Cleaning Refrigerator Coils

[billt]

My icemaker started giving me trouble. The ice was freezing into big clumps instead of the individual cubes, and jamming up the whole deal. I figured the evaporator coils must be dust covered and dirty, so we pulled it out. I found huge clumps of dust everywhere behind, and underneath the unit. I took off the back panel to expose the cooling coils and fan, and everything was completely packed with dust!

I vacuumed what I could, (which wasn't much), then I opened the kitchen sliding glass door all the way and put a box fan on "High", blowing out into the back yard. I have one of those portable 5 gallon air tanks I filled to 120 PSI with my air compressor, and blew out the underneath, back, fan, coils, everything. If I could get the nozzle in, it got blasted. You wouldn't believe what came out of there! I hated to do it that way, but it's the only way you can get all of that crap out of there. That was my problem for sure! I've never cleaned it since we bought it about 4 years ago. Now I'll do it every 6 months or so, that way it won't get that bad. It had to be running constantly because of that. It's a messy PITA job, but one you guys might want to think about doing.

[RTILSON]

You're right.  It‘s messy but the best way to clean out all that junk.

[Big Frank]

It was just within the last week that I was telling my mom you should clean it at least once a year and that I needed to do mine, but I still haven't cleaned it. It must have been a couple years ago that I last vacuumed it with my shop vac. I never thought about blowing it out with an air compressor. I don't have a nozzle for mine.

[billt]

It was just within the last week that I was telling my mom you should clean it at least once a year and that I needed to do mine, but I still haven't cleaned it. It must have been a couple years ago that I last vacuumed it with my shop vac. I never thought about blowing it out with an air compressor. I don't have a nozzle for mine.

You can get pneumatic air nozzles, hoses, tanks, and compressors quite inexpensively at Harbor Freight. I bought my compressor about 30 years ago from a place called Farm & Fleet back in Illinois, before we moved out here. They're a lot like Tractor Supply. It's really worth it to get a nozzle and hose and blow them out. There are just too many places you can't get at with a vacuum that dirt and dust gets trapped. Especially in the newer models. Like I said, you won't believe how much crap you'll blow out of the thing.

It made an unbelievable difference. Mine is really working well now. After we cleaned everything, and rolled it back. I plugged it in, and within about 4 hours everything was MUCH colder. The ice maker is really working much faster, and dispensing better. I should have known better than to let it go that long. I won't again.

[Big Frank]

I almost bought a cheap no name air compressor from Harbor Freight but they didn't come with a hose or anything. Instead I bought a Campbell Hausfeld brand at Sears for a little less and it came with a hose and air chuck. I think I'll go back to Sears to see if I can get a nozzle and two quick release couplers. http://www.chpower.com/productdetail/inflation-and-fastening-2-gallon-air-compressor-with-accessory-kit_fp209000av

[Sponsor]

[billt]

I almost bought a cheap no name air compressor from Harbor Freight but they didn't come with a hose or anything. Instead I bought a Campbell Hausfeld brand at Sears for a little less and it came with a hose and air chuck. I think I'll go back to Sears to see if I can get a nozzle and two quick release couplers. http://www.chpower.com/productdetail/inflation-and-fastening-2-gallon-air-compressor-with-accessory-kit_fp209000av

My nozzle has an 18" extension on the end. Check around because they sell them that way now. I brazed a piece of 1/4" brass tubing on the end of mine. It works great for getting into the really hard to reach spots. That stuff is really packed in underneath there.

[TAB]

most shop vacs have a blow option,  buying a small crevice tool is cheap( under $10)  and works great.

[Big Frank]

Something I saw but never tried is to take the cardboard tube from a roll of paper towel and flatten one end, attach it to your shop vac and you have a crevice tool for free.

[TAB]

having tried that with stiffer tubes( masking paper, several times thicker) it does not work.


here is a kit for $15

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Stinger-Micro-Cleaning-Kit-VT1215/100139249

they are also useful for cleaning coffee out of keyboards....  we have all been there.

[tombogan03884]

Been reading the joke thread again TAB ?