Air handler cleaning service....should I do it?

[jed1154]

Ill just mention it being not air tight and let him pick the best solution. Even with good tight screws, its not TOTALLY airtight, there is not 'packing' or anything, but it will be better than it is now and fit the way it was designed...and that's all I can really expect.

[SBKold]

The mold growth you see on the blower wheel/cabinet are not from air leaks IMO. The buildup is basically mold pure and simple. It grew there it was not deposited there IMO.

This is quite typical where I am in Florida. Especially with animals in the home. Any kind of bilological material will act as food for the mold and you will see the accelerated growth on the cold side of the coil. The material is the pet dander in your case.

Your filtration setup does seem better than typical with the media cleaner under unit. Small amounts of microscopic dander still seem to be making it through.

What you need are properly installed UV lights in the blower section and probably supply duct as well. I bet if you could see inside supply duct there would also be significant growth.

UV lights, however are a science all their own - Properly installing one and maintaining it. UV lights break down a variety of duct materials, wire insulation, etc....

[jed1154]

Interesting you mention that. My tech has mentioned it on occasion. Of course, when this unit was installed, it was not standard OP for my installer, he said that when they install new units now, they automatically install the UV lighting to kill mold growth in various parts of the system. This unit is rusted all to heck, wire terminations are starting to corrode and rust and they tell me it has months or a couple years left at best.....so, based on that, Im not doing anything but maintaining it because I may be replacing it sooner rather than later. If it had 10 years left, that would be different. I will remember that comment though about the UV light.

My supply duct is primarily 'framing' I can't see inside of that, however, the intake cavity seems to be pretty clean. I think the mold growth is there because of the moisture coupled with minute traces of dirt. The Coils don't show to be dirty, so they were either cleaned recently or they don't get dirty because water is dripping off of them all the time. Im going to have it all cleaned up though and go clean the newly deposited dust from my registers.

[tinknocker service tech]

form the looks of the blower shaft i would reccomend you have him order a motor for your unit before he pulls it apart
a uv light as has been said would be in order also
place3d between the blower and the coil imo
as was siad looks like mold build up see it alot

[jed1154]

I'll loan the tech a wire brush. :P

The unit is not covered under warranty any longer. I'm going to replace as needed. If she gives up the ghost next week, it won't be terribly surprising. It has already required a new compressor, outside fan motor, various service calls that may have been related to the parts listed above before they were replaced, and expansion valve.

But I agree, the shaft looks pretty sad.

[Cooked]

.............I was told it was perfectly normal for a 10 year old unit. Whether thats true or not, I don't know.

Not necessarily true. I've seen 30 year old systems that didn't need cleaning and I've seen 2 year old system with 80% air blockage because of pet hair, grime and grease from the kitchen. It really depends on the quality/cleanliness of the air in the structure.

If it's really dirty, pay the man, it will be well worth it. If it's not, then.....ummmm.......plan B

[jed1154]

Oh, im certainly going to pay them to clean it. I want a good baseline. I have no REAL idea of how it was maintained before and I have a lot of pets.

[jed1154]

This unit services my downstairs of about 2400 sq ft. I have three cats and three dogs. Is there anything I can do to prevent this in the future besides getting rid of the animals, wife and children?

Obviously I'm going to tighten up the panels on the unit. I can change my box filter twice a year I suppose. Anything else I can do as a homeowner or do I just have to clean the unit every so often?

[beenthere]

Ask them why none of them noticed this before during any of the check ups.

[JWB]

Buy a UV light and have it transferred to your new unit. I would buy a blower wheel cleaning and skip the whole package deal unless the price is similiar. Why repair every little thing that he can find wrong when you are making plans to replace? If you are planning on replacing, have that priced out if you are anywhere near ready. Depending geographically where you are the co. may be slow enough to offer you a steep discount.

[jed1154]

Ill ask them why they did not notice it, but the panel that must be removed to see that blower is different from the one that they usually check that houses the coil. Im going to ask.

As for replacing, well, the price of that quote was about the same as a brand new low end car....seriously. Maybe thats the going price for a two stage, zoned, var speed unit, but it was very high. I'm going to shop around and then start negotiating when the time comes.

[jed1154]

Can we ask about reputable companies on this board, like recommendations?

What about research for new AC units...as in "i am considering brand X, model Y, are these reliable or not?"

[beenthere]

You can use our Contractor locator map.