How Do You Check For A Clogged Condenser?

Clogged condensers are becoming a common problem with Air Conditioners. This is because when the condenser is clogged, your Air Conditioning system cannot operate efficiently because the condenser is an essential part of your Air Conditioning system. Just like the other five compartments of your AC, the condenser affects how well your AC works, and using an AC with a bad condenser can eventually shut down the system.

Though the condenser is usually considered as a single part, in reality, it comes with five parts working together to keep your AC in good condition. These parts are a fan, motor, tubes, circuit board, condenser coil, and compressor. These parts work together to cool down the refrigerant vapor, condense it into liquid, and then pass it out of the outdoor AC unit.

While detecting the problem with your AC condenser is the work of an HVAC technician, you can quickly notice when something is wrong with this compartment, especially when the problem is a clog. With this knowledge, you can quickly contact a technician to help provide a solution to the problem.

How will you know that your AC condenser is clogged?

To check if a condenser is clogged or not, you need to access it through the drain pipe. Since the condenser is made of several other parts, learning that the drainpipe is clogged shows a high chance that the condenser is clogged. To check this, you will need to check the drain or condenser pan and see if it is full of water. Once you check and the pan is full of water, it means the condenser is clogged and needs cleaning.

It is important to note that some Air Conditioners come with a clog detecting sensor that naturally alerts you of a clogged condenser. If your AC comes with that, there is no need to check again.

However, if your AC develops issues and the condenser is not clogged, you may be dealing with something else. For instance, where AC is making abnormal and consistent noise, or your AC starts providing insufficient air for the house, or you notice that water is dripping out of the unit more than the expected amount of condensation.

Where you notice any of these, you must contact a qualified HVAC expert who can help examine the unit and detect the issue.

How to unclog a condenser

When your AC becomes inefficient, it is recommended that you try to check if you have a crack or leaking condenser before trying to unclog the condenser. Where these are not the case, then it may be that the condenser is genuinely clogged. While it is advisable to get professional air conditioning services from companies like Direct Air, you can also try unclogging the condenser yourself. To do this, get;

  • A vacuum
  • A bucket
  • Unclogging agents like chlorine bleach or white vinegar

To unclog the condenser, you first need to turn off the AC. Ensure that you do not start anything before turning off the Air Conditioner. Once you’ve done this, find the exit point of the condenser. Now attach your wet-dry vacuum to the drain pipe. Ensure that the vacuum fits perfectly, where it is too big or small, ensure that you tighten it well around the line using your hand or a hook.

Now that you’ve connected the pipe and your vacuum, prepare the bucket to receive any dust and debris you are about to suck out of the condenser. You can do this by placing the bucket right under the vacuum pipe connected.

Once the preparation is ready, now turn on your vacuum cleaner and let it work for some minutes. If this is working, you will see the junks clogging the condenser coming out and pouring into the bucket. However, if this does not seem to work, you need to reposition the vacuum. Do this and let the vacuum work again for some minutes.

If your AC condenser’s drain pipe or exit line is not located outside, you can find it by checking near the indoor air handler. Once you discover the pipe, connect the vacuum. In addition, place the bucket in the proper position to collect the trash. Then turn on the vacuum and wait a few minutes.

If the following techniques don’t seem to be cleaning the condenser well enough, you can use the clog-dissolving or corrosive chemicals specified in our unclogging condenser products list.

To do this, pour the clog-dissolving agent into the drain pipe and let it stay for about thirty minutes. Then flush it out with water. This should bring out dirty water full of junk clogging the condenser.

Conclusion

A clogged condenser is a significant problem affecting your Air Conditioner and its operation. However, it is crucial to understand that other things may be wrong with the condenser. Your Air Conditioner is not working perfectly is not necessarily because the condenser is clogged.

As mentioned earlier, the condenser is one of the AC compartments, and it features five parts. It is, therefore, possible that the reason for inefficiency is a failure of other parts of the condenser.

This is why it is advisable to ensure that your AC is serviced periodically. With this in place, your HVAC technician can immediately determine the cause of the problem and provide an appropriate solution.

Finally, AC maintenance will save you from high repair costs, and by detecting a clogged condenser on time, you can reduce energy consumption and prevent the AC from overworking.