Coil cleaner causing plastic problems

[Andy AC]

Hello guys, have any of you noticed coil cleaners/chemicals actually causing damage to unit plastics and condensate pumps? Last year got called back to a site a month after doing routine servicing on a/c units. The call was for a water leak from a mini lime pump, got there and found the pump sump had shattered into many pieces. Thought it was a little odd, but had a dead mini lime in the back of the van, so changed the sump and left. Today I went back to the same site for maintenance visit, first unit I looked at was the one I mentioned earlier. I poured some water into the drip tray of the unit, some of it made it to the mini lime, the rest made its way down the wall to the floor:eek: The drip tray of the unit has got cracks in two different places - 4 year old toshiba ras 10 wall mount, drip tray isn't separate, everything bolted to it so pump down, off the wall, total rebuild required:mad:
I thought this was just an unfortunate incident, but went upstairs to look at another unit with mini lime fitted and found another sump shattered.
These units are used hardly at all, the one with the shattered sump gets used most when we service it.

I've had a few drip trays go over last couple of years, thought it was just bad luck, now I think it is more to do with the cleaning chemicals. I've been using condencide for the last couple of years, anybody else had similar problems?

Andy

[lawrence1]

Andy AC,,,,what type of coil cleaner was that?
Lawrie

[install monkey]

dean and wood used to do an orange scented degreaser similar to grease gobbler-i sprayed it in a daikin vrv underceiling unit-1 day later it melted holes in the polystrene,16wk delivery from belgium!!luckily it was in the canteen!

[marc5180]

Was it acidic coil cleaner? Or even condenser cleaner?

Did you dilute it and rinse off the coil cleaner afterwards?

I only ever use evap cleaner that says no rinsing required and i mix it with the right parts to water because i have had similar problems.

[Andy AC]

The cleaner was condencide, might not have had the exact dilution rates, but close. Problem is, on a split with a mini lime fitted, there is always going to be liquid in the sump, so however flushed it may be, there will always be a trace of the chemical in there to attack the plastic.
Anybody recommend another evap coil cleaner that works without wrecking things.

Andy

[still learning]

just wondering , most cleaners are in plastic bottles.
however , a mate of mine was somewhere a while ago and found the vey same thing, cracked sumps

[chemi-cool]

Hi Andy,
Try Refrigeration Thecnologies at www.refrig.com
A chemical manufacturer. Good products.

[Makeit go Right]

Ouch! that sounds like a lot of work, sorting out those trays, all down to a cleaner, it seems. Horrible thing is there is no one to grab around the throat, even though you pretty-much know who is to blame.

Mind you, "condencide" does sound like 'conden-death' ie, more like a mega-acid cleaner for the outside coil(?). I would look for a detergent-type cleaner for indoor units, one that gets the germs etc but leaves the aluminium, copper and plastic in place after the task is a done.

Some of my engineers were telling me they did not like to clean the eval coils, as the cleaners (ie all of them) damaged the pumps.....sounded like a lot of bs, but there is some of it going on, it seems. I collared a couple of reps in a Climate Centre, pushing their products and asked them about it. Naturally, they said their's were the best etc, but also indicated on their literature: "Approved by Aspen, .......(all the main pump suppliers)."

I pressed them on it to find out what it was all about and they pointed to a competitor's poster and said "Their's was too acidic and that was causing condensate pump failures."

Well, still natter/hearsay etc. But If you look at the spec for the product you're buying, one or two will say "Approved by Aspen, .......(all the main pump suppliers)" and I think you have to look out for that.

Take care with chemicals ending in "-cide".......they sound like the heavy brigade (gloves and goggles etc).

[monkey spanners]

That condenside is an evaporator cleaner,

http://advancedengineering.co.uk/uk-vi-product.asp?pid=113

Its the one i use, though i don't do much air con, it has in the past been very good at cleaning units that have had that 'cat' smell! I make a special point to really rinse well afterwards, and would probably use a very weak mix if there was a buzzy or tank pump.

The one i use on farms for condenser cleaning as its safe with animals is envirocoil, you can use it on evaps too.

http://advancedengineering.co.uk/uk-vi-product.asp?pid=143

Might be worth having a word with Advanced Engineering if you think it may have been their chemical that did the damage. The seemed quite interested in these sorts of issues when i met them at the trade counter day.

