I did ask part of this question elsewhere at Home Owners Hub "before" we had someone come and check out our Amana Air Command 80 (c. 1986 mfg) Forced air natural gas heater unit.
They came to find out why the Heater was mysteriously "cycling" on and on and on (never "off") between flame and main fan and why whole house was very slow to heat up--but it got there.
Opening an access door right next to the Heater--providing more airflow for the main fan "SOLVED" the problem, proved that everything is and can be working just normal, but it can't be run that way as there would be no filtering device i.e. electronic or media, to clean the return air back to the furnace--and the coil would become totally blocked in a matter of weeks!
Ok the subject of this question is about the AC's Dirty Evaporator coil.
This was confirmed by the service tech drilling a hole in the side of the AC Coil unit and sending a flexible camera tube up the hole and examined the condition of the coil. Yes, it was fully clogged as the coil has been there---never cleaned--no one ever told us or priced it or said it ever needed it---since (ready?) early 1960's. So its an old type of coil (not one with Aluminum fins as our tech mistakenly assumed it is the same age and style of our newer, current GE outside condenser unit)
Hope that was not too confusing above, as we are still reeling from the effect.
We were informed the only (only!) solution was a complete evisceration of all three units inside and outside the house and replacement "or else" one or more will fail as its being stressed trying to force air through the totally clogged, dirty condenser (at enormous expense of course!)
Question 1: Now I'm thinking.....now that there is an access "hole" about an inch in diameter to the previously sealed off Evaporator coil section of the heater, can't I just stick some sort of vacuum tube in that hole and gently wriggle it around? (I can tape the end of a toothbrush to the tip of the small hose to gently dislodge the dirt I saw on the camera and suck it away).
The tech refuses (!) to clean and restore the unit (with the older Freon 22 like before) as of course he wants the whole big job. (And two others who have hinted something like this may be possible but they did not have the camera and the proof it was a clogged Evaporator coil and not something else going on--also pushed only for a complete replacement of everything no repair or cleaning choices).
I did search Google first and found an article referencing this.....on "how stuff works":
and this seems to indicate that if I cannot get into the evaporator coil normally, then I cannot clean it myself! Is this true for the unit where the service man had to cut a hole to view the coil with a camera on a stick?
Question 2: How can one clean this type of coil?
Does anyone clean them anymore or is everyone forced to pay whatever the going cost is for overcharged replacements of entire AC and heating system (well you would not want a brand new AC coil to sit on top of a 30 year old machine that could fail any day and cost you more money down the road to re-replace/refit the coil on a "new" heater?)--this type of logic only means that no matter who comes along if they refuse to clean the coil, then the only choice is replacement! Total replacement of every unit in the HVAC room! Since the AC unit and heating is so intertwined with each other.
Question 3: IF I tried the vacuum process, is there any dangers of where the stuff I dislodge off but don't vacuum up falls in there? I know there is a drip pan, does it clog the hole if I am not 100% accurate in picking up all the stuff? Remember I don't have the camera, it will be all by "feel" to get the hose as many places as I can inside the dark chamber.
Help! "Confused and exasperated"