- Remove trim around the unit on the inside and cut away caulk on the outside.
- Remove the front of the unit.
- Remove the motor and fins from the inside.
- Remove the metal shell using a wonder bar to pry away from the opening.
To clean a central air conditioner, vacuum the compressor unit and replace the inside air filter. Turn off the system by flipping the thermostat to the “Off” position and isolating and tagging the circuit breaker.
To clean interior vents and filters, make cleaning interior vent covers and swapping out filters part of your regular cleaning routine. Vacuum the slats of wall, ceiling, and floor.
To clean an evaporator on a window AC unit, access the end that sticks out of the house to reach the coils. For central air units, turn off power, remove the indoor unit, detach the outdoor unit, seal openings, document wiring and components, and secure the unit.
To uninstall a split AC unit, start by turning off the electricity supply, remove the cover of the outside unit, and find the copper pipe that connects the wires to the piping. Disconnect the wires, disconnect the piping, remove the inside unit, and remove the outside unit patch hole if necessary.
In summary, cleaning an air conditioner is essential for its performance and longevity. By following these steps, you can ensure your unit runs like new all summer.
📹 HOW TO REMOVE OR UNINSTALL AN AC (AIR CONDITIONER) WITHOUT LOSING GAS
In This Video we discussed how to remove or uninstall an ac or air conditioner without losing gas. Please don’t forget to subscribe …
📹 How to replace an evaporator coil step by step
In this video Bryan covers how to replace an evaporator coil step by step. We show proper rediagnosis and replacement of a …
You mentioned that you don’t like to unsweat because of the oil and risk of fire. 2 things that happened to me (in my earlier days). Unsweating once in an attic holey crap was that a ball of fire lol (I can laugh now but scared the crap out of me). Second is something people should know (maybe should be in a article you would do Bryan, on fixing condenser coils). Found small leak in condenser coil. Emptied ref’ from low side only (I know 🙈). Figured unit is empty. Started my torch to heat up the pipe so my rod would melt on the hole. Now that was not a ball of fire but such a boom that I felt it in my bones. The expansion from the heat caused the pipe to blow. Thank God I didn’t get injured, was pretty close.
Great instructional. I would add a VERY, nay EXTREMELY important stage if exchanging a copper coil with an aluminum. Clean, nay, SCRUB the rear and forward interior surfaces (Any area the coils will touch). You can go one step further and place a tape bearer between the existing interior and the new aluminum coil. If any copper residue finds its way onto the new aluminum coil it WILL cause it to leak.
Great article again! Question for an expert: in a one way air to water heat pump with a TXV, do you need any check valves? I ask because when switching off the system hot refrigerant flows back into the evaporator coil instantly and don’t want to cause premature damage. Any thoughts is much appreciated
Im trying to figure out why labor on a warranty part cost so much money? I think if a factory builds a unit that fails durring its warranty period they should cover the cost of replacement including labor. This is nuts the part new cost less then the labor to change it. Do they not know we can look online and see these prices?
BRYAN,,Hello, nice article, I once followed a fellow I met @a GRAINGERS, to a job, it was in PARKLAND, BROWARD COUNTY,FL as I got into that home,it smelled of SEWER GAS. he did not smell it,,he was there to just. ADD refrigerant, this was the 3rd evap, cause ? CHINESE DRYWALL, you should have seen how black the copper &copper electric wires too,That was something I will never forget ! Cheers 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I have an 8 year old York system. We lost cooling due to a leak over time. Had a company come in and diagnose it’s the coil with 2 leaks. They topped off the refrigerant and gave us an estimate. I come to find that parts are covered to 10 years on YORK but, I have to use a YORK authorized repair person. So, I paid this first guy his $500 for the diagnosis and top off of the R410. He told me that the YORK authorized person I choose can just reuse the same R410 in my system. I had to choose a local York authorized repair company and they tell me that to replace my coil, they need to use all new refrigerant and charge per pound accordingly. Is this true? They already ordered and received my evap coil and want to schedule but, I feel like they are BS me. Great article!
We spent $8K for new system. Just the evaporator coil and the condenser. They did not inspect the blower or the drain lines. We are smelling something sweet every time the ac goes which I suspect refrigerant leak. The ac guy came and used a leak detector device and didn’t find anything. The smell is sickening. Are those detectors 100% accurate?
The A frame evaporator coil was leaking r-22. We were smelling something sweet every time the ac went on. We bought a brand new unit. Condenser and A frame evap coil. We are still smelling something sweet only when the ac goes on! The installer came back and tested the coil with a leak detector. He only tested the front of the coil. Never checked the back or the sides. Now what?
I was with a tech one day up on a roof of a restaurant and found no gas in system. Evap was when pressure tested which he repaired using solder etc . Then he vacuumed and started recharging but when he turned on the compressor the motor seized or was already seized. He said the customer would have likely kept resetting the system when it was on low pressure and this would have been the reason. What is your opinion why compressor seized ???
Great articles! Where do you stand on pressurizing the evap with nitrogen when service valves are closed on a pumped down residential split system? Many older techs say that practice can push nitrogen into the condenser, and it should only be done if the lineset is cut away and fittings brazed in. Or, recover all refrigerant, and pressurize the entire system. I usually am not worried about new condensers, but with the number of times I have seen brazing near service valves without protection, it has me wondering where you are on the topic. Thanks for all of the great content!
hello recently Hvac tech put dye through my coil part of air conditioner that sits above the furnace, the dye was put in from outside in the air conditioner unit, the dye went through the coil system that sits above the furnace and came out into the clear plastic hoses that are on the side of the furnace, so the tech stated that because of that there is a leak in my coil system that needs to be replaced, i never saw the actual coil or where the leak actually is, a new coil and refridgerant would cost $4,000 a new Lennox would cost $7500, does this sound correct?should i ask for second opinion? should i get them to come back to see the actual leak?
Hi, great article with all the best practices! Question: if the evaporator coil is below the heater which is below the fan, do you need to fully remove heater and fan to replace the coil? I was told it must be done… I am surprised about that since I would not expect it to be structural, otherwise the weight alone could damage the coil in time… any thoughts on that?
I have not found any company in Northern Texas, Dallas area to do any of this. They come out and then show you readings from the condenser unit, never doing the soap test you show, condemning the evaporator coil as you state. I have yet to find any company to do this and we have several properties. Frustrated to no end at the lack of professionalism and the desire to just upsell you equipment. Some want extra money for dye tests.