AC evaporator coils are the central part of the AC that is a network of copper coils.
They reside in the inside AC unit of the house and are responsible for getting the hot air of the house and removing it. They do this by sending it to the outdoor unit of your house.
These coils need cleaning after some time because the dust gathers in them.
A thin layer of dust can cause a disturbance, and it can create layers of ice when the AC is running that can damage AC.
Don’t know how to clean AC coils inside the house by yourself?
Don’t panic!
This article will tell you about the cleaning method for AC coils and other instructions related to the method.
These are easy instructions that a homeowner can perform if he has enough time.
Let’s get started.
Table of Contents
How to Clean Evaporator Coils Without Removing?
If you are happy with the cleaning job but don’t know the technicalities, search for a method to clean AC evaporator coils without removing them.
Follow the below steps to do the task.
- First of all, remove the access panel of the AC that uncovers the evaporator coils. Check the manual of your AC to locate its access panel. It will make the task easy, and you can easily find evaporator coils.
- Turn off the AC unit and be sure to plug it out because it might accidentally start while cleaning that can cause difficulties.
- Be organized, unscrew the fasteners and get the access panel out from the unit. Set the panel and screws in a secure place to avoid the problem of missing screws etc.
- Take an air canister; it will help get the debris and any other residue out from the compressor. Blow with it on the parts where you can see the debris.
- Take the nozzle of the canister close to the debris if it is hard. The high-pressure air will clean the evaporator coils without removing them.
How Often Should Evaporator Coils Be Cleaned?
Keeping evaporator coils clean will help you to minimize your electricity bills because the neat and clean coils will quickly get the hot air out, and the room gets cool in a short time.
The evaporator coils need cleaning once a year. It will make sure the AC is running efficiently.
How to Clean Inside Coils on Central Air Conditioner?
The air blower might not take all the debris out, or it might reach some of the coils. Cleaning is essential for the AC so that you can use some alternative tools for this purpose.
Do it as follows.
- Turn of AC from the thermostat.
- Wear goggles to protect your eyes from debris and other residues.
- Locate the access panel and remove it to get access to the evaporator coils.
- Take a soft brush and start removing the dust buildup with it.
- But the brush might not reach all the spots of AC coils, so use an air compressor that can loosen the hard debris and get it out of the unit with air pressure.
- It will be fair enough to put air pressure on the debris from a 90-degree angle.
- There are self-rinsing foams available in the market that is specifically designed for cleaning coils. So you can use it for cleaning evaporator coils in the central air conditioner.
Cleaning Air Conditioner Coils with Vinegar
Vinegar is a great cleaning agent and is available in almost every house. It can also help in cleaning the Ac coils. Apply the below steps to clean the evaporator coils of the air conditioner with vinegar.
- Take a spray bottle and mix half of the water and half of the vinegar in it. Shake the bottle to mix both the items successfully.
- Please turn off the AC from the breaker so it cannot turn on accidentally from the button.
- Remove the casing of the air conditioner. Some ACs have fixed casings that need to first remove the screws for removing their casing, while some cannot contain any screws.
- The most crucial step while cleaning AC coils with vinegar is to cover all-electric components with plastic, so they can never get wet. Otherwise, it might create a danger for the life of the residents.
- Spray the solution on the coils and let it drop from them. It is the best DIY solution that does not damage the components. Let the coils soak in the solution so it can help remove debris layers easily.
- Wipe out the dust with a clean cloth, and the extra vinegar solution drop on the unit. Reassemble all the parts and turn on Ac to check the difference.
Clean Evaporator Coil with Compressed Air
Compressed air can indeed help clean evaporator coils. It can even remove stubborn particles from the coils.
It is perhaps the quickest cleaning process.
Take a can of compressed air and start spraying it on the opposite side of the normal airflow. The opposite direction is necessary because spraying in the same direction can cause the dust particles to be hard and damage the fins.
A shop vacuum with the compressed air cleaning method can also help to clean the AC coils.
Where to Spray on an AC Coil to Clean It?
Starting a cleaning process for Ac coils might do with many products, like vinegar, soapy solution, compressed air, and vacuum cleaner.
You might be wondering that where you should spray on AC coils when cleaning them.
The spray should be evenly on the AC coils because they collect plenty of debris on them.
This spraying solution will help to loosen the debris on coils and clean them quickly and easily.
How to Clean Evaporator Coil in Split AC?
Now the split AC is standard, so here’s how you can clean the evaporator coils of the indoor unit of split AC.
- Lift the indoor unit to remove the access panel.
- At first, remove the dirty filter from the unit and clean then because these may be creating problems.
- Coils of a split AC might get dirty often, so clean them after every three months.
- Take a coil cleaner from the market and spray it on the coils in a zigzag manner from top to bottom. And be sure to cover all the evaporator coils.
- Let it sit for 20 minutes on the coils.
- Attach the clean filters and access panel on the unit.
- Turn the AC on and set it on 24 degrees. Run the AC for approximately 60 minutes to allow the evaporator coils to clean automatically.
Conclusion
Air conditioners are found in abundance in buildings situated in hot geographical areas.
ACs come with evaporation units. The internal units comprise of coils, which get dirty over time and are clogged. Therefore, they need cleaning. People look for ideas on how to clean AC coils.