Can You Pressure Wash an Air Conditioner

Introduction

Pressure washing uses high-pressure water spray to clean surfaces and remove graffiti and dirt, producing a stream that can reach 90°F (32°C), possibly with the addition of detergent. This article will discuss all the necessary information in “Can You Pressure Wash an Air Conditioner.” So let us get started.

Can You Pressure Wash an Air Conditioner

Can You Pressure Wash an Air Conditioner?

Pressure washing an air conditioner or any AC unit is not recommended. You can potentially cause more problems than good by doing this. The high-pressure spray could quickly propel debris up into the pretty delicate fins, causing system failure down the road. IIn addition, I would not recommend spraying anything at all on the exterior components of the house to prevent harsh chemicals from entering the home in general. If you want to clean out your outdoor units, use a self-contained low-pressure chemical application system that will only allow the product to exit when triggered with a hose nozzle, similar in appearance to a garden hose-end sprayer.

Pressure Washing an Air Conditioner

What Are The Disadvantages of Pressure Washing an Air Conditioner?

  1. You could easily damage the fins on the AC unit if pressure washing is done incorrectly. The fins are very delicate and made to bend with the wind, not resist water pressure. If you scratch up, tear down or turn the fins of your AC unit, they will no longer function like they were designed to, and your air conditioner will no longer properly cool your home.
  2. If you don’t move an AC unit before trying to power wash behind or underneath it, you could severely injure yourself by accidentally hitting an underground electrical line with the high-pressure washer wand! This had happened to people before who were unaware that their backyard was under heavy surveillance by fiber-optic lines because their neighbors have high-speed internet access and cable equipped with HDTV. These lines carry a powerful signal and can be easily damaged if exposed to water pressure.
  3. If you don’t move an AC unit before trying to power wash behind or underneath it, you could severely injure yourself by accidentally hitting an underground gas line with the high-pressure washer wand! There are metal water pipes buried around your neighborhood that run from house to housekeeping homes hydrated with clean potable drinking water. Still, there are also natural gas pipelines buried under many yards in residential communities, apartment buildings, and even commercial office buildings! Many construction companies will come out and give a free estimate on moving or removing a large tree in a backyard for this exact reason.
  4. Gas, electric & plumbing lines are not the only underground utilities that could be damaged if you don’t know where they were placed. Hundreds of homes throughout Miami-Dade, Broward, and West Palm Beach have installed fiber optic internet cables because T1 lines didn’t offer enough bandwidth for HDTV over IP (internet protocol) networks like Verizon FIOS or Comcast Xfinity. If you live in a neighborhood with buried utility lines of any kind, assume they’re there before you try pressure washing your air conditioner!
  5. You could easily blow out the copper pipes inside your outdoor AC unit if water from the power washer gets into those small openings at the base of your evaporative coil. Water is weighty and will cause your coils to bend downwards, pull away from the unit itself and eventually even pop out of place. Those copper pipes are not designed to hold that much weight under them, and they’ll end up breaking off inside your evaporative AC unit if water is shot through them with a power washer under too much pressure! When this happens, you have two options available to fix it.Water is Weighty and Will Cause Your Coils to Bend Downwards
  6. Either hire an expensive licensed plumbing company to repair the lines on your AC unit or
  7. Replace the entire outdoor AC condenser because it will never function properly again after being rained on repeatedly for weeks or months following repeated flooding due to “water hammer” effects. Water hammer is caused when high-pressure water blasts into watertight metal pipe fittings at breakneck speeds and forces them to “bang” together. This process only happens with water because it is heavier than air and will always fall due to gravity. Hence, the metal fittings bend inwards from high-pressure water blasting through them until they touch one another and cause a loud banging sound.
  8. Finally, if you have an AC unit installed on your home or commercial property, there’s a chance that pressure washing around it could topple the entire structure over if not done correctly! It sounds absurd, but it happened before when someone tried to clean away some mold & mildew that formed along the base of their evaporation coil. The weight of all that dirt, sand, and grime stacked up against each other for years was enough to hold the AC unit in place eventually. Still, once water blasted through it all during pressure washing – it’s impressive how quickly an AC unit can become too top-heavy to stay upright.

You can check it to Create Positive Air Pressure in Apartment .

Frequently Asked Question

Is It Ok to Pressure Wash Your Air Conditioner?

To pressure wash your air conditioner, you need to be aware of the risks involved in this process. Pressure washing can damage or destroy parts of your unit and may cause serious problems like electrical shorts, water leaks, and corroded wiring. If you decide to go ahead with this process, make sure that all safety measures are taken into account beforehand.

Can You Pressure Wash an Ac Window Unit?

Yes, you can pressure wash an AC window unit. Pressure washing is a process that cleans and disinfects surfaces using high-pressure water jets or steam. It’s done by applying a strong stream of water to the surface being cleaned, which loosens and removes dirt, debris, and other contaminants.

Is It Necessary to Clean Ac Outdoor Unit?

Some benefits of cleaning your outdoor unit are:

  • It prevents corrosion and the build-up of algae, moss, mildew, rust, etc.
  • It reduces water usage by up to 30%.
  • It helps in maintaining a healthy environment for pets and plants

Conclusion

I hope you have got all the information regarding “Can You Pressure Wash an Air Conditioner,” from this article. Thank you and have a nice day!

You may also like – How to reset frigidaire air conditioner filter.

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