On Jun 28, 9:47*am, Deodiaus wrote:
I had a problem with my AC units. *I thought it was the freon which
was too low.
The AC guy came out and said that he first recommended cleaning the
outside AC units, at $80/unit. *His partner says that my units look
clean. He says that they should be cleaned every year.
So he takes off the top casing, washes it with a lawn hose, sprays on
an A/C cleaner (sodium hydroxide based), and washes it off. *$300
later, he says that the freon needs to be added too. *Ok, another $150
later the problem is solved. *I got the feeling I was hood winked and
robbed.
Two questions.
Is washing and cleaning the units standard practice? *Is it even
necey essary to do it once a year? *On my old house, I haven't cleaned
them in 3 years and never noticed a higher than average bill for not
doing so.
How much efficiency is lost by not cleaning the units? *The repair guyar
quoted 50%, but I made a smart ass remark like 5%/yr.

I dont think you got hoodwinked. He was acting in your best
interest ; yes, the condensor and evaporator DO contribute to
efficiency if they are clean because maximum heat transfer takes place
thereby increasing cooling capacity over dirty coils, decreasing amp
draw due to the compressor not working as hard, making the units
life expectancy theoretically longer, and making your space cool
faster/better dehumidified. Now that you know how to clean the
coils, you can do that yourself each year prior to startup so it
functions at peak performance.