Do you clean your Air Conditioner - inside coils (as well as outside coils)

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Do you clean your Air Conditioner - inside coils (as well as outside coils)

June 14, 2020, 10:47:29 pm

So the other day I was looking something up and stumbled upon a youtube on cleaning your RV Air Conditioner.

This video I saw (sorry I didn't grab the URL for it), said there are also coils inside the Air Conditioner and to clean those when you clean the outside condenser coils (under the cover).
I had never heard of this and it was not in my owners manual. But yup, we have those.
To find the, the video said take off the filter you clean regularly and up inside is a large cavity and the inside coils are there.

We cleaned them just now along with our outside coils.
We used the same spray on leave on air conditioner coil cleaner. But for inside to make less mess, we sprayed the cleaner into a cup and then used an old soft bristle brush dipped in that to clean the coils.
It made a big difference.
Pictures attached.
--The opening after the filter (and cover) was taken off - the one we clean regularly.
--A picture showing the left side cleaned and the right side dirty - what a difference. Note: I had taken a swiffer cloth to that entire thing a week ago but it made no difference - it needed a deep cleaning.
--Both sides cleaned. However, I followed this up with general dusting with a wet paper towel to get the dust off all the other areas.

Yes we are in AZ and since we live in dirt

our Air Conditioner might get dirtier than yours, we also run it steady about 5-6 months a year. So you might need cleaning less often (I am thinking of doing the condenser coils 2x a year). We clean our removable filter every week instead of the recommended every other week, and I just changed to clean it twice a week.

I would be curious to hear if others have/knew about any inside condenser coils also and if you have cleaned them.
Jane

Re: Do you clean your Air Conditioner - inside coils (as well as outside coils)

Reply #1 – June 15, 2020, 12:41:32 am

While we're on the subject, a fin comb is a useful and inexpensive tool for straightening those support-thin aluminum fins when they inevitably get bent.

Re: Do you clean your Air Conditioner - inside coils (as well as outside coils)

Reply #2 – June 15, 2020, 08:34:39 am

All your air conditioners have two coils. The outside coil, known as the condenser, will get really dirty with dust and cotton from trees. Anything in the air will eventually work it's way into the condenser. These need to be washed with a garden hose or blown out with air. The inside coil, known as the evaporator, are harder to clean but some kind of self rensing HVAC cleaner is good. As Andy said, a fin comb is good as it will streighton out the fins. Keeping the return air filters clean and intact is imperative. As you are climbing around the A/C unit, remember these things are fragile, fins can be bent easily and lines break quite easy. They aren't hard to repair if need be, but they aren't very solid either. I fixed a lot of them, mostly as favors for friends. On a side note, when you clean the inside coil, there is a very good chance some debree will get into the drain and you can have water dripping inside the coach. The drain is accessed on the roof for cleaning. If you take a short screw out, a short screw goes back in, the manufacturers build these as cheaply as possible and there isn't much clearance where some screws go to really important stuff.

Jon

Re: Do you clean your Air Conditioner - inside coils (as well as outside coils)

Reply #3 – June 15, 2020, 12:30:45 pm

Our LD's roof A/C cover comes off once a year for cleaning, it usually just requires blowing the insides out with compressed air and cleaning the condenser's coils gently with a stream of water, aimed from the inside of the rooftop unit, softly enough to prevent damage to the fins.
A fin straightener is used when necessary but I try not to use it, the condenser's fins are getting thin from almost 18 years of exposure, eventually they will finish corroding away, requiring a new A/C unit. Interestingly, the unit still cools fine with much thinner fins.

The interior evaporator is cleaned by removing the filter, from the interior trim, and vacuuming the fins. If very dirty, the interior cover can be removed for deeper cleaning and blowing out with compressed air.
Do this when the A/C has not been run for a day or more, so the interior is bone dry, making it easier to dislodge dirt and lint caught in the evaporator's fins. Keeping the interior filters clean goes a long way to prevent the evaporator from getting dirty. After years of use, the A/C interior foam filters may begin to disintegrate, replace them before they fall apart.

