Tips for Proper AC System Cleaning - Kalos Meeting
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ก.ย. 2020
- In this Kalos Meeting we talk Tips for Proper AC System Cleaning. Bryan covers best cleaning practices for evaporators, condensers, drains, blowers and more as well as talk about the MINDSET of cleaning it takes for success.
Read all the tech tips, take the quizzes
and find our handy calculators at www.hvacrschool.com/
Awesome stuff. As you always say: things you might have forgotten or forgot to know to begin with. (did I get that phrase right? 😂)
I have been in the HVAC/R industry over 35 years and believe what you are doing with your employees is great. Train them so they could go work anywhere, but treat them well enough them don't want to leave.
F C J Definitely words of wisdom
Another awesome video. Your guys are lucky to have a boss that cares more about doing things as absolutely correct as possible or within reason instead of push push push to get as many calls done in a day and sell people stuff they don’t need just to turn a nickel. Open up a location in Oklahoma and I’d cone work for you tomorrow.
Unfortunately this is rare
Very rare
Had a "senior" tech co-worker that thought that cleaning was beneath him. He called it "maid work". I reminded him that he gets paid really well and our customers are paying a premium for our services. Told him to take pride in the fact that he is probably the highest paid maid in the city!
I agree 100%! Straight up... as a ‘senior’, I’ve LOST COUNT of how many no cooling/no heat calls I get sent to AFTER everyone else has been there only to find the condenser hasn’t been properly cleaned (pre-rinse & backflush the damn thing already)evaporator is a shag rug or that the customer changes the filter twice a decade whether it needs it or not. Cleaning is one of my favorite things.
@@Pennconst101 Right? Especially when it's hot outside lol!
Hey Bryan
Im ex chemical plant process operator now 63 yr old handyman and you mentioned cleaning. Im not a/c service tech but I have some experience mostly with maintaining my own system. I have helped my neighbor who does a/c on a few jobs, but I dont think he does good work sometimes I get experience on what not to do, lol. I have made extra money on many occaision just changing filters, cleaning grates, and checking drains and you'd be surprised how quick word travels to the neighbors and I pick up business, Its way too easy to mention an area that needs attention even if i dont get that work, it still builds trust. Thats what I took away from class today and I appreciate it and do enjoy your vidios.
Thanks,
M L Rogers Pasadena,TX
Great important stuff! A little tip on blower wheels, a lot of times water alone won’t suffice for Caked on nasty... every couple years I’ll stop by the dollar store and get some cheap toothbrushes. They work wonders and save a lot of time and frustration on blower wheels and hard to get to areas of drain pans. Keep up the good work.
thanks
Another great lesson!
When removing blower housing and motor for cleaning it’s wise to note wire routing, usually downward from the motor. This wire routing will carry any water on the wires down and away, and not down and into the motor.
Theres something to be said about "if it looks good, it works good". Only takes a couple of minutes to knock down cobwebs around an air handler, etc. And its these things the customer actually notices, because they aint opening up the unit to see all the other stuff that you did.
They really need to start making these units more serviceable. I have had so many units that were installed in such a way that it is impossible to open the evap coil.
Yeah, I agree but my old man just tells me "you have to be smarter than what you're working with". Installers and engineers don't care that we have to service the units, but we're the service techs and should be able to figure it out(no matter how dumb the situation is)
@@duramusmosley5530 I know but it's that sort of mindset which is why nothing ever progresses. It saves property owners huge money by having serviceable equipment. Also where I live in the hot desert expansion valves are just not necessary and should never be used as they fail all the time 90% furnaces also unnecessary as it rarely gets that cold
Like the way you teach, i will definitly take your advise from now on and do it right, thanks
I’m learning to deal with water leak calls this is good shit man! Thanks
I add a union to the drain line, way easier to clean out the trap.
Another great class Kalos if I lived in the area I would come work for that company for sure. Caring for your companyand your techs goes a long way.
A tip for the camera man set the camera in the center of the room so you don't have to focus as much. It will look more professional then the side angle. Then the techs don't have to use mask.. The plandamic I feel the same..
