Nu-Calgon

I came across this informative article on rcsstl.com showing the perks of cleaning your coils to stay green and increase energy efficiency.  

One of the easiest, most cost-effective green things you can do for your building’s energy efficiency is to have your HVAC system’s condenser and evaporator coils inspected yearly and cleaned as necessary. Dirty coils force compressors to run longer and work harder than required, increasing energy usage and utility costs while decreasing component life and occupant comfort

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), major utilities, and other experts, dirty condenser and evaporator coils can significantly increase HVAC energy usage and associated utility costs. The U.S. DOE says that “a dirty condenser coil can increase compressor energy consumption by 30 percent.” A dirty evaporator coil decreases airflow, resulting in reduced heat transfer and a degradation of the dehumidification process. These can cause overall air quality to decline and systems to fail, and decrease the life expectancy of motors due to increased heat while running.

Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) suggests an annual coil cleaning to its commercial customers as part of its ongoing efforts to promote energy-efficient HVAC-system operations. “Once the system has been properly charged with refrigerant and has good airflow across the indoor coil, and assuming there is no damage to the duct system, only basic service, such as changing filters and cleaning the outdoor unit annually, should be needed to maintain the system operation at peak performance levels,” says PG&E

With the HVAC system running in “cool” mode, there are two places where heat exchange occurs: 1) condensing unit coils, and 2) evaporator coils. Foreign materials on these coils act as unintended insulators and inhibit the free flow of air through the coils, decreasing the rate of heat transfer between coil and air that is the basis of most HVAC systems. Further, experience shows that servicing dirty systems can lead to misdiagnosing problems and/or faulty or unnecessary repairs. Typically, this results in overcharging of systems and premature failure.

It’s not just old systems that need cleaning. In fact, the newer and more efficient your HVAC system is, the more likely it is to benefit from regular coil inspection and cleaning. These newer systems operate at greatly increased pressures and are less tolerant of increases in static pressure. While clean coils have always been important, today’s higher-efficiency units require more efficient heat transfer across larger coils to function at their highest capacity. New units with high SEER ratings often have variable-speed fan motors that adjust fan speed based on demand; however, these units lose much of their effectiveness when forced to run harder than necessary due to fouled condenser vanes.

Water is the most basic necessity for life. The human body is made up of about 60% water, and the average person in the United States uses over 70 gallons of water per day!  When you go to buy a fountain soda from your local gas station, drink water from your home faucet, or get ice from a deli do you stop to think about what’s in your water?  Give any thought to things like chlorides, cysts, and bacteria that you could potentially be gulping down with that soda?  I didn’t think so.  Suppose you are a healthy person drinking the recommended 8-12 cups of water per day- that’s a lot of H2O going into your system.  Don’t you want that water to be clean, safe, and as tasty as possible?  The best way to clean and regulate the water you are putting into your body is through water filtration.  Not to mention water filtration is a very effective way to produce not only water, but also coffee and soda that is consistently good no matter where you are. 

Water composition changes based on what part of the country it’s in.  For example, here in St. Louis we are lucky to have good-tasting tap water.  Not all areas are quite so fortunate. Some parts of the United States have high silica content while others may have problems with iron or copper.  These problems vary, and can be explained in a few ways.  Aquifers and surface water are both sources used for municipal water.  Water that goes through aquifers can easily pick up suspended solids-aka silt, clay, bacteria, cysts, and algae (yum).  On the other hand, when you are dealing with surface water it is possible that chemicals from human contamination or plant matter may be present.  Regardless of where the water comes from and what may be in it, it is disinfected with either chlorine or chloramine before it comes to your home to ensure that it is safe. However it is possible that even after the water is disinfected it can pick up metal particles on it’s journey to your home via corroding pipes.  This water can wreak havoc on equipment such as ice machines, coffee brewers, espresso machines etc.   The water can form scale which can give a strange taste or color to your ice or water.  Scale forming water increases maintenance requirements and energy usage as well. 

     If you live in an area where temperatures can drop below 32°F you may have experienced the joy of freezing or bursting pipes.  I personally have never had to deal with pipe failure, but I have heard my dad complain about it enough times to know it causes a BIG mess.  When water freezes, it expands as it changes into ice. Ice is known to consume 9-10% more volume than water.   When this expansion occurs inside a pipe it can cause the pipe to burst.  The damage caused by pipes bursting can be very extensive and more importantly very expensive.

Commercial and industrial water systems are exposed to these same problems that we face in our homes.  Particularly when dealing with closed systems, it is a common necessity to be operated in colder climates which puts the system at risk of freezing or bursting pipes.  Sometimes dramatic changes in weather are not the only reason that pipes burst.  There are many applications where it is necessary for the water to operate at cold temperature ALL the time regardless of weather conditions.  For example, situations where the systems are used for ice banks or thermal storage. 

