Guest guest Posted September 8, 2006 Report Share Posted September 8, 2006 My air is in furnace housing with separate compressor. I can see the coils easily but only the top of them. The whole air handling system is very old, like 28 years I believe, a on Five-in-One. It's like a work horse, still going. However a/c tray is very very rusty but it is bright red/orange rust, nothing brownish or blackish. There is no way to see behind the cables. Original owner and myself have it serviced every year. Seems in good condition. Should I get new coils since they are rusty or should I look further to see if a problem exists that is not visible from top. I bought a germicidal light that they put in there but not because I noticed a problem but because that is where they suggested it would be best to put it. I know there is controversy over whether they are helpful but I already have it. Not sure if it has helped or not. --- " Carl E. Grimes " <grimes@...> wrote: > > This sounds logical but I guess it wasn't > > apparent since a furnace doesn't dump cold > air > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 9, 2006 Report Share Posted September 9, 2006 I must have been tired when I typed this. I meant to say that 'there is no way to see behind COILS', looking for possible mold. I think they are okay but can only see top of them. Other thing I mistyped was I asked should I get new coils since they are rusty...I meant since pan under them is rusty. Coils are fine but drip pan is solid with rust. --- bbw <barb1283@...> wrote: > > rusty > but it is bright red/orange rust, nothing > brownish or blackish. There is no way to see > behind the cables. Original owner and myself > have it serviced every year. Seems in good > condition. Should I get new coils since they > are > rusty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 9, 2006 Report Share Posted September 9, 2006 i SPRAY THE HELL OUT OF THE COILS WHERE i CAN GET. i WAS USING WHITE VINEGAR BUT THIS TIME USED HYDROGEN PEROXIDE. hOPE THAT WORKS TOO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 9, 2006 Report Share Posted September 9, 2006 Barb, I would not spend any money on a drip pan unless it's leaking, or going to leak or it has visible mold on it. Germicidal lights may not be very effective in cleansing the air traveling though the ducts but they might just keep growth off of your coils if the coils have excellent exposure to the UV rays. Which will be difficult if at all possible on the back side of the coils. My experience with coils is that they can grow a colony that produces toxins that make me sick in about 24 hours. If I were to let this go for a week I would be totally bed ridden from symptoms caused by mold growing in the ac coils. Thus I cleaned my unit every day and rotated between the ceiling unit on my trailer and the wall unit in the window that seemed to deal the final blow to the mold on the coils was to let the coils dry for as long as possible before using them. I don't know why this is but I experienced this several times and than started implementing the practice of allowing the units to dry out in between uses. It would be great if manufactures would put heating units in the coils similar to what they do in refrigerators that would heat the coils in between cycles to remove the moisture and break the mold growth cycle before it can get a hold. Of course this cleaning every 24 hours is going to be impractical for most people, I am just stating observations I have made in my own experiences and not telling others to do what I was doing. Central units like yours with high filtration might be different but I am dubious because it only takes a few spores to start an entire colony. I think your over doing it with turning your unit way down to the point where you have to wear a jacket. I would not set the unit below 70 degrees. I personally kept mine at around 78 and kept the humidity low enough if my trailer to slow the mold growth in my trailer to the point where it was tolerable inside of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 10, 2006 Report Share Posted September 10, 2006 this is a great subject Ac is becoming more and more dangerous it so bad it burn my skin, eyes, bad headache, Stomach problems, bad tast in the mouth, cripple me, the one where I live does that if I put it on. Slum Landlord under HUD this is what happens the Condo example finds out there's mold one of the owners get a job at HUD and put those people in. if the people complain eviction by mold they have their Attorneys and their Judge and legal Aid don't bother to go there. HUD say 60 days to move no help suffering from HUD Mold having MCS go figure Example above :-) Peace Elvira Re: [] Re: air conditioner - service? CARL My air is in furnace housing with separate compressor. I can see the coils easily but only the top of them. The whole air handling system is very old, like 28 years I believe, a on Five-in-One. It's like a work horse, still going. However a/c tray is very very rusty but it is bright red/orange rust, nothing brownish or blackish. There is no way to see behind the cables. Original owner and myself have it serviced every year. Seems in good condition. Should I get new coils since they are rusty or should I look further to see if a problem exists that is not visible from top. I bought a germicidal light that they put in there but not because I noticed a problem but because that is where they suggested it would be best to put it. I know there is controversy over whether they are helpful but I already have it. Not sure if it has helped or not. --- " Carl E. Grimes " <grimes@...> wrote: > > This sounds logical but I guess it wasn't > > apparent since a furnace doesn't dump cold > air > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 15, 2006 Report Share Posted October 15, 2006 Catching up on old mail still. Carl, if freon or other gas is used as refrigerant in central air, is it an indoor air contaminant? Which also makes me wonder about refrigerators and freezers now. Do they use something like freon and doesn't it contaminate indoor air? --- " Carl E. Grimes " <grimes@...> wrote: > > Both window units and " furnace " units use two > different coils > connected by a " pipe " of freon (actually a > different refrigerant is > now used). One coil cools inside air and the > other gets rid of the > heat by heating the outside air. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 15, 2006 Report Share Posted October 15, 2006 Barb, Go to http://techalive.mtu.edu/meec/module13/AirConditioning.htm and watch the animation. Freon is no longer used but for the sake of brevity that's how I'll refer to it. The freon is what is in the tubing labeled variously as cool gas, hot gas, cool liquid. It can't be in the air unless the tubing leaks. Carl Grimes Healthy Habitats LLC ----- > Catching up on old mail still. > Carl, if freon or other gas is used as > refrigerant in central air, is it an indoor air > contaminant? Which also makes me wonder about > refrigerators and freezers now. Do they use > something like freon and doesn't it contaminate > indoor air? > > --- " Carl E. Grimes " <grimes@...> wrote: > > > > > Both window units and " furnace " units use two > > different coils > > connected by a " pipe " of freon (actually a > > different refrigerant is > > now used). One coil cools inside air and the > > other gets rid of the > > heat by heating the outside air. > > > > > > > > FAIR USE NOTICE: > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 15, 2006 Report Share Posted October 15, 2006 Have never tried this.. but it seems as if it would work.. (Caveat.. I vagely remember reading at some recent point about a filter product for ACs that does this but don't remember its name/source.) So..what about doing high-quality filtering on the inside air BEFORE it hits the condenser? That way, the water can still condense out of it, and it can be cooled, but hopefully there would not be enough food (i.e. particulate matter..) for the mold to grow on it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 15, 2006 Report Share Posted October 15, 2006 Noone is dragging any previous post with them so I don't remember what you are responding to and what is really bad is I think it was from me...! If I said something about filter, I meant to put it on grill of air conditioner so it would filter incoming air before it hits the coils but equipment will vary as to how much air restriction they can take without overheating so I doubt you could clean the air to say MERV 11 standards or 14, perhaps MERV 8. ----- Original Message ---- From: LiveSimply <quackadillian@...> Have never tried this.. but it seems as if it would work.. (Caveat.. I vagely remember reading at some recent point about a filter product for ACs that does this but don't remember its name/source. ) So..what about doing high-quality filtering on the inside air BEFORE it hits the condenser? That way, the water can still condense out of it, and it can be cooled, but hopefully there would not be enough food (i.e. particulate matter..) for the mold to grow on it.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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