Ignoramus16661 wrote:

Our A/C guy mentioned that it would be helpful f they cleaned the
outside AC unit (compressor/condensor).

My questionis, is it necessary (I assume so), and second, can I do it
myself with a big wet or dry vacuum or something.

Thanks

i

What the tech would do is remove the outside covering
(likely to be as few as 4 to 8 screws), then he would squirt
some stuff on the coils, then rinse it off. This isn't
space science. The difference between the results of the
tech and the results of you spraying with a garden hose will
be minor. And you will be ahead if you spray it once each
month or two compared with the tech spraying it once a
year. You don't really need to remove the outside
covering/grill and you really don't need to spray any
detergent on the coils, but if you do it better be mild so
that it doesn't eat the aluminum (Dawn would be good). All
you need to do is spray the coils through the covering with
a garden hose. The electrical part is pretty much sealed so
spraying with a hose isn't going to hurt it especially if
you direct the spray mainly at the coils..