Cleaning Your Air Conditioner Evaporator Coil
Your air conditioner evaporator coil is an extremely important component of your cooling system. It circulates the refrigerant that absorbs heat from your indoor air and takes it outside so that you can be cool and comfortable. If it gets dirty it can disrupt that process, making your indoor air warmer and more humid than you want it to be. If you are the do-it-yourself type and you want to try cleaning for coil yourself, here’s how to do it. However, it’s extremely important that you call a professional if you have any doubt whatsoever whether or not you’ll be able to handle this type of job.
Step-By-Step
Again, it’s very important that you contact an expert if you are not completely comfortable doing this job on your own. If there is a heavy accumulation of dust on your air conditioner evaporator coil, you should leave this job to a contractor who has the strong cleaning products and special equipment needed to get rid of major blockages.
- Turn off the air conditioner at your thermostat.
- Take off the metal tape that covers the evaporator access panel at your air handler, then remove the screws and take off the panel.
- Look at the coil carefully for dust. As stated earlier, if you see a heavy accumulation – or if you see signs of mold or other contaminant growth – stop what you’re doing and call an expert.
- You should be able to find a no-rinse coil cleaner at your local hardware store. Follow the directions and let the cleaner soak the surface of the coil. You should use enough to see it drip into the condensate pan.
- Look for any evidence of algae or mold growth in the drain pain. If you see a small amount, use a 50/50 mixture of bleach and water to clean it. However, if you see standing water in the pan you’ll need to call a professional because that indicates a major blockage in the drain line.
- Check to see that the cleaner has completely dripped from the coil and re-apply if necessary.
- Re-install the access panel, re-tighten the screws and re-tape.
Turn on your system to see if the air in your home becomes more comfortable. If it does not, get in touch with Metro Express Service. Contact us online or call us at 972-263-2500 to schedule service.
