Air Conditioning - air conditioning nightmare!

I need some serious guidance on this one...

I've got a newer house, built in 1998(Houston area). I purchased it about 2.5 years ago. Here's the problem:

Footnotes:
internal drip pan inside a/c unit in the attic was clogged and overflowing for at least 2.5 years. I repaired the drain and the insulation inside the a/c unit has since dried out - but I'm concerned about mold. Details below...


I had the house inspected upon purchasing and was present during the inspection...he checked the attic and said everything was normal. About a week after moving in, I noticed a dripping sound in the attic and went up to see what it was. I saw the a/c unit was dripping condensation into the auxiliary drip pan below it - I thought this was normal because the inspector didn't say it was a problem. I let it be.

Fast forward to now...

I had some condensation leaking out the end of the airduct plenum which told me there was a problem inside the unit. I pulled the access panel - and to my surpise there was insulation in there, and it was wet of course. I notice there is an internal drip pan and it was not draining. So I repaired the drain, vacumed the water out of the auxiliary pan and ran the unit for about 2-3 days straight to dry it out. Now, I'm concerned about mold...it had been that way for 2.5 years, at least. I didn't notice any mold inside the air handler, just a bunch of rust and corrosion. I haven't checked the plenum where the ducts come off and go to the rest of the house. How do I attack this? Should the insulation be replaced? Should the air handler be replaced? the ducts? I don't even know where to begin...

Keep in mind, this is my first house and I know little to nothing about residential a/c...not to mention, the false impression I was given by the inspector checking off on it.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

First most codes call for that over flow pan to have a drain on it. that has to run out side over a door or window . Thats so you will see it if the AC is running over. You have clean filter in it about every 30 to 90 days ??
Now on the drain line off the AC unit there. if the blower sucks the air through the coil you have to have a P trap right there in the drain line by the unit. Thats so it will drain right. On the inside of the unit and duct we use a 50/50 water and clorox And spray it around in there is about all. You dont say what you have for heat there You can take the coil cover off, the blower cover off and spray in there some As for a new unit Id hold off and see what happens You can check the AC unit by the condenser now and then that the coil out there is clean . You can just hose it down when the unit is off. Also when the unit is running the big copper line is cold and wet the small copper line warm to hot .

ED

ED

Thanks for the info!!

I was concerned about spraying bleach in the duct and inside the air handler. I do put a new pleated filter in usually every 3-4 months - I know I should do this more often. This unit also provides the heat, sorry I left that out.

The auxiliary pan does have a drain that runs out to the exterior, it's been draining, but still held a little water. That pan is now bone dry and the internal pan is catching the condensation.


should I just saturate the insulation with the bleach water? or just a light coat? Should I let it dry on it's own, or run the unit? Can the insulation be replaced at all?

Just a light coat is all we do and let the the AC run.
Can the insulation be replaced at all? ?????
Is it inside the unit??? Ductboard for the duct or glued in side the metal duct???

ED

The insulation on the interior of the air handler(the attic a/c unit) is fiberglass...that's what got wet. The plenum is metal on the outside and I'm unsure of the type of insulation inside. That's why I asked about the replacement of it??

anybody else?? :|

Do as Ed suggested. Bleach and water and then let it dry. Good that it is sheetmetal. Ductboard would probably be shot if it had water leaking into it.

Forgot to mention. I had a mold inspection instructor tell me that the clorox outdoors is much better for mold than regular bleach.

My two cents! As a home owner you could spray bleach in your own unit! But for a contractor I would dot your i's and cross your t's. Bleach is not EPA approved for use in HVAC system's. Watch it guys!! (trying to help) As for the mold If you do not see mold and you do not smell mold Id leave it alone! If the supply is lined Id have some one come out and look at it! Don't think I helped you much!

We actually use an epa approved fungicide on client systems but for my personal use I would use a $2.00 gallon of bleach before I would spend $50.00 for a fungicide. But that is cause I'm cheap and I've lived around mold for many years before it became the lawyers latest ticket :-)

Thanks for the input guys.

Covtiger 50$ is very high! What are you using that cost that much?

Johnstone supply has Bio-klean coil and duct spray for mold mildew alga For $18.00 a Gal.

ED

Covtiger 50$ is very high! What are you using that cost that much?
We use products by microbloc. http://www.microbloccorporation.com/index.htm

When faced with a severe complaint of mold we usually call in a certified mold inspector/remediator due to the liability implications.