[stufus]

Try using Milton solution ,the same stuff you use to clean baby's bottles.
If you're going to use something from Advanced Engineering for Evaps try Hydrocoil ,I've used it for years and never had any issue's ,but have heard all the usual horror stories about some of their other products.
But if you can get it go for Rectorseal Coil-Rite probably the best one there is.
Cheers
Stu

[Andy AC]

Is that hydrocoil self rinsing?, I've tried the envirocoil before, but didn't think much of it. Before the condencide I was using frionett, but it stinks, the customers hated it. The condencide appeared to be the only one to get rid of and prevent any nasty smells, can't remember the last time I've had a call to a smelly unit, well one I've been looking after anyway. Pro universal seemed to smell ok but wasn't that good at actually cleaning the coil.

[stufus]

To tell you the truth I don't know I've always gone by the rule if I put it there I take it off !
Usually apply it twice in 30mins leave for 15 and rinse if pumps are involved remove and flush to a bucket,which should be done anyway,no point flushing the crap into the pump.
Only solving one problem and creating another.
The coil-rite is self flushing and the absolute mutts nuts if you ask me.
Cheers
Stu

[moondawn]

hi there i use RTU evap and disenfecant comes in a small 1 litre spray bottle i purchase it from FSW.
not had any problems with it here is some of the info on it. I just read it and it says Condencide at the bottom of this description.. Great bet i have drip trays falling out the ceilings now!!

evaporator cleaner and disinfectant
New formulation now with QX-60
Kills 99.9 percent of bacteria and fungi in 60 seconds or less
Improves indoor air quality
No rinsing required
Complies with British & European Standards for Bactericides & Fungicides BS/EN 1276 & BS/EN 1275
Description
RTU Evaporator Cleaner and Disinfectant is to address concerns over indoor air quality. Its highly effective cleaning action improves the efficiency of your system, while its disinfectant ensures total hygiene. The improved formulation now includes QX-60 a high-strength disinfectant that kills 99.9 percent of germs in 60 seconds or less. This gives extra reassurance that the unit is safe and clean.

More killing power
New QX-60 fast-kill disinfectant from Advanced Engineering

As anyone involved in maintaining air conditioning and refrigeration systems should know, bacteria, fungi and other microbes growing on evaporator coils are bad news. At the very least they create bad smells. Left uncontrolled they can also cause allergic reactions and transmit diseases through the circulated air. What's more, the build-up of dirt and microbes reduces system efficiency, leading to larger energy bills and even damage to the system itself and the fabric of the building.

The answer, clearly, is to clean and disinfect the evaporator coil and its condensate tray on a regular and routine basis. To give extra reassurance that AC&R units are safe and clean, Advanced Engineering Ltd has added a new-generation fast-kill disinfectant – QX-60 – to the formulation of its most popular specific treatments for evaporators.

Independent tests have proved QX-60 to be so powerful that it kills 99.9 percent of all bacteria and fungi, on contact, in 60 seconds or less… massively reducing the conventional contact time.

The re-formulated products have just been unveiled to a number of service and facilities managers, and the initial response has been overwhelming,”says Advanced's Sales Director Vern Klein.

They were particularly impressed by the new disinfectant's potential for saving time. QX-60 will do in 60 seconds what many other products meeting British and European standards need 10 minutes to do. Cleaners containing QX-60 are also more economical to use, as weaker formulations often have to be repeatedly applied over the 10 minutes so that the cleaned surface remains wet throughout. And if an engineer is too busy to do that, the effectiveness of the disinfection will be much reduced.

We are proud to be recognised as the market leader in the development, manufacture and supply of coil cleaners, and we are always looking for ways of making products even more effective. Our combined cleaners and disinfectants already easily met British and European standards for bactericides and fungicides but we sensed that in many situations people were looking for even greater confidence.

Fast-kill QX-60 has been shown to be effective against a long list of micro-organisms that includes such feared names as Legionella, P. aeruginosa, E. coli, E. hirae, S. aureous, A. Niger and C. albicans.

It can be found in the new formulations of CondenCide (supplied as a concentrate) and RTU (ready mixed in a convenient hand sprayer) combined cleaner and disinfectant treatments. CondenCide is also available as part of the StayClean long-term bacterial control treatment for evaporators and their condensate trays.