We stick with the electric pressure washers, they are cheap, easy to transport and apply the perfect pressure to adequately clean yet will not bend fins. If you must use gas be sure to use the nozzle delivering the least pressure.

 

electric is a way to go, they are much lighter and easier to transport. I remember using a gas powered and it was a nightmare on a roof with 70 RT's and gas lines all over the place.

 

i still use an electric pressure washer. yes its much lighter and you dont have to worry about the cost of Gasoline just plug it into an outlet. Ummm but i can see some points of not having an outlet to plug it into especially in a plaza where the units are 200 ft away from the rim of the rooftop.. it all depends about the convience of the location of the building......

 

For outside condenser units we use a Goodway electric powered compound chemical/water pressure cleaner. Its a little heavy but its on wheels. If a power source isn't readily available, it'll get power from a small generator that's also on wheels. (very helpful to have a truck with a lift gate ) Also a good idea to carry a lot of hose and an assortment of spray wands sizes, 90 degree tip fitting, etc (it just makes life a whole lot easier)
We use a very low concentration chemical cleaner that's very effective in cleaning those really dirty coils. Very important to take your time in rinsing all the chemical out.
If you don't have access to a Goodway machine, an electric pressure washer with a large spray bottle for the chemical should do the trick. It's easier to carry around, simpler, and the better option for rooftop units.

 

atriot:atriot:atriot:what i have just used the other day for the first time was a 1500 psi deisel/electric HOT WATER presser washer. MAN i tell you what we where cleaning evap coils and blower wheels and compartment on 100 tons trane intellipaks made it look fresh from the factory plus doesnt bend fins yes i know what you are thinking that it has to way a ton and it does used a crane to lift it on building but the outcome is way better then anything i have every used

 

We just use a standard gas pressure washer and use a special tip that a lot of brick masons use for spraying acid on the bricks and then rinsing it off, it picks up the coil cleaner and dilutes it at the same time, we have it on a 3200psi pressure washer and haven't had many issues.

 

We use an electric Lambda washer. Abut 75 lbs, but it's worth it when you get it on the roof.....

 

all of our guys carry the small electric pressure washers and we have the clips to connect to ground and a high leg (if its 208/230) 460 youre up a creek

 

. So you guys use power washers and No fins are harmed? I see regular hoses bend fins before.
They must be on the lowest setting. Its still chilly hear havent realy done any condender cleaning yet.

 

You can't be stupid about it. Make sure you are pointing straight at the unit, don't point on an angle.

 

I have found that pressure washers are a joke when it comes to cleaning coils.

Very low water volume at high pressure does very little to penetrate a thicker (1"-10") coil and really wash away the gunk. Using a pressure washer with coil cleaner on a thick coil only serves to push the chemical into the middle of the coil and never rinse it out.

High volume of water at a medium (90-120psi) pressure seems to saturate the coil more less flooding out the gunk, now couple this with a coil gun (link below), allow the chemical to do it's job properly, and you will have clean healthy coils for years to come.

Grangier's sells these little 120vac 1/2HP utility pumps, with a few hose fittings you can take your standard 60psi building water pressure and boost it up to 90psi with no real loss in volume. They rock when washing coils.

That is my coil washing set up and it's done wonders over the last two years of using it.

http://www.nucalgon.com/products/coil_cleaners_coilgun.htm

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/DAYTON-Utility-Pump-4CB57?Pid=search

 

I have found that pressure washers are a joke when it comes to cleaning coils.

Very low water volume at high pressure does very little to penetrate a thicker (1"-10") coil and really wash away the gunk. Using a pressure washer with coil cleaner on a thick coil only serves to push the chemical into the middle of the coil and never rinse it out.

High volume of water at a medium (90-120psi) pressure seems to saturate the coil more less flooding out the gunk, now couple this with a coil gun (link below), allow the chemical to do it's job properly, and you will have clean healthy coils for years to come.

Grangier's sells these little 120vac 1/2HP utility pumps, with a few hose fittings you can take your standard 60psi building water pressure and boost it up to 90psi with no real loss in volume. They rock when washing coils.