The only problem the A/C has had was during a brownout last summer, the voltage keep going up and down, with the surge protector shutting the A/C down during the lows.
During a restart, the A/C's start capacitor shorted out and burned up the compressor electrical supply wire all the way to the A/C's fan speed switch, which also controls power to the unit. Luck was with me, having a new stating capacitor, leftover from a previous job. Installing it and replacing the burnt wiring fixed the problem and now it starts even quicker in lower voltage conditions.
Supco SPP6, Relay Start Capacitor 120-288V: Electronic Component Timing...

The A/C's exterior cover was replaced a few years ago after it got bumped and shattered into many pieces. Sunlight and ozone has done a job causing the plastic to harden and become brittle. Amazon came to the rescue.
Amazon.com: Dometic 3308046.014 Polar White Penguin Replacement A/C Shroud:...

Larry

As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.

Re: Do you clean your Air Conditioner - inside coils (as well as outside coils)

Reply #4 – June 15, 2020, 01:11:51 pm

"After years of use, the A/C interior foam filters may begin to disintegrate, replace them before they fall apart."
---
The filters in the Penguin 600 Series AC in my 2003 need to be replaced; there are no part numbers in the "installation and operation" manual. The filters shown in the links below look like the filters that I just pulled out of the unit:

Dometic Penguin Air Conditioner Filter 2 PACK - .32

Dometic A/C Penguin 14-1/2" x 4-1/4" Air Filters

Advice?

Re: Do you clean your Air Conditioner - inside coils (as well as outside coils)

Reply #5 – June 15, 2020, 04:12:19 pm

I believe that Penguin is now a Dometic brand. Might you wish to try calling Dometic technical support?

Support | Dometic

Good luck

Warren

Re: Do you clean your Air Conditioner - inside coils (as well as outside coils)

Reply #6 – June 15, 2020, 05:50:30 pm

Quote from: Larry W - June 15, 2020, 12:30:45 pm

The interior evaporator is cleaned by removing the filter, from the interior trim, and vacuuming the fins. If very dirty, the interior cover can be removed for deeper cleaning and blowing out with compressed air.
Do this when the A/C has not been run for a day or more, so the interior is bone dry, making it easier to dislodge dirt and lint caught in the evaporator's fins. Keeping the interior filters clean goes a long way to prevent the evaporator from getting dirty. After years of use, the A/C interior foam filters may begin to disintegrate, replace them before they fall apart.

Wow! Our '04 has a Duo-Therm 600 model, and it is totally different. The evaporator coils are not accessible from inside the rig. Years ago I posted the procedure I used:

Steve

Re: Do you clean your Air Conditioner - inside coils (as well as outside coils)

Reply #7 – June 15, 2020, 05:59:08 pm

Jon, thanks for the warning about the inside coils, when washed, might get debris into the drain – we will check that. No dripping inside the coach.

Larry, our newer Air Conditioner (2 years old now) has great Styrofoam all over (didn’t look like it could be taken off without destroying it). It is quieter (just fan noise) but we don’t have that access to spray the condenser coils from inside the Air Conditioner - that would have been nice. Our previous 29 year old Air Conditioner did have fragile disintegrating condenser coils.

We have mesh filters (not foam). And nicely we can see in the holes of the outer cover and tell when they start to get dirty with lint - which is why I shortened my cleaning cycle of these. Both parts are durable, so I rinse them then wash them with mild soap (both the filter and cover) each time. Now I know about the evaporator coils, I will keep an eye on them to see how long it takes to get dirty (and if dusting them or using compressed air regularly can help keep those coils cleaner).

I should say we have a Dometic Brisk II Air model.

Re: Do you clean your Air Conditioner - inside coils (as well as outside coils)

Reply #8 – June 16, 2020, 12:16:58 am

Steve, that is very different than our newer Air Conditioner. Next time we take the cover off, I will try to take a picture.
Here is a picture off the internet, slightly different model. I won't swear how close this looks to ours, but note the huge chunks of styrofoam.

Re: Do you clean your Air Conditioner - inside coils (as well as outside coils)

Reply #9 – June 16, 2020, 02:38:15 am

Actually, it looks like the components are in essentially the same locations as mine. The black, curved cover at the front hides the evaporator coils - you can see the tubing enter, and the circulation fan housing adjacent. The condenser coils are at the back, same as mine. To clean the evaporator coils, you would remove the black housing.

