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10-13-2015, 07:52 AM
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#1
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Guru
City: Victoria TX
Vessel Name: Bijou
Vessel Model: 2008 Island Packet PY/SP
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 5,290
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AC spitting out white "sand"
One of my AC units constantly blows out some white "sand" looking stuff. The fins on the condenser/evaporator seem to be corroding and I think some of this corrosion is being sucked up by the fan and it's blowing out of the vents, looking like sand.
Is there a procedure for cleaning off this corrosion? Some magical chemical? It looks pretty bad.
Also, I wonder why this unit has so much corrosion. It's not that old-- 7 years.
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10-13-2015, 08:07 AM
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#2
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Guru
City: Fort Myers, FL... Summers in the Great Lakes
Vessel Name: Slow Hand
Vessel Model: Cherubini Independence 45
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 12,834
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Yes, there is a fin cleaning solution you spray on the fins and it cleans them very nicely. Think you can find it on Amazon. Google air conditioner evaporator cleaner.
Ted
__________________
Blog: mvslowhand.com
I'm tired of fast moves, I've got a slow groove, on my mind.....
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10-13-2015, 08:29 AM
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#3
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Guru
City: Victoria TX
Vessel Name: Bijou
Vessel Model: 2008 Island Packet PY/SP
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 5,290
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I googled cleaners and came up with a huge list. Didn't know if there was a specific one most folks used.
I assume the fins are disintegrating because of moisture trapped in the dirt between the fins. Wonder if there is a solution that would stop the corrosion ?
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10-13-2015, 08:58 AM
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#4
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Guru
City: Longboat Key, FL
Vessel Name: Bucky
Vessel Model: Krogen Manatee 36 North Sea
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 5,196
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I think regular use of the cleaner goes a long way toward prevention also, but make sure that the way you A/C is connected that it is not being utilized as a sacraficial metal in your bonding system.
__________________
Larry
"When life gets hard, eat marshmallows”.
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10-13-2015, 09:56 AM
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#5
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Guru
City: Victoria TX
Vessel Name: Bijou
Vessel Model: 2008 Island Packet PY/SP
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 5,290
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Quote:
Originally Posted by healhustler
I think regular use of the cleaner goes a long way toward prevention also, but make sure that the way you A/C is connected that it is not being utilized as a sacraficial metal in your bonding system.
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I don't know enough about bonding systems to check this. How do I check?
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10-13-2015, 05:07 PM
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#6
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Guru
City: Punta Gorda, fl
Vessel Name: Escapade
Vessel Model: Nordic Tug 37 2002
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 1,231
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10-13-2015, 05:35 PM
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#7
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Guru
City: Victoria TX
Vessel Name: Bijou
Vessel Model: 2008 Island Packet PY/SP
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 5,290
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Thanks
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10-13-2015, 06:11 PM
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#8
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Guru
City: Sarasota/Ft. Lauderdale
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 5,438
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You can pick up coul cleaner at Home Depot. The cap on the coil cleaner is a brush that not only cleans the coils very well but also makes a good fin straightener.
It sounds like your fins may be corroding away. At some point salt air can destroy the fins completely.
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10-13-2015, 06:21 PM
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#9
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Enigma
City: Slicker?
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 16,565
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PENGUINS!!!!
__________________
RTF
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10-13-2015, 07:33 PM
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#10
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Guru
City: Victoria TX
Vessel Name: Bijou
Vessel Model: 2008 Island Packet PY/SP
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 5,290
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AC spitting out white "sand"
Quote:
Originally Posted by Capt.Bill11
You can pick up coul cleaner at Home Depot. The cap on the coil cleaner is a brush that not only cleans the coils very well but also makes a good fin straightener.
It sounds like your fins may be corroding away. At some point salt air can destroy the fins completely.
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Ok. Cool. I'll check at HD. Thanks.
Yeah. It looks like the fins are going away.
I wonder if there is a corrosive inhibitor I could spray on them to slow that down? Something not sticky.
