Arkansas HVACR NewsMagazine January 2025

HVACR NewsMagazine January 2025

Tech News

One nice thing about this method is that if you are able to completely remove the cover plate, you will be able to clean out the coil that way. Just make sure that you reinstall the plate after you’re finished, or else the airflow will go through the coil instead of around it! Method 3: Removing the Electrical Compartment and the Blower Motor This next method can be used on 80% efficient furnaces because they only have one single heat exchanger. We remove the electrical compartment and the blower motor, allowing us to look in and up past the heat exchanger at the evaporator coil. This method is helpful because it doesn’t require any special tools or equipment, however it does involve more work and time then some of the other methods. Before starting the process of removing anything from the unit, make sure all power in the system is turned off. Then, begin removing the electrical panel and blower motor. Make sure to take a picture of how all of the wiring is set up before removing anything. This will allow you to easily return things to how they were beforehand!

Crawl into the now opened section and look up and past the heat exchanger coils at the bottom side of the evaporator coil to see if it’s clogged. You can use your phone to take a photo or video to get a better look. Be sure to use proper PPE such as eye protection before looking up inside the unit and a mask to not breathe in the dust.

When you're done, be sure to put back the blower motor and electrical panel the same way that it was, using the picture you took beforehand as a reference if necessary. Test the unit after turning the power back on to make sure the unit works in the same fashion as it did before hand. Method 4: Shift the Coil Back or the Furnace Forward to Expose the Coil This next method will work if the unit you’re trying to check has either flex duct and/or an extra line set length. In this case, it may be possible to carefully shift the coil back to expose the underside of the evaporator coil. Make sure not to crack any copper braze

Unscrew the screws that hold the blower motor in place and pull it completely out of the unit. This will leave enough room to get inside the unit and look up at the evaporator coil. Set the blower motor aside with the electrical panel.