This spring when I turned on my AC I had a strong "pond "odor coming from the vents. In the week the AC has been on the odor has weakened but it is still there. I went under the house and couldn't find any wet or broken supply or return lines. I have a package unit that is also my gas furnace. The unit is located outside. I am thinking that there is a mold growing on the evaporator coils or lying in the collection tray that is activated when it got wet. I didn't have the odor during the winter when the heat was running. I believe if I spray the evap coil and collection tray with a diluted bleach/water solution it will cure the problem. I know it will smell like bleach for a while but I can handle that better than "pond". I'd like to hear what the group thinks about this plan and if there are any other ideas out there. Is there something else I could spray on the coils, like a Lysol product? Thanks JD Chesapeake, VA
There are chemicals specifically formulated for the purpose of cleaning coils. You can find them at Home Depot or Lowe's.
Unless you have clear access to the coil without having to disturb anything, you'd be better off calling in a professional to do the job. I believe they use stronger coil cleaning chemicals, and a professional can actually remove the coil from the unit (if needed) to do a more thorough cleaning job.
Your real problem is why there is water sticking around to cause the mold. The bleach will not hurt the coil once or twice. You need to find out why the pan is ponding and not draining. A cleaning will help the short run not the long run
I'm well aware that similar products get repackaged, labeled and a premium price tacked on. Anhydrous lanolin is one product that comes to mind. Musical instrument companies repackage and label it as a lubricant for brass instrument tuning slides. The per-unit cost then becomes about 50 times the cost of the basic stuff you can buy in a 1 lb. jar at any pharmacy. Same stuff...different package..higher price.
However, I didn't believe you were correct regarding coil cleaning chemicals, so being the curious type, I posed a question regarding the composition of these chemicals on alt.hvac. According to one response I've received so far, they are not the same as Fantastik, 409, etc.
LOL...yea...and it can prove you wrong as hell....
I have a cleaner that is used on coils, that isnt sold to unlicenced persons, and will eat right into a coil after about 5 minutes if its used wrong..used right, it looks like the coils about to catch fire...its steam of course, but sir, you are dead wrong.
Of course, the untrained are always saying that they are the same....
No doubt. I'm sure the customer stands in slack-jawed wonder at this professional procedure. Do you carry photos of dust mites to sell duct cleaning, too?
Read the OP, about some consumer stuff sold at Home Depot. Not the Licensed Person brand cleaner.
But I am not aware of any cleaning chemicals that require any license, much less an HVAC (restraint-of-)trade license, so please cite one by its IUPAC name or CAS number. And be sure to tell us what governmental authority is enforcing non-sales of this chemical to us unlicensed folk, like the DoJ and lysergic acid.
I suspect you confuse marketing with chemistry, like the "professional" shampoos that are only sold to "licensed cosmetologists".
I repeat, butyl cleaner and agitation are all you ordinarily need to clean an evaporator coil.
Richard..if you had paid attention over the years, you would know that every time that someone asks about duct cleaning, I do not advocate it.
99% of the time, its a scam. Also, if you knew more about the systems, in various OTHER parts of the country, and not just yours, you would realize that some coils cant be cleaned, but have to be replaced. Also, you would know that depending on the coil condition, if its not a foaming acid type, you will do nothing but push the crap into the coil, not removing it, making the situation worse.
But, you have seen and be taught this right?
Normally, the customer is actually pretty damn happy when the system gets back to working right.
That crap they sell as coil cleaner at Home Depot isnt even close. PT Barnum had a saying....and HD is riding it to the bank... We use one..its a canned spray, and unless you know what you are up against, I have pulled more than one newbie trainee outside to wake back up..that stuff at HD...lol..ok..its water compared to it.
The STate of NC. Simple enough. You walk into a supply house here, and ask for the pretty pink cleaner...or the stuff that looks like cat piss, and before they sell it to you, if they dont know you, they want to see your state licence...its that simple. The states own law, that states that non licenced persons can not work, repair, or sell HVAC products of any sort is enough. The ONLY thing that the state allows a non licenced person to do, and we, as licenced contractors are working to change that, is MINOR repairs on non refrigerant type heating systems, that do not use a boiler, or refrigerant to heat the home.
They might sell you the green spray and walk away stuff...thats good on a fairly new system....since its not going to munch right into the copper...
Not really....as I actually work in the trade...
Agitation...thats good...you mean like a foam that lifts and pushes the crap up and out, or do you suggest a magic brush that can get into the really deep coils...some of these are over 3 inches thick...with 12 to 16 rows of fins per inch...
I was not trying actually to fight with you, but was trying to let you know that you are wrong, and while you can consider yourself correct, the facts are that what you are saying, is wrong.
first, you ignore the other part of the post...then, you want to make a blanket statement.
Ok...if you know the right people, there isnt one. IF those people are following the letter of the law, you cant buy a damn thing to service AC units... UNLESS you have a nice little licence issued by the State...I do..you dont...and yes, I know you dont since your name isnt in the states database.
Period. Deal with it...this isnt Florida.
Oh..lookie there..on the back of the bottle of cleaner here..it states: Not for sale to untrained, or unlicenced persons.
SQlit.....You are right about the pan not draining well. Water flows out when it reaches a certain level. I put a small level in the pan and it is slightly tilted away from the drain hole. I tried a couple of things. I couldn't find a way to raise the pan. I just can't/don't know how to get to it. I tried to wedge the back corner of the unit up but once again it must be fastened to the raised deck it is on and no go. I was thinking of filling the back and side of the pan with sand or small pebbles to displace the water. I also thought about a small amount of morter mix or pieces of wood to keep the water near the center and away from the back edge. Is this something a pro could fix? Any ideas out there? JD
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