Steve

Re: Do you clean your Air Conditioner - inside coils (as well as outside coils)

Reply #10 – June 16, 2020, 10:39:11 am

"After years of use, the A/C interior foam filters may begin to disintegrate, replace them before they fall apart."

When the foam in my filters began crumbling, I went to Lowe's and found these. Easily cut and fit to my existing frames. Inexpensive enough to replace monthly, depending on need.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/WEB-12-Pack-Green-and-White-Bag-Register-Vent-Filter/3122205

Bill

Re: Do you clean your Air Conditioner - inside coils (as well as outside coils)

Reply #11 – June 16, 2020, 04:00:05 pm

A word of caution, when replacing return air filters do not use anything that would restrict the return air flow too much. Try to stick with the same materials that were originally installed. Reason is, when the return air is restricted the evaporator coil temperature will drop and ice up the evap coil. The same as a dirty filter. These air conditioners are not the best constructed pieces of equipment and under perfect conditions they are marginal at best.

Jon

Re: Do you clean your Air Conditioner - inside coils (as well as outside coils)

Reply #12 – June 17, 2020, 12:18:01 am

Steve, that "black housing" is stryofoam. Not easy to remove (I did a check when we first got it), so it might have to be destroyed to remove it. That is the big difference - the Styrofoam makes it so it is difficult (but not impossible) to hear the condenser go on/off, which makes is quieter.
Jane

Re: Do you clean your Air Conditioner - inside coils (as well as outside coils)

Reply #13 – June 17, 2020, 09:40:40 am

I will repeat something we encountered several years ago. The ac was not getting really cool. An IR reading was showing about 55 degrees inside the duct. We went to three RV repair shops and at each one, when I said the word ac, they said it would need to be replaced and they could get to it in about 3 weeks. hmmm ac=replace.

I found out that an ex-RV tech I trusted was staying in the same park we were, so I asked him what to do. He said to clean the coils. I said it did that before we left home. Do it again. So I did. I sprayed Greased Lightning on the coils, let sit for a few minutes, and it rinsed it off. Repeated. I could not see that the rinse water was discolored and noted no junk washed out.

The ac now cooled just fine and continued to do so for several more years.

You can wash your home ac the same way.

Re: Do you clean your Air Conditioner - inside coils (as well as outside coils)

Reply #14 – June 19, 2020, 03:17:50 pm

This pack of two AC filters for the Dometic Penguin AC are from Amazon (but are the same items as in the links I originally posted), and are direct replacements for the originals.

Amazon.com: Dometic 3100281P009 Brisk Air Filter - Pack of 2: Automotive

Be careful when removing the old filter and frame and/or putting in the replacement filter; it's very easy to snap off one of the little tabs that hold the filter in place on the plastic cover. (One of the plastic covers now has three tabs instead of four....)

As an Amazon Associate Lazy Daze Owners' Group earns from qualifying purchases.

Re: Do you clean your Air Conditioner - inside coils (as well as outside coils)

Reply #15 – July 22, 2020, 12:04:55 am

Steve, I take it back, part of that Styrofoam on the new models does seem to pop off.

I stumbled on this video today while looking for something else:
New brisk air II - styrofoam pops right off

I guess I was trying the other styrofoam part cause it didn't come off even with a little pressure. I will have to the larger piece on ours.
Jane

Re: Do you clean your Air Conditioner - inside coils (as well as outside coils)

Reply #16 – July 31, 2020, 12:10:58 am

I wanted to share, that since we cleaned this evap coil (about 2 months ago), the air conditioner is running even better and we have the thermostat setting even lower than before (very close to the warm setting) and the fan on low and it cools things down very nicely even in our heat.

We did, while debugging our latest air conditioning issue, pull off the styrofoam housing from on top of the roof and clean the evap coils from the outside and that did a better cleaning job. From the inside, I could not get all the way to the top so I missed that last inch or so and guys with beefier forearms might have trouble getting their arms up high enough in that tight space.

Jane

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