Porcupine coils take low water pressure volume helps from the inside out. And seeing some of the fins on the ground is typical.
Cleaned the outdoor AC condenser units today.
- Thread starter RhondaHonda
- Start date
Jesus. Christ.
Cleaned the 3rd one this morning on the main house. It has the same level of dirt which I thought maybe it would be less as it was previously on the other side of the prior to building an addition. Guess I’ll make a mental note to give them a cleaning every year or two. Can’t wait for the big electrical savings.
All in it should result in some savings.
If nothing else you'll feel a lot better knowing where you are vs where you came from.
I don’t actually explain expect to notice the savings but it can’t hurt and I feel much better knowing they are clean. I’ll do the one on the addition maybe tomorrow. It has significantly less runtime and is 3-4 years newer. My highest electric bill is like $450 which I don’t really consider too bad considering we have 4 A/C units and a pool pump and 3 kids and a wife that love to leave every light in the house on.
Be really careful if you use a pressure washer. I would not use one again after learning my lesson. My unit had some outside fins of the case that covered the real unit fins so I could not see that I was bending the fins themselves with my pressure washer. I tried several of the fine combs to bend them back but none worked.
I finally tried a very very stiff small nylon brush I had and was able to bring the openings back to say 80%.
I finally tried a very very stiff small nylon brush I had and was able to bring the openings back to say 80%.
I just used the sprayer on the end of a hose. Kept it square to the fins and they look to be ok.
More than half of ours are bent over completely. Tbf it is a 23 year old unit lol
REVIVING THIS THREAD.
How would you go about cleaning the leaves out of the bottom of the condenser? I was going to buy a mesh screen but I'd like to get the leaves out of the bottom first. The condenser with raised pad is a little over 4 ft tall. Suggestions?
How would you go about cleaning the leaves out of the bottom of the condenser? I was going to buy a mesh screen but I'd like to get the leaves out of the bottom first. The condenser with raised pad is a little over 4 ft tall. Suggestions?
Classic Accessories 36 in. L x 36 in. W x 28 in. H Mesh Air Conditioner Cover 52-205-011001-RT - The Home Depot
The Mesh Air Conditioner Cover by Classic Accessories provides all-season protection against leaves, twigs and other debris. Fits air conditioners 36 in. W x 36 in. H (opening for fan air discharge). Sturdy metal grommets and 4 long-lasting bungee cords with hooks included for secure attachment
www.homedepot.com
My son lives in a rent house and his landlord takes care of grass cutting . Apparently the idiots were blowing the grass clippings toward the AC unit . A few weeks ago his unit shut down and he walked outside to take a look at it and found the coils full of grass . He washed it down and got it running again .
ShopVac . And don't cover the unit with anything .REVIVING THIS THREAD.
How would you go about cleaning the leaves out of the bottom of the condenser? I was going to buy a mesh screen but I'd like to get the leaves out of the bottom first. The condenser with raised pad is a little over 4 ft tall. Suggestions?
Classic Accessories 36 in. L x 36 in. W x 28 in. H Mesh Air Conditioner Cover 52-205-011001-RT - The Home Depot
The Mesh Air Conditioner Cover by Classic Accessories provides all-season protection against leaves, twigs and other debris. Fits air conditioners 36 in. W x 36 in. H (opening for fan air discharge). Sturdy metal grommets and 4 long-lasting bungee cords with hooks included for secure attachmentwww.homedepot.com
After all the wildfires we had in the couple of years, my AC sucked up all that ash in the air, had my unit cleaned and checked out by an AC tech, it was pretty dirty and clogged. Glad I did the service this year, AC seems a lot more cooler. 
Loving the temps here in Western WA. Sunny and 82f for the high today. The window AC units are staying in the shed for now.
No noticeable electric savings so far this year after cleaning mine last summer. They still look good.
REVIVING THIS THREAD.
How would you go about cleaning the leaves out of the bottom of the condenser? I was going to buy a mesh screen but I'd like to get the leaves out of the bottom first. The condenser with raised pad is a little over 4 ft tall. Suggestions?
Classic Accessories 36 in. L x 36 in. W x 28 in. H Mesh Air Conditioner Cover 52-205-011001-RT - The Home Depot
The Mesh Air Conditioner Cover by Classic Accessories provides all-season protection against leaves, twigs and other debris. Fits air conditioners 36 in. W x 36 in. H (opening for fan air discharge). Sturdy metal grommets and 4 long-lasting bungee cords with hooks included for secure attachmentwww.homedepot.com
Pull the fuse -
Take the top off - this is a very common thing and is probably 4-6 bolts.
Vacuum it out.
You might not notice a savings in your electric bill by cleaning the coil but it certainly helps restore the cooling capacity of a unit.
dnewton3
Staff member
higher head pressure in the condensing unit most certainly causes a loss of efficiency; there will be fiscal savings. How much? That's hard to know in the field; depends on many variables.
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I remember as a kid my dad always covering the condenser, and I thought in the modern era that's something that should never be done. I almost wanted to apply the same principle to the grill, but I cover it. Cover traps in moisture imho. Now imagine freezing...
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