portable AC evaporative coils mildew smell

Steam is always good

>>1056007
soak in bleach

>>1056011
>>1056009
spray coils with 1:4 bleach mix?

/b/ is telling me to use break cleaner.

>>1056013
no, soak, you want enough bleach to work the gunk out, you need power washer, or soak it until they dissolve out, it won't solve the problem with the gunk still sitting on it and you just killing the surface layer of mold

>>1056016
>it won't solve the problem with the gunk still sitting on it and you just killing the surface layer of mold
but will it make the mold smell go away? i only need the thing to work for like another month. i don't have access to a power washer.

>>1056017
maybe, maybe not, we dont know how dirty it is

I use pure white vinegar for mold. Spray it on and keep it moist with more sprays for an hour. Then a light brush to clean the gunk off. Maybe some water sprayed on to thin out the smell until it all evaporates.

I also use it in my bathtub. Pour a gallon in, fill with water to waterline +1cm then let it sit for an hour. Lightly use a scrub brush instead of a sponge because of the floor texture. Works great, no elbow grease at all.

>>1056031
>>1056033
sprayed with bleach/water, then water, then lysol, then water again. let dry and put back together. no smell now.

thanks lads. will probably use real cleaner next time.

>>1056007
>shitty design for cleaning

I hate engineers. It is like they never use or maintain anything they design.

>>1056091
I hate scrubs who complain about they can't clean something easily, it is like they never designed or manufactured anything

>>1056007
>evaporative coils in portable AC smell like mold/mildew. pain in the ass to take apart.
>
>how do i clean this without destroying it? bleach+water and then rinse?
go to a refrigeration supplier and buy cal clean or any coil cleaner. rinse with water , soak it with chemicals and maybe use a small brush .

don't brush side to side.

>>1056013
>spray coils with 1:4 bleach mix?
Even that mix is bleach-heavy.
I would say to use a 1 part bleach / 10 parts water mix. It really doesn't take a lot of bleach to kill mold and mildew. And you only have to leave it there for like 5 minutes to work. You can either rinse it off or leave it there.

Also we note: high mildew may indicate that the humidity inside the home is just excessive. A dehumidifier may be of benefit (tho they grow mold also...).

Vinegar works well for a bunch of other cleaning purposes but I would not use it on AC coils. It is corrosive (a mild acid) and I'd worry that repeated applications may open up holes in the soldering.

>>1056011
Vinegar. Dilute. Soak. Skake. Flush Final touch bleach diluted food safe ratio
>>1056033

Bleach can corrode metal.

>>1056093
But, anon. I'm an engineer! The main problem is the client. They have an "artist" who designs shit they want then they hand it over to an engineer to make it "work". Yet, the original design the "artist" made is absolute shit for actual functionality, but you are normally not allowed to change that.

>>1056129
>A dehumidifier may be of benefit (tho they grow mold also...).

This is a good idea. In fact, having multiple dehumidifiers will greatly reduce the overall humidity while allowing the AC and dehumidifiers to spread around the amount of condensation any 1 will be facing. Since any one unit will have less humidity condensation on it, they will have less chance of developing mold. Cycling what units are on and off can also help. The units turned off will evaporate all the moisture off their coils which will help kill and reduce mold buildup.

>>1056178

you do understand the purpose of an AC unit is to remove humidity which in effect causes the room to be cooler. AC units are big dehumidifiers thats why the coil gets cold and wet, its removing the moisture from the air. its doing what it was designed to do. you know a dehumidifer works the same way. the evap coils get cold and sweat because they are removing the moisture. so usign a dehumidifer to reduce the AC coils from building up mold is pointless

>>1056256
The dehumidifier part is just caused by lowering the temperature below the airs dew point. Yes an ac dehumidifies but it's more of a side effect to cooling humid air below a certain temperature before distributing it everywhere. If what you said true, removing humidity is the reason an ac works, then the ac in my 5% humidity climate would be useless.

Hell, evaporative coolers work exactly like you describe only the exact opposite. The convention from liquid to a gas in filters covered in water draws heat energy out of the air. The now humid but 20-30 degree cooler air is then pumped into the house.

>>1056016
>you need power washer,
A power washer will fold the fins over instantly and block the airflow.
Do NOT use a power washer on ac coils (condenser or evaporator)

>>1056094
>go to a refrigeration supplier and buy any coil cleaner.
This. For evaporators you can buy 'no rinse' cleaners.
Spray it on.
Rinse if you want but the moisture that forms on the coil will rinse it anyway.

>>1056450
I cleaned the ac in my apartment recently.
I've tried the evap coil cleaner can and that did not work at all due to extensive dust. What worked for me was just soap water and being careful with a plastic bristle brush. Brush the dirt lose, rinse, repeat till clean. No bent fins if careful to move the brush in the same direction.

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>>1058157
I use brushes too.
I recently bought three 'snow removal brushes' on ebay
They are brushes on one end of a long handle with an ice scraper on the other
I just pull the ice scraper off and use them as a long, skinny handle brush for the coil
I cut the bristles short on one to get in the really tight places.

>>1056450
I work as a maintenance tech at a resort, all of our A/C's are split systems. The best way I've found to clean an A/C is with a portable pressure washer. I don't have the brand name of the one I use at work, but it holds about 5 gallons of water, has a half gallon storage for a cleaning solution and is battery powered. Use it to clean the blower wheel, filters and compressor.

>>1058170
That's not a 'pressure washer' that's a portable washer
pressure washers have a stream of water coming out at 2800 to 4000 psi

>>1058187
Well then hush my whore mouth.
Point is for cleaning A/C's it works great, sprays water out hard enough to knock all the shit off the fins without causing damage.

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>>1058191
Also this, if you're working on a split system it's a fucking god send.