One way to achieve a lower operating temperature is by adding a heat transfer solution to the water.  So what is a heat transfer solution?  There are many chemistries available.  Glycols, both propylene and ethylene based are very effective heat transfer solutions.  There are two main differences between the glycols:  toxicity and viscosity.  Ethylene glycol-based products have a lower viscosity than propylene glycol-based.  This allows the ethylene glycol to offer a little more heat transfer efficiency over the propylene glycol.  With situations where toxicity may be an issue, propylene glycol is the go-to because it has a lower toxicity level.

Another perk of using glycol is corrosion inhibition.  Due to water’s corrosive nature, you can experience rusting and corroding in your pipes if you are not using a proper inhibited glycol.  Glycol provides optimum protection by shielding the system’s metal surfaces from constant contact with water.  The inhibitors also buffer the acids that form due to glycol oxidation.  If you are not using glycol with the proper inhibitors this glycol oxidation can actually add to the problem of corrosion.  Another guideline to be aware of with glycol use is to never mix two different glycols.  Mixing two formulations will cause the inhibitors to stop working properly and could clog your system.

So where can you find the perfect glycol product?  Nu-Calgon distributes both propylene and ethylene glycol-based products.   Freez-Kontr’l and Freez-Therm.

Freez-Kontr’l is an inhibited propylene glycol that acts as a heat transfer fluid and anti-freeze.  Freez-Kontr’l is an odorless liquid substance with a blue colorant.  The colorant is used to help with leak detection, making the liquid easier to spot coming out of the pipes.  Freez-Kontr’l has an operating temperature range from under -60F and up to 230F.  It also provides freeze protection below -60F and burst protection below -100F.  Freez-Kontr’l is non-toxic as well as GRAS (generally regarded as safe) which makes it a great choice where contact with potable water could occur.  When using Freez-Kontr’l you are receiving corrosion protection, freeze protection, and burst protection.

If you are looking for something on the ethylene glycol side Nu-Calgon also offers a product called Freez-Therm.  It is also a heat transfer fluid as well as a freeze point suppressant.  The ethylene formulation allows for optimum freeze or burst protection.  Like Freez-Kontr’l, Freez-Therm also has proven inhibitors designed to prevent corrosion.  These inhibitors protect brass, copper, solder, steel and cast iron from corrosion.  Freez-Therm also has a green/yellow color that allows for easy leak detection.

I recently found a great article at 1800AnyTime that had some helpful information on Air Conditioner Maintenance.

Annual air conditioner check up should never be left out of the (endless) to-do list of maintenance chores of the responsible homeowner.

...

Central Air Conditioner Check List 1.    Physically inspect the surroundings of the air conditioning unit. Cut down shrubs and weeds, along with other plants that have sprung up around the unit. This essential step ensures that the unit will manage to suck in sufficient amounts of outside air to cool and blow inside the house. 2.    Turn on the air conditioning unit on the first day that the temperature hits 70 degrees in March or April, and let it run for about 60 minutes. Detecting problems and scheduling proper air conditioning repairs and even replacing a faulty unit will be painless when it is still relatively cool outside and HVAC companies are not running around from house to house tackling emergency calls. 3.    Check the air filter, and change it if necessary. Some air filters may need to be replaced every year, whereas permanent air filters only require annual cleaning for optimal performance. In either case, dirty filters can create a multitude of problems for an air conditioner; the unit’s energy usage will increase, while the evaporator may even ice over when a filter is allowed to accumulate too much dirt. In addition to making sure the filter is changed or cleaned, go around the unit, picking out obstructions such as leaves or debris that may be blocking parts. 4.    Freon level inspection: If the freon levels are low in the air conditioner, a leak is probably present and a freon recharge might be necessary to compensate the lost freon. Low freon levels significantly decrease the life of the compressor, the key component in any a/c unit, and overheating is likely. 5.    Tighten screws. A yearly air conditioning maintenance routine also includes checking that all screws are tightly fastened. 6.    Check Air Conditioner Thermostat operation. While this may sound obvious, you should also double check that the A/C thermostat is set on “cooling” mode, and the temperature is well below room temperature to automatically turn on the air conditioning unit. 7.    Safe air conditioning maintenance: If you encounter a problem during the air conditioner test run and you have a hunch of what may be causing the malfunction, don’t fail to follow basic safety rules that apply to any home maintenance jobs. Cut off power to the a/c unit first, and never just hose down a unit; you will run the risk of electrocution.

Cleaning a coil.  It’s a job that seems like it could be a little complicated, maybe messy, and falls in the category of something I never thought I would do.  (That’s what dads and boyfriends are for, right?).  So when I found out I was going to have the experience of cleaning my first condenser while at work, I didn’t know how well it was going to go.  First of all, it was HOT outside.  Secondly, I was wearing a dress.  Didn’t seem like the optimal “coil cleaning conditions” to me.

