How to clean Fridge condenser coils

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Jan 8, 2006
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Michigan
Is there an easy way to clean the dust off a fridge condenser coils?

I spend an hour plus with scrapes all over my arm with a small bottle brush, could not get to the right half of the coils, arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh.
 
Depends on what kind of fridge you have. Mine has a bottom front cover that comes off and then I attach a vacuum tube to it and let it suck all the dust/hair out. I've had some that have a bottom cardboard like cover that you unscrew and that gives easy access to the coils and compressor.
 
Go to Lowes and get a specially designed brush for cleaning the coils. They are back in the appliance section. It looks kind of like a bottle brush, but the brush is a foot long on a two foot handle.
 
I just vacuum them from the front and the back, though it would depend how accessible they are. Any vac can do, so nothing special needed since it's just dust.

One thing I cobbled together was an extension of the vac hose to reach well into the coils since space was tight vertically. It was a PITA to make and only moderately successful.

Too, the cleaning does not need to be perfect with all coils spotless [unless one is BITOG OCD ;o) ] for the fridge to work better. Good enough gets the job done unless (see previous BITOG disclaimer)
 
I have the brush and it does not do SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHesh for the areas away from the large holes.

I even opened the back of fridge and I could not reach most of the coil.
 
Quote
Go to Lowes and get a specially designed brush for cleaning the coils.


Glad to know somebody does make a tool for this. My current fridge has tight spacing between the coil layers and I have to use a wet paper towel wrapped around a yard stick to be able to get to the back.
 
Years ago when there were intelligent engineers, the coils would be on the back of the fridge or a Ford pickup engine could be repaired with out cab removal.
 
Originally Posted by CT8
Years ago when there were intelligent engineers, the coils would be on the back of the fridge or a Ford pickup engine could be repaired with out cab removal.


Engineers are more intelligent than ever. Its the bean counters and corporate greed keeping things from lasting forever. Planned obsolescence is fun
smile.gif



I just use a soft brush and some water to clean mine from time to time. With pets and it being close to the floor they get gunked up.
 
soft brush it is
but how does get to the inside of the rear coils?

Should I raise the coil side and reach from the bottom?
 
Shop vac, old damp towels and air compressor with blow gun with a 1/4" copper or aluminum tubing on the end 18" long. Pull fridge out , roll the fridge back over towels with compressor off shop vac running short bursts of air. Vac picks up alot of dust towels pick up the rest. For something that needs service the manufacturers really don't care about shorten the life of the equipment and most people just the grill in the front get washed if and when the water filter clogs.
 
Get an air compressor to blow the dust and a vacuum cleaner to suck the dust being blown so it does not go all over the place or at least minimize it.

30 to 40 psi should loosen all those dust in unreachable places.
 
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I bought a brush off ebay (sort of like a giant pipe cleaner attached to a handle) and use that to brush the dust out of the bottom of my fridge. The problem is a lot of it got pushed to the back of the fridge and I can't get it out.
 
I use a shop vac with an 18 inch length of 1/2 inch CPVC pipe duct taped into the hose. A bright LED flashlight lets you see what to clean. I also have the special taper brush for loosening dust. Together, they work well on my frig. Years ago I tried cleaning my first frig with compressed air. I ran an air line from the basement compressor and went to work with an air gun with copper tube extension. I heard screams of wifely outrage and turned around to see a kitchen full of gray haze. I still hear about that periodically.

Best to capture the dust rather than spreading it around :)
 
Originally Posted by JMJNet
Get an air compressor to blow the dust and a vacuum cleaner to suck the dust being blown so it does not go all over the place or at least minimize it.

30 to 40 psi should loosen all those dust in unreachable places.


+1, this is what I do.

If you don't have a compressor, a leaf blower (electric of course) can be used.
 
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OP, it sounds like your HX is unusually painful to clean!

I was surprised to see the fridge that conveyed with our new home had an easily-accessed section where the heat exchanger sits, along with the fan and drip pan. The heat exchanger is box-shaped. Using a pipe-cleaner-type tool (we use for cleaning our metal and plastic straws) to get through each section. I have a handheld vac there while brushing.

I was also surprised at how small the HX is and also how clean it was when I first checked after moving in. There was more junk on the fan blades than the HX.

It's been over a year since I cleaned mine, so thanks for the reminder!
 
We bought a Samsung refrigerator 5 years ago. Unfortunately the coil is inaccessible even with tools. I sure loved that job.
 
Originally Posted by stockrex
I have the brush and it does not do SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHesh for the areas away from the large holes.

I even opened the back of fridge and I could not reach most of the coil.



Same here Whirlpool modern side by side with accordion or folded evap coils on the bottom...It's even difficult to get an air hose under it.
 
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