I’ve been in the hvac industry 20 years it’s nice to learn or refresh my memory sometimes we do repairs that work but in the wrong way something I learn in hvac or another industry if a person in general believes to knows everything at the end knows nothing , thanks for your time and easy explaining your employees are very fortunate to work for a company who cares for knowledge
Thanks
this summer is my 2nd AC season had to come back and check this video out. Great info
always good to retrace our years of learning ,,,,big thanks
I like the one comment that the person said about adding the union to the drain line so much easier to disconnect and clean out thank you for your input
Great stuff thanks for sharing you knowledge
Sometimes you gotta slow down to go fast
-Doc
Love it when we install a positive pressure American Standard residential system, it helps quite a bit here in Florida
I don’t typically trap positive pressure condensate drains, but in the ruud install manual I found that they recommend doing so (ruud manual 92-100105-13-05 page 11, 7th bullet point under section 3.5 and figure 9 on page 12). Thanks for all the informative videos!
great job teaching been a plumber / hvac tec 40 yr wish u were my teacher !!! back in the day edbonjovi aka leak master plumbing and hvac
Shared here in OH with our young Thermodynamic Energy Kids... We carry CO2 vs. N2 for expedience sake, in addition to cost savings. Plenty of nice regulators that are automatic. CO2 pressures are easily reachieved while cylinders are in use when it is hot out! :). Now, there is N2 on our trucks to use when doing hot work or leak checks.
Another great video. Thx
Been using the bottle cleaners from harbor freight for years. They work great for all sorts of stuff, when cleaning a system.
Also, Vinegar and baking soda can be your best friend in the field. A little goes a long way.
Keep LOTS of different size soft bristled brushes (say that three times fast!) on your truck.
A good bag of washable rags!
A pooper scooper (new, not used! Lol) to remove leaves/debris from the bottom of the condenser, save your back!
A good, premium car cleaning accessory kit for your shop vac. (Ridgid makes a good one, available at the Home Depot).
Great job and video
Look like a good honest outfit to work for.
Lysol/Clorox wipes on the plenums works very well for cleaning the growth from them. Just a generally cheap and effective tool to keep on the truck in my opinion. We use them for all kinds of things.
Pro Answers I’m pretty certain that neither Clorox nor Lysol wipes contain bleach of any sort, so that’s a rather null argument. However I do take your point about biological differences and such. Growing up with a Wastewater Engineer father, I heard about these sorts of things all the time. However, I must disagree with your porous material argument as most foil-scrim duct board is rather non-porous (although not perfectly non-porous) and metal plenums (what we primarily use) are non-porous as are the air handlers. At the end of the day, it’s impossible to carry everything on the truck that you need to be perfect, so some things must do many tasks somewhat well. But thank you for noticing flaws in my statement. Nothing was said in malice, I just simply wanted to state what we have seen work well for us at my company. Have a good one!
I like using Isopropyl alcohol wipes
Why clean anything? We all love the 3 AM frozen evaporator coil cleaning call. Not to mention the water through the ceiling call.
Not to mention right after the maintance was completed a few days prior
Yeah, those are the best!🤪
Good video!
I thought I was gonna get Kalos stance on blowing out drain lines with nitrogen. That would be a good episode
Here's a tip if you do blow out drains. Fill the sink up with water before you do and you'll never have to worry about blowing up a bathroom.
Nitrogen or CO2 are great for clearing out drains, especially for those of us in areas where the drain terminates into the house plumbing.
We use the Diversitech "Drain Kat" rig for it. Been using them, and the previous REHVAC kit from before Diversitech bought them, for close to 30 years.
Key is to pipe all of your drains with a clean out tee that allows you to insert the "drain dawg" in past the tee to blow out the pipe past that point.
Alternatively put a ball valve ahead of the cleanout, so you can close it and blast out the drain line down stream of the clean out.
When multiple systems tee into a common drain line, ball valves in the lines for each unit allow you to isolate them from each other and blow out the common line.
Know where the drain terminates, and take measures to prevent a muck eruption in a bathroom, etc. though...
@@markbeiser you don’t worry about blowing a fitting apart that someone forgot to glue?
@@joeshearer1247 Obviously you don't just rock up on a system and start blasting the drain at 200 psi...
Good meeting
On drains i use a 2+1/2 nubright container I put a 3/4 ball hose bib in the screw lid then attach a aquarium 12v pump i connect the power to my M12 battery and flow water till drain runs the whole container. Thanks for the product recommendations.
When I have a call, i like encountering a clean unit and so it is something that i do. I might not like cleaning the unit but i do! And it makes for a satisfied customer who looks at it after i leave!
Get a shop vac that blows and sucks!
