Cleaning domestic coil

[16927]

That’s my thinking, I’ll try and call again

 

[Raider L]

I was looking at my outside A/C yesterday and, Man! does it need cleaning. I keep it hosed opff so there's no grass or anything like that but it's black in several places and it just looks bad. I went on that site where the big blue jug pic is and there are several stores here in town. I'll tell you one thing, this is the town to get into the heating and a/c business. There must have been a dozen places to get supplies and they were all a/c parts and supply places the HAC companies use. The one nearest me was a Lennox store. We have a Lennox unit. Boy, it sure has been a good unit. Our other house we had it was a Carrier unit and it was good to. It pays to buy name brand and what that does is make the lesser companies work harder, provide excellent service and make good equipment. I hesitate to buy equipment from no name companies, but from time to time I will try them out just to see. I have been pleasantly surprised that they were just as good and a lot cheaper.

 

[16927]

Raider, where are you located ? And how old is your Lennox? As with most things these days the older ones were build like tanks. The newer stuff not so much... I’ve been doing HVAC for 18 years and here lately the indoor (evaporator coil) will most like blow a leak in 3-6 years.... and need replacing if it less then 5 years they cover it... if not you cover it..... the cheaper stuff..... the coils and compressor are all made the in the same factories.... the bells and whistles maybe different but they usually work just as good.... comfort maker is near the bottom end of the equipment line.... and a lot of times installed by lesser quality technicians.... I could go on...

 

[Raider L]

The problem you have to watch out for is that Muratic acid melts the lead solder like a hot knife through butter! It's kinda okay with the brass of the core you just can't leave the acid on there very long. Brush it on the core, let it sit for a couple of minutes and then rinse good. Then you might have to do it again briefly until the core brass is clean then stop. Also you can get a acid neutralizer to make sure the acid has stopped working on the metal. Also baking soda works to stop acid working to and it's cheaper than neutralizer.
You can't tell how much of the lead has been removed, it looks just like it did and then it starts leaking some where.

 

[Raider L]

@16927,

That Carrier in our first house was 17 yrs. old when we moved and I think after about twelve years we replaced the coil. This Lennox in the house we're in now is 20 years old and has never needed anything except a capactor outside in the housing electric box, and the exhaust fan went out only because of frequent lightning storms, but maybe not. And that was after about fifteen years, and we have a service contract with the installer which is a reputable company in my town.

 

[Raider L]

@idahovette,

How do you buy anything then? If you don't pay for it first, what do they tell you when you make an order then tell them, "No, I'm not paying first."

 

[16927]

Ok so your Lennox is the R 22 refrigerant?? If that’s the case I’ve seen some of them 30 years old. Keep it as long as it serves you. The compressor or the system will develop a leak at that time your about done and need a new unit

 

[idahovette]

@idahovette,

How do you buy anything then? If you don't pay for it first, what do they tell you when you make an order then tell them, "No, I'm not paying first."

I have an account with them, but even before I did I never prepaid. Small town, been around forever, luck of the draw I guess. I ordered a master cylinder for a 56 fored pu from Oreillys, no account with them and when it came in they called , said come and get it. Went over paid for it took it home.

 

[16927]

When I needed a fuel pump for this truck I called Napa they looked it up said “we don’t have one here but we can have it in two days, want me to get it?” Yes I do... “ ok stop by in two days after 10am” and that was it didn’t take a number or a name.... I went in said I was there for the pump and had a great conversation about the old Ford he was working on...

 

[AuroraGirl]

Soak it overnight in a tub of water with DAWN dishwashing detergent.

jeez you tryna kill me

try palmolive over night

although, for brass components that are soldered, be careful of anything that would eat the lead solder on joints/connections

im not sure what muriatic acid does to lead but I have read that citric acid is weak enough for copper/brass/lead that it wouldnt likely cause new leaks but the consensus seems to be any cleaner will do a lot better if you can get it 200 degrees almost. If you could use a strong degreaser first, like a dawn dishsoap, then use an acidic or caustic cleaner in the appropiate amount, then neutralize/rinse thuroughly, you will do well.

IT seems that if you can ascertain that the heater core has any hard water deposits like calcium, a strong dish washer detergent that busts hard water spots/does well with hard water would do well to clean that off, because the reaction THOSE metals(alkaline) have with most cleaners that do heavy lifting could be damaging.


Thermocure product is Diammonium Phosphate water and sodium salts, but to buy a bunch of the first one you dont need FBI or ATF at your door asking why you are buying a bunch of fertilizer lol, but that product has 1) a limit on how long its left in
2) demands that it circulate and be at temp
3) CANNOT get too cold or too hot, 300 or so degrees you are gonna have a bad time with it.

Then, the final product of using thermocure is a milky white(in my car at least) fluid that smells a lot like bacon but isnt bacon and kinda makes you wanna gag after a while, but it works well. but it needs to be in a system and driven on, which you arent wanting to do since its off a vehicle of course.

THere is another solution I found, but I cant find more supporting evidence to understand it scientifically(Im not a chemist), but Lestoil which has a component of sodium salts and sodium hydroxide(caustic soda), and mineral spirits and that does well to what i read, but you must neutralize the caustic soda with baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to prevent, presumably, a dissolving of the solder since apparently it doesnt react with brass poorly, but I could be wrong. Im not a chemist.

The only thing lye was meant for was lutefisk, damnit.
And i only got my lifetime worth of the smell when my first park avenues air bags went off

 

[16927]

That’s why I would rather source a brass heater core for my truck..... try and clean up my old one in my spare time but finding a brass replacement is proving problematic for me.

 

[16927]

Still looking for a original style brass heater core. If anyone can help

 

[AuroraGirl]

Still looking for a original style brass heater core. If anyone can help

You can buy new ones.

 

[Octane]

Summit Racing sells old style heater cores for trucks. Around $60

 

[16927]

Auroragirl, you say “you can buy new ones” like the brass ones are “everywhere” and easily accessible. Tell me where you find the brass ones? Cause I can find the aluminum ones everywhere and I’ve found a few brass Ac heater cores but mine is NON AC .

Octane, I’ll check summit, thanks