How much should a coil cleaning for central AC cost? Details?

Question

This is for the, I guess, MAIN coils in the big thing in my attic, not the condenser unit outside.

Also, how often should this be done?
And how should it be gone about? Same technique if it's done yearly or if you wait till they get really dirty (say three-four years)?

I think my coils my have some issues. :( The former owners of this home had them replaced about 4 years ago.

My house is cooling for crud. It does cool but VERY, VERY slowly. Condenser went a week ago. Was replaced. Now this. Probably wasn't blowing/coolling up to snuff even before the condenser went so I'm not sure there's a correlation with the condenser unit prob. Obviously not sure though. I didn't notice really until it went completely.

Answer 1

I don't like attic installations for air handlers. They're really not designed for that application, and invariably it leads to problems.
The evaporator coil cleaning, to be done properly, involves pumping down and capturing the refrigerant, cutting the lines to the coil, removing it from the attic and cleaning it on the ground. An alkaline (not acid) based cleaner should be used, and rinsed with a reasonably high-powered hose until you can see daylight through the fins when you hold in up to the sunlight. It may require several attempts to get the coil really clean. An "in-place" cleaning is totally unacceptable, and can do more harm than good.

The cost for a cleaning, because of the difficulty level, is not far from the cost of a new coil. Expect to pay in the neighborhood of $400.00. A new coil will run $750 for a 3-4 ton unit. it sounds like filtration and air leaks might be big problems. Make sure the air handler is sealed tight to keep attic debris out of the coil, and the filter is of good quality, (pleated works well) tightly-fitted and changed frequently.

There is often a connection between a clogged evaporator coil and a failed compressor. If the coil is clogged and insufficiant air passes through to warm the refrigerant up and cause it to completely boil, a percentage of the refrigerant may return to the compressor in liquid form, and cause premature failure.

If you have a tightly-sealed air handler with good filtration, the evaporatore coil may never need to be cleaned again. It may be worthwhile to investigate a germicidal lamp to control mold growth on the coil.

Answer 2

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You can't simply slap a round about price on cleaning a coil. It can range from just a simple one hour service call, or it can take half a day. Obviously, the price will vary depending on how long it takes and how difficult a process it is. I have charged several hundred dollars to clean a coil, and I have charged 75. If all I have to do when I clean a coil is remove the front cover and brush it off or maybe run some water through it with some non-toxic cleaner, it won't be much more than 75 dollars. If I have to remove the coil from the system to clean it, this will cost 250-500 dollars (typically). This is because, number one, takes at least a couple of hours and entails a lot of labor like removing the refrigerant, sweating and unsweating copper lines (brazing), leak testing, pulling a vacuum and recharging the refrigerant... not to mention cleaning the thing. My labor charge is 75 dollars an hour, so this can get expensive when you consider labor and the parts/supplies used in this process. I have even seen coils so badly neglected over the years that they simply had to be replaced. Anyhow, if they didn't mention cutting the coil out, I would simply ask them to explain step by step what they are planning on doing. This way you'll have a better idea of what your 400 dollars is going to. If you still think something is up, call someone else out. FYI: This is why keeping clean air filters in your system is very important. Dirty coils not only keep a system from cooling, but they will also destroy a compressor if allowed to run in this condition over time.

Answer 3

Ac Coil Cleaning Cost

Answer 4

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RE:
How much should a coil cleaning for central AC cost? Details?
This is for the, I guess, MAIN coils in the big thing in my attic, not the condenser unit outside.

Also, how often should this be done?
And how should it be gone about? Same technique if it's done yearly or if you wait till they get really dirty (say three-four years)?

I think my coils...

Answer 5

FH Furr just gave me a quote for heater closet unit, relatively easy access though the back door. Got a quote for coils with a discounted price of $397 plus another $360 or so for the upper unit. If I need refrigerant, another $263. Didn t give me a copy of the quote as I gave him $97 for the checkup and told him I needed to think about this. $860 was the total price, so it didn t include the refrigerant. I don t mind paying for good work, but this seems high.

I paid $250 or so for a capacitor replacement several months ago. The outside fan had stopped spinning after the power flickered on an off several times.

Answer 6

LOL I have been in the trade for 30 yrs and never heard of this scam. Cleaning coils in the attic can be done in place.. The coils can be sprayed with a foaming action coil cleaner and rinsing with a water, using pumper spray. It will drain down the condensate drain pan. Plus change air filters once a month.

Answer 7

The actual "cleaning" is free....I charge $400 to pull the coil and put it back in (yes, that includes pump down, pressure test, vacuum, setting the charge)..

Answer 8

500.00