A modified toothbrush works great in tight areas. Heat the neck of the toothbrush with a lighter and bend 90 degrees.
Thank you 😊
For Techs by Techs
👀 me secretly watching as an engineer 😂
STOP
YOU'VE VIOLATED THE LAW
@@DEADPEDAL Oblivion quote in an HVAC school video. Heck yeah.
Funny because me getting a job as a janitor lead to my introduction to this industry and I am now working hvacr
Very helpful
thanks
I've found that a splayed toilet bowl brush does an excellent job of getting in-between the blades of the blower wheel.
Do you think that the uv light helps with the breakdown of the elephant snot for the drain
It would be interesting to know how much companies lose annually due to call backs from water being in the wrong place in a customers home.🤔
Ptrap a furnace because when the furnace is off fumes from the sewer can make their way into the ducted breathing air. Also when the furnace is on small amounts of exhaust fumes can get into the furnace room. A ptrap eliminates both.
You ABSOLUTELY need to trap a furnace and if you want proof, carry the eztrap 113's that are clear with 2 caps and you can see for yourself. That way you can cap n uncap it and see the flow for yourself.
Especially if it drains into a sink because without one its loud.
How much extra would u charge to clean blower wheel?. Thank you in advance
My practice is if the trap is plugged that bad I cut it out and replace it.
Mine too. And I almost always sell the customer an EZ trap so they can clean it themselves or it's easy to clean on a maintenance.
I'd love to work for you, I really enjoy this type of work
As always, thanks for allowing us a seat in your pre-shift training sessions. Masks are no fun, but effective. Any chance of dropping a mic in the middle of your techs so that their comments/replies/questions can be heard?
Noted
Awesome videos but was curious about your take on blowing out drains with nitrogen? I have pretty good success rate with it and was just curious on your opinion
Nitrogen or CO2 are great for clearing out drains, especially for those of us in areas where the drain terminates into the house plumbing.
We use the Diversitech "Drain Kat" rig for it. Been using them, and the previous REHVAC kit from before Diversitech bought them, for close to 30 years.
Key is to pipe all of your drains with a clean out tee that allows you to insert the "drain dawg" in past the tee to blow out the pipe past that point.
Alternatively put a ball valve ahead of the cleanout, so you can close it and blast out the drain line down stream of the clean out.
When multiple systems tee into a common drain line, ball valves in the lines for each unit allow you to isolate them from each other and blow out the common line.
Know where the drain terminates, and take measures to prevent a muck eruption in a bathroom, etc. though...
totally depends on podition of fan if it's negative pressure or positive pressure
I was wondering what your thoughts were on using nitrogen to clear drains.
Nitrogen or CO2 are great for clearing out drains, especially for those of us in areas where the drain terminates into the house plumbing.
We use the Diversitech "Drain Kat" rig for it. Been using them, and the previous REHVAC kit from before Diversitech bought them, for close to 30 years.
Key is to pipe all of your drains with a clean out tee that allows you to insert the "drain dawg" in past the tee to blow out the pipe past that point.
Alternatively put a ball valve ahead of the cleanout, so you can close it and blast out the drain line down stream of the clean out.
When multiple systems tee into a common drain line, ball valves in the lines for each unit allow you to isolate them from each other and blow out the common line.
Know where the drain terminates, and take measures to prevent a muck eruption in a bathroom, etc. though...
I’ve given up on HVAC companies. I call for a annual maintenance and they don’t clean anything. I’ve decided it’s possible for DIY with training like this and an EPA 608.
Use CLR mixed with hot water for drains. It will clear
Can you show us, how to wireing air handler please. Thanks alam
@@sprockkets Remember this is HVACR SCHOOL, emphasis on SCHOOL. If these questions are below you, suggest you stick to HVAC ProTalk... with all the other "SuperTechs"
Armstrong Air recommends traps on the evaporator for systems 3.5 ton plus, if you see this and still want to win the argument
"recommend" is a loser. "Requires" gets you a cigar.
most do it will not pull air in depends on positioning of fan
There are a lot of techs that advice the home owners to pour bleach at the float switches... I guess the bleach doesn’t react well with the coils and they develop leaks.
Edit: I forgot to mention that it’s when the float switch is connected directly to the air handler. Bleach makes contact with the coil.
I don't believe it would cause the coil to leak. (So long as you're pouring it in the clean out, not the drain pan or coil, Never do that!) But I hear this from clients all the time, "My other HVAC guy said to pour bleach down the drain."
