Need Some Expert Advice!

[Shakerharley]

My name is Don and yes this is my first post to this forum. I have been reading up on my situation but have yet to get a definite answer. I have a reef tank and I have to put the water I use in it thru a 4 stage filtration system. Now to my problem. Came home about 3 months ago and the over flow valve had failed and I had a lot of water go onto the floor of my washroom and proceeded to dump down into a duct vent in the floor. I stuck my shop vacuum as far into the vent as I could and got about 5 gallons of water out of it. My house is 11 years old and I have looked as far into every one of the vents and none of them have hardly any dust in them at all. I have no clue how much water I did not get out but I'm thinking not a whole lot more because the process is very slow for the water to go thru the filtration system. My question is could the water that did remain in the vent duct ultimately promote mold to grow in the duct. I would imagine what water was in there would of had to already evaporated. I have a crawl space that is only about 3 foot high. The duct I would have to check is on the other side of the house from the crawlspace entrance. I not sure if any dumped into the main trunk but am trying to decide if I should go open everything up around where the water went in and see if any mold has formed or do you think the water may have just evaporated without causing any problems. The water is very pure and stripped of any medals or chemicals. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

[dlove]

if this just happened...my first thought would be to run the fan only for a few days the water will evap and dry out...what kind of ducts do you have, metal or ductboard? is the duct wrapped with insulation? the only other thing i would do is to be sure the water didnt leak outside of the duct, insulation could get wet making the insulation come away form the duct.

[jtrammel]

I wouldn't worry as long as you stopped the source of the water it will dry out. You could use a bore scope to look into the ducts to see how much if any water is left.

[zartangreen]

I would worry a little if you didn't run the Fan ASAP.

[Shakerharley]

Not to good on terminology but the water went into the flexible tube type ductwork. I can't remember but one section is metal with the flexible ductwork connecting to it and branching off. I bought a Trane unit about 2 years ago from a reputable dealer and they assured me the unit was perfect for my house and would not cause any humidity problems. At the time the water went in the AC was running constantly so I figured it would dry it out. Since we have been running the heat for months now we had one weekend that it got hot so I turned the AC on and the DSS flooded the house and really smelled things up. My first thought mold had formed where the water went in the duct. Turned the heat back on and the smell is gone. Had the HVAC guy come back and check it and he apparently cleaned something in the unit. Then he proceeded to tell me that they have been having these units putting this smell out. GREAT! Lastly I am allergic to mold and for the past 2 weeks I have been sick where I have had to go to urgent care twice. They been hopping me up with serious anibiotics and steroids and other cocktail drugs. I have never had issues with a virus like this so it has me worried about the mold. It may just be a virus but it got me thinking and worrying about the system. Thanks for all the help.

[toocoolforschool]

It may be time to upgrade your filtration system to ahigh effecient system with 5 inch pleated filters and maybe a secondary ozone light if installed correctly these will increase your comfort very much. You can even get an electrostatic air filter but I personally don't like them, but you can do the research yourself.

[JLMULLIG]

I WOULD GO UNDER THE CRAWL SPACE AND CHECK THE DUCTS IF I WERE YOU. SOMETHING SMELLS FISHEY...GOOD LUCK