That is my coil washing set up and it's done wonders over the last two years of using it.

http://www.nucalgon.com/products/coil_cleaners_coilgun.htm

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/DAYTON-Utility-Pump-4CB57?Pid=search

This is how I do it

Shot that cow, now chillin on my deck with the blues

 

we use compressed air for our coil cleaning.

 

Can u tell me how much psi your putting out, above 100 over 150, before coils fins start bending,, Or do you use a special fitting. Any info appreciated if possible.

I was thinking about taking apart one of those car tire inflaters and getting the ac to dc adapter. (cigarette lighter). IT says 120 psi. OF course i would have to mod it.

 

I've only ever used chemical w/ city water pressure to rinse it off. do you folks that use power washers not use chemical? ... I'm debating on throwing that coil gun on order the next trip to the supply house. few guys in my company use it & love it.

 

Pressure washers

I use a karcher 1500 psi pressure washer. I got the 90 degree wand accessory for it too. Only down fall it only lasts about a summer here in new york. But its light weight and 100 dollars it pretty much pays it self off in one commercial job. On a roof with only 460 buy yourself a little portable generator to power it. Just make sure the building is ok with the use of a generator up on the roof.

 

I suggest you go for Karcher pressure water. I'm using this brand for years now and its cleaning coils is perfect.

 

I suggest you go for Karcher pressure washer. I'm using this brand for years now and its cleaning coils is perfect.

 

the only thing I've ever needed a pressure washer for was chiller with a microchannel coil that got lint thrown at it 24/7.

Volume over pressure any day.

 

This post was risen from the dead..... it's 5 years old.

 

I hate it when that happens!!

 

 

I've only used pressure washers on cooling towers. It's about the volume..not pressure. Think about how you want your air going through the coil...same principle with water..you want volume..not pressure. If you could find a way to use a 3/4 inch hose that's true 3/4..you would be able to blast out some bad ass coils. And if it's MC just use a garden hose and dawn/triple D. I work with a lot of liebert stuff

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

 

5 year old bump FTW!

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dump the pressure washer. split the coils and use a hose. on the thick coils use a coil gun or I prefer tank sprayer with hi foaming chemicals. Also you can get that pump for 1/3rd of the cost at Harbor Freight. It works just as well. I've had mine for over 10 years and works fine

 

I use Speedclean Flojet Coil Cleaner system works awesome

 

The best pressure washer for cleaning condenser coils is, no pressure washer. Like zw17 said, volume beats pressure when cleaning coils. I have used a pressure washer, then used a garden hose with a hose ball valve on the end and couldn’t believe how much cottonwood came out. Now I only use a hose with a ball valve.

 

Also looking around for the same answer



Good day mate!

I too am looking at something a little bit faster but not damaging.
I work in a facility manufacturing aluminum wheels, and boy, did they not hire any HVAC minded guys for 8 solid years or even have anyone mitigate filters.

Currently my cleaning set up is a 5 gallon bucket with an air gun and an air hose used for siphoning out simple green. I would say the pressure is around 100 psi. I use 100 percent simple green with no water.

A quick look into the conditions these units operate under will explain why.
For 8 years, the fan blowing through the condenser, mind you that the fan intake is from the machine inside where you would not believe the mess of oil, coolant and fine aluminum dust combine, has pretty much conjured into a sweet dark caramel coating of about 3 to 4 mm thick. One would think, this unit is trash.

I do a lot of soaking. 15 minutes between blowings with the simple green. This is very effective, but with my work's demand to do other tasks beside A/C work, I want to make it faster. So now, I do a light scraping of the condenser with a spatula, then soaking and spraying and blowing. It's kind of like the Three Little Pigs story.

Simple green works pretty damn good for this oil and grime caramelized concoction. Fortunately, I have an area where I can dispose of the evidence.

To end it here, I guess my question is the same, can an 1800 psi electric pressure washer get me through the wall of caramel in a shorter time frame after soaking?

I highly appreciate all the responses on here from the veterans. I am self taught at the moment refurbishing small chiller units for spindles. Any extra experience shared, is worth a try.

Thank you.