2 Ways to Clean Your Condenser Coils

Posted on: 26 January 2017

Heating and air-conditioning systems have many vulnerable parts. Even if you regularly maintain your system and have it professionally serviced, there are a few simple things that you might be able to do to increase the efficiency of both your heater and air conditioning. Best of all, if you do your scheduled cleaning tasks, you will not need to rely so much on expensive professional HVAC repairs. Perhaps the easiest and cheapest thing you can do every year is to clean your condenser coils. This article explains two different ways to clean condenser coils.

Finding the Coils

The coils are super easy to find. In fact, you can see them because they line the outer walls of the condenser unit. The sheets of aluminum that you can see through the protective metal cages are called fins, and they are attached to the coils. When experts talk about cleaning the condenser coils, they are really referring to cleaning the condenser fins.

Cleaning Your Coils with Water

Cleaning your coils with water is probably the easiest way to do the job. As long as you have a hose that can reach your condenser, you won't have any problem cleaning the coils. You also should make sure that you can shut off your condenser. Most condensers don't have a power switch, so you need to cut the power at the breaker switch. Your system most likely won't be affected by the water, but it is better to be safe than sorry. You should first lightly soak your coils in water. Then, use some household cleaner to break down the dirt. Let the mixture soak in for a few minutes before washing the cleaner out. When you use water, you don't need to worry about scrubbing or wiping your coils down.

Cleaning Your Coils Without Water

Cleaning your coils without water is tricky because they are so vulnerable. You don't want to bend the fins and create a bigger problem for yourself. If you do need to clean your coils without a hose, you can use soft scrub brushes. You can also invest in a coil-straightening comb. This simple tool helps to straighten bent coil fins, but it could also help scrape dirt and debris out from in between the fins.

Cleaning your coils without water, especially a strong hose, takes much longer. But, if you are patient, this is definitely a job you can do. Talk to a company such as Ricotta Heating & Air for more advice.

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