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Heating & Air Conditioning

Getting to evaporator coils in my central Ac

7 years ago

I have a central AC that I think may have clogged/frozen evaporator coils based on the symptoms. But as best I can tell from where the refrigerant lines are, they are located in an area that looks like just meta ductwork without an obvious access panel . Photos below. Is there a trick of how to get at the coils in an installation like this?

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Comments (5)

klem1
7 years ago
No easy tricks for getting to the coil. Doesn't appear to be any weight from above so you could cut a window then screw a patch over it when finished. What are the symptoms that make you say " I think may have clogged/frozen evaporator coils based on the symptoms."? And have you eliminated other possible causes?
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sktn77a
7 years ago
Well, if your coil is frozen, opening it up may not be the solution. Let it melt and then first make sure you have a full charge of refrigerant and that the filter is clean (remove it for a couple of days to test the system). If it still freezes or doesn't cool/blow, only then would I consider breaking it apart.
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I own an HVAC business and I am a certified indoor air quality specialist. What would solve this problem permanently (after cleaning the coils as garyg said) is to install an ultraviolet C lamp just above your evaporator coil. You can do it yourself very easily. The things are readily available on the internet (Carrier/Bryant and Aprilaire) for about $250.00 or you can have a contractor do it for about $500.00 (systems up to 3 tons) Add about 50% to this figure for a 4 or 5 ton unit which should have a double lamp system. There are several schools of thought about what these lights will and will not do. Distilled to simplest terms--they won't kill germs or mold "on the fly" flowing through the air stream of your hvac system with any precision. They will kill mold and bacteria on your cooling coil, keep your drain pan clean and improve the heat transfer ability of your coil by keeping it free of the nasty black junk that always seems to grow on coils that don't have a uv lamp. This should eliminate any mold smell originating from your cooling coil and prevent subsequent "seeding" of such organisms to distant parts of your system. It WILL NOT fix problems with existing mold in your ductwork past the area the lamp is installed. Your ductwork should be thoroughly cleaned to fix this (and make sure it is not unconnected somewhere which could cause condensation and mold). Hope this helps, Ken
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klem1
7 years ago
"that the filter is clean (remove it for a couple of days to test the system)."

Dat rat da be bad vice,never run an ac without filter in place,not even for a few minutes.
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PRO
Austin Air Companie
7 years ago
save maybe $50 to $80 in a service call and create hundreds or more in possibly unnecessary repairs to duct work.

Sounds like the road to disappointment, if you ask me.
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PRO
Preferred Designing Services
7 years ago
I would shut down the furnace for a few hours and see if water is draining to the floor drain and also check the drain line, it may be clogged. The other item without cutting up your ductwork, restart your furnace at a set temperature of 76 deg F or 24 deg C. People think that all units must operate at 72 deg or 22 deg. C, which is wrong, when I do the load calculation the design temp is 76 deg. F. I use to live in a 2 story house and to push the cooling to the second floor I closed my vents on the main floor, bathrooms and cooking area except for the living room and dining room and have the furnace run continuously. Placed a fan over the bedroom vents and had a fan operate in the kitchen on the main floor. Cool air is heavy and will drop to the main and have fans running on the second and main level. You want to operate a dehumidifier in the basement to remove access humidity. Humidity is always an issue in the summer as well as the cost of energy for operating the cooling cycle compared to heating.
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