Cleaning Condensers

[komobu]

How do you clean automotive condensers? On most cars, removing the grill can be a real PIA. I think it would be cool to find a brass wand that could shoot the water out at a 90 degree angle. That way you could stick it down through the 2 inch gap between the grill and the radiator, and the water would shoot perpendicular to the condenser. You could probably get to more than 80 % of the condenser that way. Are there any special tools for cleaning out condensers?

 

[fatfillup]

Making a wand out of plumbing fittings and hooking to a garden hose is simple. The question is, will garden hose pressure be enough to clean the condensor.

I'd make it out of iron or galvanized fittings bacause that's what I have in stock but it could be made out of plastic also.

Take a female garden hose fitting x 1/2" female pipe thread, screw a 1/2 x 3/8 bushing or 1/2 x 1/4 bushing then a coresponding 90 degree street elbow ( 3/8 or 1/4) the a pipe ****** or 2 to the desired length then another 90 degree elbow. Next would be the nozzle and that could be a brass ****** squeezed at the end or a nozzle out of the wand of a bug sprayer. For the matter you could use the wand from a bug sprayer, just bend the tube a little bit to a 90 degree and attach the garden hose to it with hose clamps.

I believe the results would improve greatly if you presprayed with the coil cleaner the HVAC guys use to clean ac coils and of course a pressure washer turned down low enough to not bend the fins would work best.

 

[Merkava_4]

I had to read your post carefully to make sure you weren't asking about back flushing. For just cleaning the bugs off the coils, just get you a coil brush from your local HVAC supplier. It looks like a giant bottle brush. I just use the same one that I use to clean the coils on the kitchen refrigerator.

 

[komobu]

I dont think the brush will cut it for what I am looking for. I am not talking about the bugs that are on the surface of the condenser. I am trying to remove the embedded dirt and dust that has been forced deep between the blades. A garden hose works great if the grill has been removed. You have to be perfectly perpendicular to the condenser or the water will bounce off of the blades and can even bend the fins over. Without removing the grill, you can usually only get to 50% or less of the surface of the condenser.

 

[bgott]

A long handled brass BBQ brush does a good job on the **** on the outside.

 

[sk farmer]

take about three feet of copper tube and solder a garden hose fitting to one end. compress the rest of it until nearly flat. completely flatten about the last quarter inch and solder it shut. near that same end drill approx 10 or 15 small holes, maybe 1/16 inch. you now have a wand that can be inserted in narow and confined areas. a garden hose valve can be added to control pressure and flow.

 

[komobu]

take about three feet of copper tube and solder a garden hose fitting to one end. compress the rest of it until nearly flat. completely flatten about the last quarter inch and solder it shut. near that same end drill approx 10 or 15 small holes, maybe 1/16 inch. you now have a wand that can be inserted in narow and confined areas. a garden hose valve can be added to control pressure and flow.

Thanks for the idea. I am going to experiment around with what you and Fatfillup stated. Seems like you both may be on to something here.

 

[35mastr]

A garden pump sprayer full of Simple Green and a pressure washer or hose.

Been doing it that way for years without any issues. They come out clean as a whistle.

 

[Curmudgeon]

Any RV store should have something like this made for cleaning holding tanks down through the toilet bowl. Ready made for less than $10, and will do exactly what you describe.

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/holding-tank-rinser-with-valve/4678

JP

 

[rocketman]

Be careful as a good pressure washer can take the paint off of the fins on a radiator and bend them up. Condensers are a bit tougher but can be damaged as well. You're dealing with very thin copper and aluminum. 2000+ psi can bend things pretty easy.

 

[komobu]

Any RV store should have something like this made for cleaning holding tanks down through the toilet bowl. Ready made for less than $10, and will do exactly what you describe.

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/holding-tank-rinser-with-valve/4678

JP

Thanks! This is exactly what I am looking for!

 

[TangoFoxTrot]

They sell an ac condenser cleaner at Home Depot, it come in an aerosol can for around $5 and you can find it where they stock the ac filters. It's used for home ac units, but it will also work with a car's ac condenser. You spray it on, it foams up, then you let it sit for a while and then just then you just hose it off.

It works really well, I just used it on an older car of mine, and the ac feels much colder. The residue that washed off was really bad. The condenser gets a lot dirtier than you think, and really hurts the ability of the condenser to cool down.

 

[fireguy]

I don't want to show my age, but my first thought was about how we used to load condensors and toss them around the shop.

It is not just the pressure, but the nozzle size, shape of the pattern, gpm and the distance from the condensor that can cause problems when cleaning condensor coils. Keep a coil comb handy.