How To Clean Air-Cooled Equipment and Filters

Foam Brite Nu-Brite Alka-Brite

Air-Cooled Condensers

The primary goal in cleaning air-cooled condensers is to emulsify the greasy dirt and grime so that it can be flushed away by rinsing. This restores designed heat transfer and air flow. A good alkaline cleaner like CalClean is the choice, and the selection of Special HD CalClean would be recommended if the soil or  rime is particularly stubborn.

Condenser Coil Cleaning

If foam during cleaning and brightened aluminum fins after cleaning are desired, select any one of the Nu-Calgon “Brite” products (Nu-Brite, Alka-Brite Plus, Foam-Brite or Cal-Brite). They will provide the cleaning of the CalClean products with the added features of foam and brightening. If hydrofluoric acid based products were used before, select Nu-Brite, Alka-Brite Plus or Foam-Brite. They are formulated to out-foam, out-brighten and out-clean the HF-based products. For small condenser coils, or where rinsing is not possible, use Aerosol Nu-Blast.

Evaporator Coils

Evaporator Coil

Typically, the desired goal is the same as in cleaning air-cooled condensers, removal of greasy dirt and grime and designed capacities. If an acid based product is desired, where some brightening and foaming is wanted, use Cal-Brite followed by a thorough rinsing. If rinsing is not possible or not desirable, a product that combines “metal-safeness” without rinsing is suggested so long as suitable humidity-condensation is anticipated. Use Evap Pow’r-C in this application. Or, select the convenient aerosol, Evap-Foam No Rinse or
Evap-Fresh.

CalClean Tri Pow’r HD diluted 10:1 can also be used in no-rinse applications.

Electronic Air Filters

Air Cleaner

When electronic air filters become coated with tobacco tars, gummy dust particles and other stubborn deposits, they are difficult to clean. More importantly they lose their ability to adequately remove these types of objectionable items from the air. And typically, wherever electronic air filters are installed, the quality of the air is paramount.

Most alkaline cleaners don’t work because they simply cannot emulsify the stubborn deposits such as tobacco tars. Special HD CalClean and Electronic Cell Cleaner are specifically formulated to handle such a cleaning requirement. It contains an extra-strong blend of surface-active agents and alkaline cleaners, designed especially for cleaning electronic air filters. Special HD CalClean and Electronic Cell Cleaner easily out perform ordinary detergents.

Coil Protection

Cal-Shield

A product formulated with DuPont Teflon® surface protector. Utilizes the recognized ability of Teflon to shield and protect finned cooling and heating coils.

Traditional cleaning of the coil with a coil cleaner removes most to all deposits, restoring lost capacity as well as operating efficiencies. Unfortunately, the problem will return and cleaning will again be required.

Use of Cal-Shield will allow the coil to operate longer periods between cleaning. Once Cal-Shield is applied to the cleaned coil, it forms a protective shield of Teflon that helps the coil resist the depositing of dirt and grime, moisture will “bead up” and run off. This enables the coil to perform more efficiently for a longer period of time. If a coil is in an aggressive environment, such as salt air and food coolers, the Teflon will extend the coil’s service life in this corrosive environment. Consult Nu-Calgon Product Bulletin 3-36.