I always advise against it. Because unless you're extra careful and use a funnel, you inevitably spill or splash bleach everywhere. Noticeable by all the rust spots on top of a furnace, or drain pan.
I use vinegar and baking soda, mixed with hot water. Non caustic coil cleaner works great also, as Bryan mentioned. But whatever you use, flush behind it with hot water until you see clear water coming out the end! Which he also mentioned.
But I'd stay away from bleach.
Daniel Jordan
Edit: I forgot to mention that it’s when the float switch is connected directly to the air handler. Bleach makes contact with the coil.
Pro Answers
I forgot to mention that it’s when the float switch is connected directly to the air handler. Bleach makes contact with the coil.
@@proanswers very familiar with those traps. Great product, no doubt.
Why the masks did you guys get in trouble. From the TH-cam police
Great video
Trash your mask! If Nancy Omar-Pelosi doesn't wear a mask, why should the hard-working taxpayers who pay her salary?
So y'all have to wear a mask inside your shop?
No
Has anyone tried putting stripped copper wire scraps in the drain pan to stop algae growth so they don't get the slime??
Haven't used copper, ive used small pieces of brazing rods
Our installers often put traps on our furnace/air conditioner evaporators. It annoys me every time I see them 😆
Y’all hiring?!
Lol I was just wondering the same
Man I live right across the street from them. May have to apply! Stand up company for sure.
evaporator coil cleaner
chlorine tablet in evaporator
slime mold
I also Met Ed he is from Manalapan and he also does a lot of work in Old Bridge he forces us to put traps on furnaces except I did find the documentation where it said do not trap and he still has a problem and he will Funk your job unless you trap it and eventually all traps clog so all I thank him for the extra service calls I did show him the instructions and he insists on putting the trap in there anyway because I am from New Jersey and he has flung to many of our jobs over this trap business on furnaces. In Old Bridge the County Attorney came after the inspectors with a 63 page scathing report about how they do not attend the training classes that are provided for them and also that they cheated many big developers like hovanian by waiting till after they were done to point out all these little things that they want to change that we're not necessary, but sadly Public servants have qualified immunity and cannot be ordered to refund any expenses that they generate for innocent people who pay a fee for these inspections.
I got "drain bamage" 😆
Yes, teach'em there's a lot of bad techs out there !
TH-cam police hit u for not wearing mask in last video ? Lol
I was about to apologize to you because I thought I was too critical of one of your videos and then I see this one. I have worked for people like you before AJ Perry is one of them and you're $100 tune up quickly goes to $900 so I'm going to call it what I think it is and I'm going to call you a scammer. And in order to write this review I had to have an email address so you are free to look me up and sue me if you feel that my criticism of you is under two over the top. I watched some scan videos that Matt Lauer from NBC aired in the morning on the news I watched several others from Ted Hanson and ABC and NBC and CBS and they hooked up cameras and they watched this happen and I agree with their definition these clean up jobs that you're describing to your crew do not happen in an hour or two they take many hours and they are very costly and you point this out in your video to your crew you say we do not do this before our standard fee there is an additional charge. So how much money in truth does it cost for someone to call you up and ask you to perform a cursory safety and operational check out of their unit because you cannot possibly do all the things that you describe even in a half a day never mind an hour. People like you put my industry all over the news and you generated nothing but negativity for us and somehow you convinced people that it's us doing this and not you it is not us it is you the owner of the business.
Get rid of the mask
Good content. Take off the dumb mask though.
Traps on upflow units are a waste, and will cause issues for homeowners.
If this area is downflow, or horizontal, why not just put 2 3/4” pvc unions,.
It seems like this company has a lot a lot of callbacks, they need to hire this guy, or bring him in to talk to under qualified techs.
Those that’s can’t do, teach. What a bad shop, this guy is a issue.
Why pull a evap, buy your techs a 2” uni bit, and drill holes in the plenum.
No you don’t have to take the wheel out, use a brush you can buy at any HVAC dealer,
This service manager is horrible.
How does drilling 2" holes in the plenum give you access to actually clean a dirty coil?
Very often you can adequately clean a blower wheel with brushes, but it won't be as clean as if you remove it and wash it.
Removing the blower assembly also allows you to clean the entire thing.
You must not have much experience with actually maintaining HVAC equipment, especially in humid climates...
Masks... ugh...