How often should the evaporator coils on my home's a/c unit be cleaned? Is there a standard timeframe?

I don't believe I have ever cleaned an evaporator coil that was NOT being blown through by a dirty blower wheel. The filter was either missing, plugged with dirt, or brand new. I would tell you to change the filter once a month whether you think it needs it or not. If you do you will not have to clean the evaporator coil.

How often should the evaporator coils on my home's a/c unit be cleaned? Is there a standard timeframe?
Cleaning the coils is not something you should do yourself. Have a service tech look at it to see if it needs to be cleaned. It's my understanding that there are a lot of factors involved in the frequency of cleaning and some of those are environmental, so someone from your area could probably give you a better idea on a time frame.
Reply:The type of air filter used is a factor in how clean the coil stays. The outside traffic and dust is crucial, but cleaning once a season is normal.
Reply:DEPENDS HOW OFTEN YOU USE YOUR UNIT/CHANGE YOUR FILTER (AT LEAST 4 CHANGES PER YEAR) WHEN YOUR FILTER IS DIRTY YOUR EVAP. BECOMES THE FILTER. THE DIRTIER IT IS THE LESS HEAT IT CAN ABSORB. THE CLEANER IT IS, THE BETTER IT WILL PERFORM %26amp; WILL USE LESS ELECTRICITY. SAME GOES FOR YOUR CONDENSER COIL OUTSIDE. KILL THE POWER %26amp; HOSE OUT REALLY GOOD %26amp; ALLOW TO DRAIN. THIS WILL HELP UNIT DISSAPATE MORE HEAT.
Reply:Manufactureres say at least once a year...but this can change depending on where you are located with how much dust/polloen is in the air.
Reply:change the a/c filters every 6 months and that will do great and you will breath more freely
Reply:If you have decent ductwork your filter should prevent the need for any evaporator cleaning. Especially with high effientcy filters. That is the case with regular filter changing. All conditions are different, if you have a pet hair it may end up on the evap; how often doors are open(dirty air) or the age of the system. If you are getting poor cooling or the system is over 15 years you may want to clean it. But with regular filter changes and decent duct work you can expect at least 10 years.
Reply:Generally speaking, whenever they appear to be very dirty. The little plates around them will have dust etc built up and this interferes with heat evaporation. I have a maintenance plan that includes this service, performed every six months and it seems to keep everything in top shape. Really depends on location, amount of dust or pollution present and if unit located facing a road.