We went outside and inspected the condenser and found that it had been a little neglected and probably needed to be cleaned to get the dirt/grime/leaves off.  First, I needed to pick a coil cleaner from the wide array that Nu-Calgon offers.  I chose Cal-Green from the Green Select product line.  This particular coil cleaner won’t kill plants or grass around the condenser.   More importantly, if an innocent little animal happens to drink up some of the Cal-Green that ends up in the grass it won’t hurt them!  Even though Cal-Green is a safe product made from natural ingredients, you should always wear goggles and gloves when using coil cleaning chemicals. After the product was ready to go, I was shown two different ways to clean the coil.  The first option was using a pump poly sprayer.   The poly sprayer worked very well, and I was able to quickly apply the Cal-Green to the condenser.  However I preferred the second method using a coil gun.  The coil gun easily attached to the hose and did the work for me and sped the process up even more!

Cal-Green is a non-foaming coil cleaner but I could see very quickly how well it cleaned the condenser.  Once the Cal-Green is applied you want to let it set for about 5-10 minutes to get maximum cleaning effects.  After giving the Cal-Green about 5 minutes to soak, I rinsed if off with water and voila it was clean!  The whole process was very easy and took less than ten minutes.

What does it mean to go green?   Everywhere you look new and improved “greener” products are popping up.  Being environmentally friendly is IN.  Not only is it beneficial for the environment, but it also pleases many consumers to see a green effort from corporations and businesses.  But how does a company go green?  (I recycle at my desk, does that count?)   Who determines which companies are environmentally friendly enough to claim the green title?   

One organization holding a high standard to being considered green is The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  One of the EPA’s main priorities is to push progress toward assuring the safety of chemicals used in the United States.  The EPA formed the Design for the Environment Program (DfE) to try to make this goal a reality.  The DfE was created to help prevent pollution as well as the risk pollution presents to humans and our environment.    Implementing safer chemical formulations is one of the main goals that DfE strives for.  These safer chemical formulations are meant to be just as effective while presenting less risk to the environment.  Sounds like a win-win situation!

The EPA allows safer products that contain only approved chemical formulations to use their DfE label.  This DfE label presents an easy way for consumers to quickly recognize products that are green and safe.  When a product bears this label you can be confident that the DfE scientific review team has carefully looked over each ingredient for potential harmful effects.  Only products that pose the least concern among the chemicals in their class are accepted.  DfE approved products have already decreased the use of dangerous chemicals by millions of pounds!!!

So how is Nu-Calgon striving to help the environment?  Nu-Calgon has created an eco-friendly product line called Green Select.  The Green Select line is proud to have two DfE approved products on board!  DfE approved Cal-Green and Evap-Green are bio-degradable and formulated using organic U.S. grown vegetables.   Hard to believe, huh?  That’s why Nu-Calgon has allowed all ingredients to be fully disclosed.  When using Evap-Green or Cal-Green you can have peace of mind that you are not doing any damage to the environment while restoring a unit’s efficiency.

Who doesn’t want to conserve energy and save money?  I know I do! In today’s world we are constantly looking for ways to stretch each dollar and spend money wisely.  So when easy solutions to do both are found, they should be shared!  Conserving energy and getting the maximum efficiency out of your air-conditioning equipment can be a very effective method to preserving your hard-earned money and keeping your space cool.

Evaporator coils (inside the building) and condenser coils (outside the building) are aimed to deliver the best cooling possible.  In order to provide the maximum efficiency, these coils need to be clean.  In your day-to-day use coils come in contact with pollen, dust, dirt, grease, and all kinds of grime that can be found in the air on a daily basis.  YUCK!  These particles land on the coil surfaces and build up over time.  Need to see it for yourself?  Just go outside and look at what condition your own condenser fins are in.  If your unit looks more like the second picture…

…It’s obviously time to do some cleaning!  It is likely that your own unit could be covered in dirt, grass, or even cotton fuzz.  This does not give the coil the opportunity to reach maximum efficiency.

These dirty air contaminants not only hinder cooling performance, but also the quality of air that you are putting into your home or building.  An evaporator coil covered in grime provides perfect conditions for germs and mold which then impact your air quality.  Breathing in mold and dirt? No thank you.  This is why the coil requires cleaning.

The soil that covers the condenser or evaporator coil causes an insulation effect, which in turn reduces capacity and increases the energy use.  A dirty coil may use over 37% more energy than it normally would had it been properly cleaned.  An average residential system of 4-tons would save around $248 per cooling season simply by using a clean coil!  Areas with long cooling seasons would experience even more in savings.  WOW!

Still need more convincing?  Another way that dirty coils may cause you to lose money is by the toll they take on your equipment.  These air contaminants put an added stress on your system by causing the compressor to have to work harder.  This can reduce your equipment’s life expectancy. Added stress creates many problems such as acid formation and breakdown of compressor lubricant that could even lead to equipment failure.  This means no cooling, which does not leave anyone happy or comfortable.