It is necessary to understand the job of the evaporator in your air conditioning unit. The evaporator receives the liquid refrigerant. What the evaporator does is facilitate the fan which blows air over the cold coils to chill the air. A clean working evaporator is essential to your air conditioning unit running effectively.
Depending on the kind of air conditioning system you have, your evaporator may or may not be accessible. The evaporator ought to be located in the cold side of your AC unit in the plenum. If it is accessible, you ought to clean it minimally every year. If the plenum is sealed in a metal box you will not be able to access it and will have to call a certified expert. If the plenum has foil wrapped insulation, it ought to be easily accessible for you to clean it.
For an accessible evaporator, the initial step is to remove the foil wrapped insulation. Usually this is taped in place and can be easily removed. Keep in mind, youll want to do this very carefully as youll have to replace it later. What youll need is a screwdriver to remove the screws in the access plate in order to lift the plate off.
Once the plate is removed, youll want to utilize a stiff brush to clean the whole underside of the evaporator. Lots of times, people can make use of a mirror to help you see the locations in the back. It is necessary to keep in mind the evaporators can often times be slid out just a bit. When sliding the evaporator out, just be careful not to bend any pipes connected to it.
Youll also want to clean the tray underneath the evaporator. The function of the tray is to carry condensation away from the evaporator unit. You could use bleach on the tray to prevent fungi growth. Its recommended to put a full table spoon of household bleach into each hole. If you reside in an extremely humid environment, its highly recommended that you examine the drain and the pan a minimum of 3 times weekly.
Once the weep holes have been cleared and bleach has been poured in, youll want to go about placing the evaporator back in its location. Youll want to slide the evaporator back into place if you moved it out. Grab the plate and screw the plate back into place Profile . Make certain you tape the insulation back over the plate and the unit itself.
To examine your job, turn your air conditioning unit back on and look for any type of air leaks. These leaks could be secured with duct tape. As an extra precaution, you might want to examine the condenser if your AC unit still does not appear to be operating effectively.