Re: Question on Mold found in AC unit

[Guest guest]

I don't think that having mold growing in her air conditioner would

necessarily mean that there were mold colonies growing elsewhere in

her house unless there were also water leaks or condensation..

But unfortunately the mold in the AC may have spread mold toxins and

spores around her house from the active growth site.. yes, increasing

the chances of it growing elsewhere IF it found moisture to feed on,

i.e. leaks, condensation, etc.

Even if this happened in the distant past, and the active leaks have

all been fixed long ago, if the mold growth was never cleaned out,

there could still be problems with toxins or allergens esp.if it is

getting blown around...

[Guest guest]

Is this a through-the-window or through-the-wall

air conditioner?? If it is one of those, they

are pretty much 100% moldy. May posted

something about this about a month ago and why.

These are mold making machines.

Otherwise it is connected to central air system.

Which kind does she have? If it is not central,

I'd suggest getting a new one, installing your

own better filter on it and cleaning it out

often. Jeff suggests a cleanable Webb filter you

can trim to fit different shapes. Might as well

not go on without knowing what kind of a/c she

has.

A moldy a/c and carpeting is a bad combo or any

fabric furniture or bed near it. If there is

hardwood or tile or linoleum floor, she could

probably clean everything well and throw out

fabric things that have been near it.

[Guest guest]

This is True Miss Cline she live in a HUD Retirement Housing first floor I Think

there's 4 Floors there her ceiling covered with mold in her efficiency it's

awfull and they clame they clean it but..................I wouldn't go in there

I'm going to get her story again they other elder died about two weeks ago she

had sewage and mold.

They just moved her to a different apartment she was 102 years old I agree with

Mr. May and You bbw.

Elvira

[] Re: Question on Mold found in AC unit

Is this a through-the-window or through-the-wall

air conditioner?? If it is one of those, they

are pretty much 100% moldy. May posted

something about this about a month ago and why.

These are mold making machines.

Otherwise it is connected to central air system.

Which kind does she have? If it is not central,

I'd suggest getting a new one, installing your

own better filter on it and cleaning it out

often. Jeff suggests a cleanable Webb filter you

can trim to fit different shapes. Might as well

not go on without knowing what kind of a/c she

has.

A moldy a/c and carpeting is a bad combo or any

fabric furniture or bed near it. If there is

hardwood or tile or linoleum floor, she could

probably clean everything well and throw out

fabric things that have been near it.

[Guest guest]

Could someone give me a # on this message

by May on Window Unit AC's, posted

about a month ago?

That is what we have. I would like to know

more about this.

TIA,

Zippy

-----------------------------------------------

>

> Is this a through-the-window or through-the-wall

> air conditioner?? If it is one of those, they

> are pretty much 100% moldy. May posted

> something about this about a month ago and why.

> These are mold making machines.

>

> Otherwise it is connected to central air system.

>

>

> Which kind does she have? If it is not central,

> I'd suggest getting a new one, installing your

> own better filter on it and cleaning it out

> often. Jeff suggests a cleanable Webb filter you

> can trim to fit different shapes. Might as well

> not go on without knowing what kind of a/c she

> has.

>

> A moldy a/c and carpeting is a bad combo or any

> fabric furniture or bed near it. If there is

> hardwood or tile or linoleum floor, she could

> probably clean everything well and throw out

> fabric things that have been near it.

>

[Guest guest]

Zippy,

Here are two posts regarding a/c units from Mr

May:

42451:

my opinion, the most important aspect of any A/C

is the filtration. With

excellent filtration, the inside (cooling) coil

stays clean and there is

little or no microbial growth. NO window A/C I am

aware of comes equipped

with the required minimum of MERV 6 (or 8) rated

filtration, so you have to

have room at the interior of the intake grille

for a supplemental filter or

place one over the exterior of the intake grille

and tape it in place so

that there is no leakage at the perimeter. WEB is

one company that makes an

electrostatic filter for window A/Cs (available

from <www.Homeenv.com> for

about $9). We have used this filter successfully

on an Emerson A/C for

years; we replaced the junk filter at the

interior with the WEB one, since

it fits nicely at the interior of this model.

(The WEB is a foam filter; be

very careful that any foam filter does NOT touch

the coil or the dusty foam

will become a source of mold!)

I would not recommend repeatedly using vinegar

for cleaning, as it is an

acid and may corrode the aluminum fins. Hydrogen

peroxide (or diluted bleach

if you can tolerate it) in a sprayer, followed by

a water rinse can be used

to disinfect the coil (though keep in mind that

very regular treatment with

bleach can also corrode the fins).

You should never really have dust on the coil to

clean. If you do, the

filtration is not adequate and you will

inevitably have microbial growth.

Finally, be aware that whatever you put into the

A/C will eventually find

its way to the ground under the A/C where the

condensate drips. We always

clean/disinfect our A/Cs only once in the spring

outdoors, out of the case

(but this may be too much of a project if you are

not familiar with

dismantling the case).

C. May, M.A., CIAQP

May Indoor Air Investigations LLC

1522 Cambridge Street

Cambridge, MA 02139

617-354-1055

www.mayindoorair.com

www.myhouseiskillingme.com

####

also:

42583:

Barb,

It is almost certain that there will be microbial

growth in a hotel unit

since no window or wall A/C comes with MERV 8

filtration.

In addition, there is no guarantee that any

sampling will tell you anything.

On page 62 of " My House is Killing Me! " I have a

photo of a blower

completely covered with Cladosporium mold (I am

ashamed to admit it) in my own

window A/C. This happened years ago before I

realized that A/C's could be

such a problem and I was my own " client. " I had

sampled the air from the

unit and saw so few spores that I did not realize

that there was even a

problem.

I would recommend that wherever you go, be

prepared to filter the discharge

and intake air with a WEB electrostatic filter

(which if you use at home

must be changed annually, NOT washed)and some

duct tape to attach it. Better

still, if you can avoid it, don't even run the

A/C. Find a hotel with

operable windows.

Also travel with some carpet protector (2'x200'

roll, $45, www.pro-tect.com)

to prevent the allergens which will be in the

carpet from being aerosolized from the a/c unit.

This is 100% effective for allergenic carpet

dust. (Just don't let any

cleaning people in once the layer is down, and

remove it when you check out;

wear an N-95 mask for application and removal.)

Good luck.

BTW, there is a mold resource guide that you may

find interesting under

" Tools and Resources " at: <www.themoneypit.com>

C. May, M.A., CIAQP

May Indoor Air Investigations LLC

1522 Cambridge Street

Cambridge, MA 02139

617-354-1055

www.mayindoorair.com

www.myhouseiskillingme.com

[Guest guest]

Sewage (i.e. endotoxins) & Mold (mycotoxins) are together much much

more toxic than either one alone..

Everyone should be aware of this.. Lots of research backs this up...