Window a/c vent blowing out dirt

happy chick

Thu, Jul 09 2020, 3:14 pm

I have a very old window a/c unit (it was in the apt when we moved in). It works ok, aside for the deafening noise it makes, not to mention the amount of electricity it's pulling.

Anyways, it's expensive to replace and have installed, so I'll keep it. But every time I turn it on , it blows out dirt. It's disgusting. I thought it would only happen the first time, but it happens every time. Is there any way to clean it out?

zaq

Thu, Jul 09 2020, 3:30 pm

Unplug the unit. Remove the filter and wash it. Use the crevice tool or upholstery attachment on your vacuum cleaner to vacuum only the parts you can easily reach. Be careful not to to touch the vanes in the back.

happy chick

Thu, Jul 09 2020, 3:35 pm

zaq wrote:

I changed the filter, it's the cheap disposable kind. The vents are very close together, not really possible to get the vacuum in.

cbsp

Thu, Jul 09 2020, 3:35 pm

zaq wrote:

We have a similar problem and it's not the filter - fast gets pulled out and washed regularly. We've also vacuumed anything that seems vacuum-able. Still blows dirt.

FWIW, we have this in a few different units on different sides of the house.

happy chick

Thu, Jul 09 2020, 3:49 pm

cbsp wrote:

I have 7 window units in my apt, 3 of them super old, the other 4 are 10+ yrs old and I have never seen anything like this before.

ra_mom

Thu, Jul 09 2020, 4:04 pm

happy chick wrote:

I changed the filter, it's the cheap disposable kind. The vents are very close together, not really possible to get the vacuum in.

If there's dirt between the narrow outer vents, see if you can use a toothbrush to brush it away. Otherwise look for a very narrow bottle brush that has a narrow nipple brush on the one side. Or a narrow window blinds cleaner.

cbsp

Thu, Jul 16 2020, 3:33 pm

ra_mom wrote:

So DH just bought this :

He sprayed one unit and the difference is tremendous - all he did was spray, no scrubbing whatsoever. Note this was not one of the units "spitting" dirt but when he opened this a/c cover the coils were so full of grime you couldn't tell there were coils underneath.

We hope to get to the other units before Shabbos (one is in a tricky place so we have to figure out how to access the coils).

cbsp

Sun, Jul 19 2020, 2:25 pm

ra_mom wrote:

That's awesome to hear - thanks for sharing the product recommendation!

Next update :

We used it on a really old unit (it's a wall unit that's at least 20+ years old)

DH sprayed it on Friday but didn't give it a chance to drain before turning on the a/c, so all the grime clumped onto the fins. So he sprayed again after Shabbos (we're on the 2nd can now) and wishes he took a picture to show all the gook that's been draining. We're waiting to turn it back on but this is really encouraging...

It looks like this will be part of our regular a/c care (wash filter, spray unit).

happy chick

Sun, Jul 19 2020, 2:37 pm

cbsp wrote:

thanks for sharing. where do you spray it? you have to open the a/c?

cbsp

Sun, Jul 19 2020, 2:48 pm

happy chick wrote:

thanks for sharing. where do you spray it? you have to open the a/c?

If you access your filter by pulling down the front of the unit then you can see the fins behind the filter.

If you slide out your filter then the fins are less accessible. We discovered that you can remove the filter and then angle the spray between the slats.

There may be screws that hold the front in place but we were nervous to try exploratory surgery on the ancient unit.

happy chick

Sun, Jul 19 2020, 3:14 pm

cbsp wrote:

oh, I get it. I wasnt understanding where to spray it. ill have to order it. thanks

ra_mom

Sun, Jul 19 2020, 5:44 pm

Is this something good to use on an HVAC machine for maintenance, behind the filter that we replace every few months? What do you mean by draining and spraying? Do we need to give the machine a rest for a day, after spraying, before turning on?

Is it something that can be used behind the dryer filter that we empty every week?

cbsp

Sun, Jul 19 2020, 11:25 pm

ra_mom wrote:

I honestly have no idea since we only have window units.

But I found this blog entry, does it make sense to you?

https://bradburybrothers.com/b.....oils/

happy chick

Sat, Jul 25 2020, 11:17 pm

My spray just came, but it's showing to spray behind the unit into the slots. Are you sure it's ok to spray on the coils inside, behind the filter?

happy chick

Sat, Jul 25 2020, 11:18 pm

Yoyo613 wrote:

My ac also spits. What did your DH buy? Picture is not showing.

Search "air conditioner coil foaming cleanser". It's a spray. Available on Amazon, or prob any local hardware store.

cbsp

Sun, Jul 26 2020, 1:35 am

happy chick wrote:

My spray just came, but it's showing to spray behind the unit into the slots. Are you sure it's ok to spray on the coils inside, behind the filter?

That's what we did. We removed the filter and sprayed through the slots. But you need to make sure it's well drained before turning it back on - we waited 5+ hours.