Rusting air handler coils

Absolutely. The coils are either copper tubes with aluminum fins or aluminum tubes and fins. They don't rust.

OTOH, they sit in a pan, often steel, that will rust, especially if the drain plugs up. All you need is a good cleaning.

The water comes from condensation of the evaporator coil. Clean the pan, clean the drain, then clean the coils with a spray made for that. You can do this yourself and should do it every year or so. At least check the drain.

Call the local VOC/Tech school and they may have a willing student to do the job.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski
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I recently replaced my 28 year old unit, the coils were never cleaned and they were still clean. The coils I've seen, there is no effective way to clean them anyway. For example, here's a pic of a Rheem:

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There isn't much there that's accessible with the cover off. You still have very limited access and no access at all to the sides of the coils where the incoming air hits. And if you try to spray it down with say a hose, the water is going down into the furnace/air handler.

Reply to
trader_4

Some times, a light spray of clorox diluted will cut down on mold and mildew.

. Christopher A. Young Learn about Jesus

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Reply to
Stormin Mormon

I am very careful about making sure to replace the filter every 90 days as specified by the manufacturer of the filter, it's never run without one. The filter has never even looked like it needed changing when I do.

I've read your other post about whether it really needs replacing or not, and I don't know how to respond to it just yet. Thanks for the info!

Reply to
Cheryl

I won't make the mistake of not getting 2x per year maintenance with the new system. I guess I really f***ed up. This is my first time as a homeowner so I've made an expensive mistake.

Reply to
Cheryl

Thank you! I haven't run the fan as much this past year as I usually do. This is good advice.

Reply to
Cheryl

This kind of thing is why I should be a renter. I should have asked in this group as soon as I found the water problem was the air handler! Instead I waited too long, and now I've already purchased and scheduled the replacement heat pump system. I had a feeling when I posted that rather than tell me how to prevent it in the future, that I'd be told I'm being swindled by the tech to sell me a new unit. I think you guys are all correct but if you'd seen what I see in there, you'd probably feel like it was now an unsafe bacteria and mold fest down there. lol

I'm not a do-it-yourselfer but I'm taking notes on everything said about cleaning and will refer to it as needed.

Thank you.

Reply to
Cheryl

Mine doesn't look anything like that. If I get the chance, I'll take the panel off and take a picture.

Reply to
Cheryl

Well, on the other hand it was a 12 year old unit, and modern ones are more efficient. Your problem now is to be sure it is A) sized correctly and B) installed correctly. And get a good warranty.

Size is critical for heat pumps. Too big, and humidity control is lost. T oo small, and you get warm two days a year when it can't keep up. But too big is FAR more common than too small. Some modern units have variable out put built in but I'm not familiar with this in residential, haven't install ed any.

Installation. Often done very badly, that's why so many of them come prech arged. Ideally they'd pull a vacuum and meter in the charge measuring supe rheat, but few techs know how.

Reply to
TimR

Filters need replacing when dirty. The number of days is designed to sell you four filters a year, needed or not. In a mild climate where the air handler is hardly run, 180 days or more may be OK. If you live in the shadow of a coal burning steel plant, maybe every few weeks is needed.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Hi, My tech when the new system was installed, he evacuated Puron, weighed it on a scale topped it up and recharged. He said that was the correct way. He comes around every spring. gives quick check up. After 5 years still nothing needed except cleaning condenser coil myself, basically just hosing it down. Correctly installed lower grade system may perform better poorly installed more expensive higher grade unit.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

Hi, You must be living down South where sun is always hot? My a/c barely runs for two months a year. Rest is furnace time. Luckily NG price is pretty low these days due to too much supply.

Reply to
Tony Hwang

I don't totally know that twice a year is essential. Can't hurt, if you have a reputable company. I'm a hypocrite, in some regards. I installed HVAC for six plus years, and I do nearly no maint on my own system.

. Christopher A. Young Learn about Jesus

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Reply to
Stormin Mormon

Running the fan allows the coils and tray to dry.

. Christopher A. Young Learn about Jesus

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Reply to
Stormin Mormon

My fan runs 24/7/12. Never shuts off. It runs SLOWLY when not heating or cooling.

Reply to
clare

I live in the Washington DC area where it's always humid in the summer. I run my AC starting in probably June through October sometimes. Being a heat pump, the unit itself runs nearly year round, with a few weeks in the spring and maybe a month in the fall where I don't need heat or cooling.

Reply to
Cheryl

I don't know what a lot of that means, like precharged. I will have to look it up! :) I sort of wonder if the unit I have currently was just too big. The outside unit is much bigger than the one it replace. I've noticed that my neighbors on both sides of me still have the same units they had when I bought my house in 2000. I have bad luck.

Reply to
Cheryl

Once you have a new system in place, you should be good for 20 to 30 years or so with normal wear.

I'm still a proponent of owning a home. If you plan you will have the house paid off long before retiring. Taxes, insurance, utilities will still go on, but they should be much lower than paying rent or a mortgage. In 15 or 20 years, you have a lot of equity rather than a box full of rent receipts.

Partly retired, I'm paying $300 a month (plus utilities) to live in a

2000 sq.ft. house on 1/3 acre of land. Rent in a crappy apartment is at least 4X that.

Always some bumps in the road but the guys here can help smooth them out.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

I sure hope so!

I have refinanced many times, both to get a lower rate (it was over 9% in 2000 when I bought my house!) and for a shorter term. I went first for a lower rate, then down to 15 years, and the last time down to 10 years because the rates went so low.

Logically, owning is better than renting. When it comes down to the never ending maintenance and replacements, it just makes me think about the color of the grass on the other side.

Reply to
Cheryl

+1

If they are totally clean, I sure wouldn't be changing them every

90 days. Especially when a good filter costs $35. I'd rather change one good filter once a year, than cheap ones every month.
Reply to
trader_4

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