This year I went with a practical gift for my wife for Valentine's Day. 

No, I did not buy roses for triple their price compared to buying them in July. Nor chocolates or jewelry, either.  

And I wasn't dumb and bought her a vacuum or blender. 

Instead, I did some work at home, crossing something off my wife's "Honey Do" list. 

We've been married 12 years, so we are past the fancy meals and elaborate gifts stage in our relationship.

Doing something for the household makes her happy, and my wife will be please if the air conditioner is working well this summer.

So I cleaned the condenser coils. 

Why clean coils the middle of winter? Well, stay with me on this.While it is cool in the attic, now is the perfect time to clean condenser coils. Don't wait to clean in the heat of summer. 

My thought process: Clean now so when it heats up and I need the air conditioner there is less chance of failure. Spend a few dollars now and save money and time when it is 100 degrees. 

It is also fitting to do this cleaning tied to Valentine's Day. 

Upon doing some research, I learned the origins of Valentine's Day dates back to the Roman festival of Lupercalia, held in mid-February. The festival, which celebrated the coming of spring, included fertility rites and the pairing off of women with men by lottery.

Okay, let's put aside the fertility rites and lottery and focus on the coming of spring. Thinking of warmer weather and preparing for the heat is a smart practice in the winter months. 

As a rule of thumb, HVAC officials and industry experts say A/C coils should be cleaned at least once a year. 

The Importance

It is estimated that dirty evaporator and condenser coils can increase the energy usage of your air conditioning system by more than 30 percent. Additionally, reduced heat transfer efficiency can cause other problems, such as poor cooling performance, frozen evaporator coils and compressor overheating.

McCombs Supply recommends using Nu-Calgon Evap Foam No Rinse Evaporator Coil Cleaner. We suggest an 18 OZ Aerosol Spray can (part no. 4171-75) that sells for $11.05.

The aerosol product can be sprayed either right side up or upside down, and is ideal for use on most coils, but particularly suited for cooling or evaporator coils. I simply sprayed Evap Foam on the coil and the foam washed the emulsified matter off.

Another suggestion McCombs has is using Pan Tab to clean out the pan, so the evaporator will be nice and clean when the warmer weather comes.  

Use Slime Out Condensate Pan Tab Clean Treatment (part no. SO100) to prevent the plugging of the air conditioning condensate drip pans and drain lines. evaporator will be nice and clean for usage during the warmer months.

A 100 tablet bottle cost $13.42. 

I also purchased a refrigerator, dryer coil brush and used it to clean/remove the lint from the dryer. This is the Pro Clean Dundas Jaine (part no. PCABXZW) that costs $3.99.

Need a motor?

Speaking of heat, McCombs Supply has furnace parts, specifically, control boards and draft inducer motors. McCombs has one of the largest inventories of inducer motors in the country.   

About Us

McCombs Supply Company, Inc.

In business since 1953,McCombs Supply Co., Inc. is a third-generation family-owned business that specializes in low prices and fast, reliable shipping.
Located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, McCombs Supply Co., Inc. offers replacement repair parts for dishwashers, dryers, microwaves, range-ovens, refrigerators, washing machines, HVAC, commercial refrigeration, commercial cooking, pellet stove parts and more. Some of our manufacturers we distribute for include – Backer-Chromolox, Broan-Nutone, Exact Replacement Parts (ERP), EZ Flo, Fasco, Mastercool, ICM, JW Harris, Packard, Robertshaw, Sealed Unit Parts Company (SUPCO), White Rodgers, Englander, Breckwell, Harman, Lennox, Napoleon, St. Croix and Quadra-Fire.

We supply contractors, service technicians, housing developments, hospitals, retirement communities, institutions, and do-it-yourselfers.

Today, we have nearly one million SKUs in our system. We are constantly upgrading our cutting-edge technology to serve our customers better.

Copyright 2019.