Help-Health Issues When AC Is Running

[energy_rater_La]

you are aware that that is sheetrock dust?
sheetrock was aquired during construction at finishing stages.

the return air is not sealed and the sheetrock dust bypassed the filter.
or a filter was not installed.

air sealing return air, and installing a 4" media filter will help in the future to
solve this portion of the problem.

best of luck

[motoguy128]

Sheetrock is evil... at least in the eyes of this old home lover.

Long live lime based plaster! Plaster = 0 dust during installation, antimicrobial, no paper, adds thermal mass, absorbs sound better, better tolerate exposure to water and higher fire resistance. But it of course takes more skill, labor, materials, has a cure time, and can crack a little easier if the home isn't rigid and contructed well (few modern homes fit that description).

+1 on a 4 or 5" media filter.

[Shophound]

I hope that's not Chinese drywall dust...

IMO, HVAC installers in residential new construction should ensure equipment cannot be operated until ALL interior dust making events during construction are past. I know finish crews don't like hearing that, but there's no excuse for contaminating a brand new system with heaps of dust like that.

[energy_rater_La]

I've never been on a jobsite where they didn't run heat in winter.
hardwood floors have to acclimate before being installed. but I do
think its a shame that as supply boxes & returns are installed that
they aren't closed off. even taping newspaper or cutting cardboard to
cover vents/returns works to keep out sheetrock dust.

the paperless backed drywall is outrageous in price. lots of it used
in remediation of chinese drywall in N.O. & areas closer to me.
thankfully all of that is just about over these days!

[mark beiser]

All that sheet rock dust is going to be difficult and expensive to clean up.
The duct cleaning part of it can't be done with one of those useless Rotobrush machines. A real duct cleaning service, with real duct cleaning equipment, will need to get in there and do it right.

I'd also highly recommend having air tight inserts installed in the recessed light fixtures.
I know they are still legal to install non air tight recessed lights in most states, but it is crazy stupid that anyone is still doing so...

I've never been on a jobsite where they didn't run heat in winter.
hardwood floors have to acclimate before being installed. but I do
think its a shame that as supply boxes & returns are installed that
they aren't closed off. even taping newspaper or cutting cardboard to
cover vents/returns works to keep out sheetrock dust.

We only do maybe 1 or 2 new construction jobs every couple of years, but when I do all supply and return openings get sealed up until it is time to put the grills and registers on.
When the builder or finish contractors bug us to start the system up for heating or cooling during construction, I tell them to go pound sand.

[Heather432]

I wanted to add that not only is it drywall dust, but they sanded and re-stained the floors the week before we moved in. Our HVAC tech thinks that they were running the units during this time. So the idiots sucked all of that dust and chemical into the units. They are back tomorrow to re-clean the system, as you can see by the pics above, they did not do it right the first time. Hopefully that in conjunction with the new 4" filters I bought will make our air breathable. Thanks again to all of you for your help and insight.

[teddy bear]

How are you going to get fresh air into your home? You need an air change in 4-5 hours of filtered fresh regardless of your sensitivites. ASHRAE/American Medical Ass/Am Lung ASS all recommed this at a minimum for normal occupants.
With your problems, fresh air is even more important.Start out more fresh air 24/7 and than cut back after the pollutants are purged.
Regards TB