A/C condenser cleaner

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I saw an ETCG vid where he cleaned his car's A/C condenser and it brought down the high side pressure considerably. There's nothing wrong with my cars' A/C systems but a little cleaning to increase efficiency isn't a bad idea.

What coil cleaners do you guys recommend? I'd prefer something I can pick up locally. Home Depot sells some but the Q&A's are mixed as to whether they're safe for aluminum condensers.
 
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There are a few different coil cleaners made by Nucalgon, sold at HVAC supply houses.
One that should do the job is CalClean.
Don't buy the ones for evaporators, buy the ones for cleaning condensers.
I'd avoid their aerosol ones.
Also, wear gloves and eye protection.
The 1gal bottle will be a lifetime supply for you.
 
Originally Posted By: spackard
There are a few different coil cleaners made by Nucalgon, sold at HVAC supply houses.
One that should do the job is CalClean.
Don't buy the ones for evaporators, buy the ones for cleaning condensers.
I'd avoid their aerosol ones.
Also, wear gloves and eye protection.
The 1gal bottle will be a lifetime supply for you.
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Originally Posted By: Chris142
Pressure washer. Dont use the pencil fitting as it will fold the fins over.


Yep, this. There is a local municipality here that has the water pressure set to about 80 psi or even higher, so the pressure washer wouldn't be needed, just a garden hose with a trigger nozzle. Use the same hose and nozzle to clean your outside condenser on your central air unit.
MUCH cheaper than that magic elixer sold by the auto parts stores.
 
I'd rather have a small foaming can than a big jug of concentrate I'll rarely use.

I think I'll use a garden hose first and see how much crud comes off.
 
Originally Posted By: ammolab
How about a wheel cleaner safe for bare aluminum wheels?


thats exactly what I use.

I make a 50/50 mix of water and cheap dollar store wheel cleaner and spray it directly into the condenser and the radiator of all three of my vehicles. Matter of fact I cleaned up the radiators and the oil cooler on the bike this past weekend and it dropped temps by 5* which is pretty impressive considering they only had a very light bit of road film on them.
 
HVAC guys will use a foaming acidic cleaner and compressed air to clean up condenser or evaporators. Don't see why not it will work on a car. I sometimes hose mine down while washing the car.
 
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