Clean Air Conditioner Coils

Cleaning your air conditioner's condenser coils regularly will let your air conditioner run cooler with less energy and make you feel more comfortable. The best time to clean your air conditioner is in the spring, just before you anticipate using it for the first time in the year. Here are the steps to follow to clean your air conditioner coils.

Steps

  1. Disconnect power to the air conditioner. Most central air conditioners have a shutoff box outside near the unit itself. You may have to pull out the shutoff box, flip a switch or remove a fuse. If there's no shutoff box, find the circuit breaker panel that controls the air conditioner and turn off power there.
  2. Trim away any plant growth around the air conditioner. Take care that any cuttings from grass, flowers, bushes or weeds don't get inside the unit. Trim foliage to be at least 2 feet (60 centimeters) away from the unit.
  3. Detach the outer case or access panels. Depending on the fasteners, you'll need either a screwdriver or nut driver to do this.
  4. Remove the top of the air conditioner. Depending on how the air conditioner is constructed, this may mean lifting the fan assembly off with it. If your air conditioner is constructed this way, be careful not to stretch and damage the fan wires.
  5. Clean and lubricate the fan assembly. Clean dirt off the fan blades with either a rag or whisk broom and use a shop vacuum to clean dirt off the fan motor and shaft. If the motor is designed to require lubrication, apply a small amount of oil to each of its lubrication ports. (Fans without lubrication ports are designed to be maintenance-free.)
  6. Brush away surface dirt from the air conditioner coils. Use a whisk broom or stiff brush for this.
  7. Spray-clean away trapped dirt from the coils. You can do this with just water, or if the dirt is considerable, a biodegradable foaming cleaner mixed with water. Spray the cleaner from the outside in and let it soak in for 10 to 15 minutes. You may wish to re-apply the cleaner and let the second application soak for another 5 minutes.
    • Before you spray the air conditioner, cover any electric wires or motors with plastic.
  8. Rinse away the cleaner from the coils. Spray the rinse water from the inside to the outside so that the dirt is pushed away from the air conditioner coils instead of toward them. Continue rinsing until the runoff is clear.
  9. Inspect the coil fins for any damage. If any of the coil fins appear bent, they can be combed straight with a special "fin comb," available from an air conditioning supply store.
  10. Reassemble the air conditioner.



Tips

  • You should only need to fully clean the air conditioner once a year, but if you live near cottonwood trees or dandelions, you may have to clean the unit more frequently during the spring, possibly weekly or even daily.
  • The above instructions can also be used if you own a heat pump, as the external condenser unit is constructed similar to an air conditioner.

Warnings

  • If you spot any problems during the cleaning process, such as an oil leak or damage to the refrigerant coolers, contact an air conditioner service technician.

Things You'll Need

  • Screwdriver
  • Whisk broom or brush
  • Garden hose with sprayer nozzle
  • Funnel (optional)
  • Shop vacuum
  • Foaming cleaner (biodegradable)
  • Plastic sheeting
  • Fin comb (optional)
  • Safety glasses

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Sources and Citations

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