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10-13-2015, 07:33 PM
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#11
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Guru
City: Victoria TX
Vessel Name: Bijou
Vessel Model: 2008 Island Packet PY/SP
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 5,290
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RT Firefly
PENGUINS!!!!
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Yes. It looks like that. When I'm drinking.
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10-13-2015, 09:33 PM
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#12
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Guru
City: Sarasota/Ft. Lauderdale
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 5,438
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cardude01
Ok. Cool. I'll check at HD. Thanks.
Yeah. It looks like the fins are going away.
I wonder if there is a corrosive inhibitor I could spray on them to slow that down? Something not sticky.
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Anything you spray on them is going into the air you breath. As well as flowing on and around the rooms and the things in them. Plus if it's even remotely sticky the fins will end up a dirty mess in a fairly short time I would think.
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10-13-2015, 10:29 PM
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#13
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Guru
City: Powell River, BC
Vessel Name: Northern Spy
Vessel Model: Nordic Tug 26
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 4,075
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My guess would be the white stuff is actually aluminum oxide. This is likely the evaporator coil fins corroding. Moist chloride laden air may be the culprit.
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10-14-2015, 11:20 AM
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#14
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Guru
City: Victoria TX
Vessel Name: Bijou
Vessel Model: 2008 Island Packet PY/SP
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 5,290
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Hmmmm. I did clean the bilge after replacing a macerator pump with bleach. Maybe that's it.
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10-14-2015, 12:36 PM
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#15
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Guru
City: Sarasota/Ft. Lauderdale
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 5,438
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Chloride = salt
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10-14-2015, 02:44 PM
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#16
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Guru
City: Victoria TX
Vessel Name: Bijou
Vessel Model: 2008 Island Packet PY/SP
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 5,290
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Northern Spy
My guess would be the white stuff is actually aluminum oxide. This is likely the evaporator coil fins corroding. Moist chloride laden air may be the culprit.
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At the boat today. The lower corner of the Evap fins are definitely corroding away. Sheesh.
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10-14-2015, 03:17 PM
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#17
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Guru
City: Vero Beach, FL.
Vessel Name: FIREFLY
Vessel Model: Pilgrim 40
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 918
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Clean and rinse, light spray with CR-56 or any other light oil. Yep will get dirty in time just clean again when it does. Mine look like new and are several years old.
The bleach you used may be the cause. I know of someone who used pool acid (muriatic) to clean his garage floor and nearly ruined several bikes, two sets of pasture pool clubs (golf) along with most of his tools with the fumes.
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10-14-2015, 03:37 PM
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#18
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Guru
City: Sarasota/Ft. Lauderdale
Join Date: Apr 2014
Posts: 5,438
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I don't believe bleach is the issue. He cleaned his bilge with it not the coils.
Salt air is most likely the issue. Lots of people run their A/Cs with the doors or windows open. Even if it's just in the fan mode to move air around the units pull salt air through the coils and the coils rarely get washed off. So the fins corrode away.
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10-14-2015, 04:15 PM
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#19
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Guru
City: Vero Beach, FL.
Vessel Name: FIREFLY
Vessel Model: Pilgrim 40
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 918
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I was thinking about the fumes as he said it just seemed to get worse, I know that in closed spaces bleach fumes are quite corrosive as it produces chlorine gas, a salt.
My fins are wet with water/condensation (flowing into the pan) and I would think that would do a fairly good job of rinsing the evaporator coil while in use and keep salt accumulation in check.
While corrosion has been identified as his problem, you are also correct, my goal is to delay it somewhat with a spray coating long enough for the unit to die from some other cause.
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10-14-2015, 05:19 PM
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#20
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Guru
City: Punta Gorda, fl
Vessel Name: Escapade
Vessel Model: Nordic Tug 37 2002
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 1,231
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Use the Cobra AC Cleaner. It goes on as a foam. Then you use a hose with light spray and rinse the dirt away. Usually takes a couple of applications.
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