can i throw water(running water) on outdoor split a/c unit to clean its fins and condenser?

Question

do condenser and evaporator consume electricity???

Answer 1

you can buy a coil cleaner at Lowes or Home Depot
just spray on wait a few minutes hose off

Answer 2

Some of these answers are good. However I have to caution you to remove the top of the unit. I would only allow a licensed contractor to perform this, only because once you the homeowner start opening up your system you can invalidate any warranty on the equipment.

However, there are some things that you can do to help the performance of your AC system.

Take a water hose and wash the coils out. DO NOT USE A PRESSURE NOZZLE! Just the water coming out of the hose will do. You do not have to worry about the motors, they are protected by water-tight casings. After all they are designed to withstand the elements. Be careful not to damage the fins of the coil. If these fins are damaged then there is no fix for these. Fin damage begins to alter the airflow across the coil, thus reducing the efficiency of the system. If you have damaged fins that cover about 25% of the coil, then that can reduce the efficiency of the system by as much as half. So be careful.

For more homeowner maintenance tips, go to http://www.howellsac.com

Answer 3

Sure you can throw water on them, but throwing it on won't do much good. If you have a very high pressure hose (use a nozzle or your thumg on a garden hoze to get the force of the water up), that will do some good and using a scrub brush will help even more. (Just don't bend the cooling fins.) Of course the condenser and evaporator consume electricty. They are doing work for you.

Answer 4

Yes. It is because it is made to be able to be hit by rain and not be ruined. Yes to the condenser and evaporator consuming electricity. I had a condenser usit in a house of mine and the problem with it is that it takes more energy to run than an AC as well as the fact that so much of my stuff was actually ruined by the moisture.

Answer 5

The best way to clean your condensing (outdoor) unit is to shut off the power, remove the top cover ( be careful of fan and wires) and use a hose to washout the unit from the inside out.

The air goes from the outside in and you should clean the coil from the inside out to prevent plugging the coil up. After you are done replace the top cover and turn the power back on.

Your unit should work much better after servicing it.

Answer 6

yes you can but they make a cleaner you can spray on first then wash it off, first remove the protective cover on top of the unit then wash the unit from the inside out try not to get the motor or any other control box to wet. Yes, the outside condensation unit does use a lot of electricity but it uses a lot less than any other way you could heat or cool your house.

Answer 7

I use a hose on mine and keep the water away from motor and
electrical parts -- condenser and evaporator are just coils
of aluminum or copper.

Answer 8

MJ:
Actually the condensor and evapourator DO NOTconsume electricity.

The Compressor, oil heater(oil seperator) and fan which is in the condensor enclosure consume electricity.

The fan in the Evapourator enclosure (stand alone evapourator) or the furnace fan (central air conditioner) consumes electricity.

The controls consume electricity; thogh not much by comparison to the compressor and other components.

Take GG's advice for cleaning and maintenance.

Good Luck and keep cool.

Answer 9

make sure that you turn off the power in your breaker panel and the outside switch,yes they use power,enough to kill.use a water hose.

Answer 10

Listen to GG, he knows what he's talking about