How to Fix Heat Exchangers

A heat exchanger efficiently moves thermal energy from a hot substance to a cold substance in a short period of time. Heat exchangers can be found in your home radiator, your car radiator and the coils of your air conditioner. Over time, heat exchangers often wear out because the insides of the tubing becomes fouled with corrosion. Removing the corrosion is generally possible, but if the tube has become cracked it is better idea to replace the heat exchanger than to attempt to fix it.

Safety goggles
Rubber gloves
Distilled water
2 plastic or glass pails
Sulfuric or hydrochloric acid
2 rubber plugs

Instructions

- 1
  Drain the heat exchanger of any residual liquid.
- 2
  Put on the safety goggles and rubber gloves.
- 3
  Fill the heat exchanger about 1/2 full with distilled water, then shake it for a few minutes and drain the water into a pail through the opposite port as you filled the heat exchanger. Repeat this until the water comes out clear.
- 4
  Pour about 1 cup of acid into the bottom of the empty pail and then add 1 gallon of water to the acid. The distilled water will dilute the acid down to a lower concentration where it will not corrode the walls of the heat exchanger before you pour it out.
- 5
  Place a rubber plug into one end of the heat exchanger tube and then fill it half full with diluted acid. Plug the other side and then swish the acid back and forth in the heat exchanger for three to five minutes before removing the plug and dumping out the acid.
- 6
  Repeat rinsing the inside of the heat exchanger out with diluted acid until the acid comes out clear.
- 7
  Rinse the inside of the heat exchanger out with distilled water by pouring the water into one side and allowing it to come out the other. Use about 10 times the volume of the heat exchanger in water.
- 8
  Allow the heat exchanger to fully dry both inside and outside before using it again.

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