hstapes]

People, coils shouldn't get this dirty if you use quality air filters! The condenser outside is a different story...

[@onofriopiccolino5166]

I paid for maintenance and they didn’t clean it. My unit is only 2 years old and they are trying to charge me $2000 to replace the coil and the thing has no leaks. They said I can’t touch it without voiding the warranty

[@Sesamestreet9080]

Depends on the company. My company won’t clean a coil for maintenance but will let the customer know they have a plugged up coil and will charge 150$ to clean the coil and the blower motor because most of the time if the coil is dirty the blower is also dirty

[@puppiesarepower3682]

I'm teaching my sister what I know. I don't like the idea of some jabroni financially taking advantage of her lack of mechanical experience.

[@joshuaragon6676]

Ya AC repair people charge a fortune for the stupidest thing with them!

[@jaquansimpson6828]

It doesn’t void the warranty the warranty is only voided if it was installed improperly or damaged purposely. I’m assuming they gave you the warranty when they installed it.

[@dwniu2000]

That is why the havc companies get their low reputation,just little above the call scammers , never trust them

[@encompassthyeclipse7278]

I’ve got an AC made in the 70s and it’s never been cleaned 😂 I really hate to see what they look like and I’m afraid to open it up for the risk of unleashing some kind of demon into the world

[@billdavis3957]

It seems as if brushing first pushes the dirt into the.coils. why not vacuum first?

[@tongo117]

I agree.. I should have vacuumed first.. Then used the brush to remove what the vacuum didn't get..

[@ramseytrain]

compressor will be bad, that dirty coil has caused high head pressure and excessive wear on the unit

[@Kittie28]

That's amazing. mine was cleaned 2 years ago looks WAY WORSE but I have 5 cats

[@bobbywanger8123]

I believe it's time to clean it again it's been over 5 years

[@tongo117]

That Carrier HVAC unit is history.. Lasted 27 years 1993-2020..

[@nbroachful]

I know it been 6 years, but be sure to check your drain to make sure your condensate slush doesnt clog it. 😂

[@tongo117]

Thanks for the tip but that old system has been replaced.. lasted 27 years 1993-2020..

[@safetyalways7788]

i hope this 23 yr old coil is not leaking

[@tongo117]

at the time of the video it was not but system was replaced a few years later..

[@DUKETACTICS333]

You use a Dog Brush for the Fins...

[@MargateFL33063]

You need to wear a face mask and googles when cleaning the coils. Nasty to breathe in that toxic mold

[@picklerix6162]

I didn’t see any mold but some people are sensitive to dust and dirt and that can also cause breathing issues.

[@user-ss6zt2mo1l]

WEAR A N100 MASK

[@toddslusher6180]

Enjoy retirement!!

[@tongo117]

I am.. Thanks..

[@HarveyWallbanger-ho2cq]

Dude, get a new air conditioner

[@tongo117]

I agree.. This one made it 27 years but got a new system in 2020..

[@rodfroelich5908]

Shame, shame on you, how you can not know to clean this for 23 years??? Your unit had to be severely struggling and not be efficient and your electric bill sky high.

[@cidpusa700]

Awesome will have to do this

[@stevew1643]

about the best you can do without removing it and if you gotta remove it you might as well replace the whole deal. 23 years is about the end anyway.

[@xisotopex]

as in replacing the entire air handler or just the evaporator coils?

[@God8010]

so many things wrong with what you're doing and saying.

[@tongo117]

story of my life.. please elaborate to keep others from repeating my mistakes..

[@JB-sv3xz]

PeanutButterMan They don't know. Just another keyboard warrior. Did it help?

[@God8010]

You're only cleaning surface area. A coil that bad is impacted. When I pull a coil and clean it properly i can be there for an hour or two pulling nonstop blockage from the inside of those fins. Your static pressure or low pressure / superheat should make it obvious that this type of cleaning leaves a lot of the blockage inside those fins unless this is another install with lacking duct work and oversized blowers where static and superheat "JUST DONT MATTER." which is a whole other mess of issues.

[@blah0man]

PeanutButterMan he's semi correct, but that requires a tech to pull refrigerant out of the system and 9 times out of 10 they will say something is wrong and won't clean it without a replacement, just like everyone else in the service industry.. And a system that old is r22 which is expensive because it's not manufactured anymore and few know or carry the replacement refrigerant for r22. What I personally would have done is taken a garden sprayer with water just to rinse off the coils, after all you are now breathing those chemicals and then either shop vacd the coils or mid to low pressure air and blow out the coils. Either way it will do the same thing. Techs like to take it all out and take their time because time is money. I've been in the industry worked many years as a service tech and that's what they are told to do, just do what takes the longest time and makes the most. What you did will increase life of the system, and it will cool better. But it won't cool at peak performance. Just vac it out or low to mid air pressure and everything else is fine.

[@alyssaboudreaux2319]

​@@God8010 So are you saying that he should leave all of the debris and dust on? You could stop being a DB for once in your life and understand that this will help a lot of people keep their electric bill down. I bet you are super fun at parties. Did you search this video to talk shit? You seem to know what you are talking about.... and that is what makes your comment really sad. "I'm going to search AC Cleaning Vids online and say they are SUPER WRONG AND DUMB" -did that feel good sweetie *(your mother's voice bringing you comfort) Here is an idea, F off. This will save people money in the long run. it may not be up to parr; however, it will help the average American. you MFDBAH