Cleaning AC ducts?

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pdecat

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AC ducts and other hidden places may grow mold or mildew. Any ideas on how to deal with that stuff?

The cleaning thread got me thinking about setting out a bowl of vinegar to let it flow through all the spaces
 
They sell those long brushes that bend. I got one to clean dryer vent in house. Amazing how much gets past the lint screen.
 
You can use one of those mold and mildew kits first to see if you actually have any stuff growing. I would be afraid to use one of those long brushes unless you have very robust ducting, it could get expensive or a real pain if something got damaged. I looked into this a while ago and found, if I remember correctly, that liquid bleach in a spray bottle sprayed into the AC intakes with the circulation fan running is an effective method to prevent or eliminate mold in the ducting.
 
Spraying bleach into the return air grill to the unit will be the beginning of the end of your unit. Bleach is extremely corrosive and will attack the aluminum fins on the evaporator coil quicker than a New York minute. Bleach is not the product to use for active mold spores and can actually make the situation worse and the salts left behind can actually promote mold growth. Google mold control products.
 
I dont know for sure where the small is originating. Would like to spray something to kill any hidden stuff. I guess I am going to have to take the cabinet apart to get to the AC and see what's up.
 
I am not an expert in mold control, so I only reported recollection of what I had previously read. After Cmariners comments I did read a good bit more on the web and it seems that dilute bleach is an effective weak acid to clean mold infested surfaces. There are several companies that recommend ozone but several state health departments recommend against it as being unhealthy and ineffective. To summarize what I read, if you are certain you have a mold problem, which can be tested using a few mold kits at the AC outlets or swabbing directly on the suspect surfaces, then vacuum and clean the ducts as much as possible by physically removing as much of the mold. If needed, the surfaces can then be wiped clean with a dilute bleach solution (there are also a few other similar weak acid disinfectants mentioned). If dilute bleach is corrosive to your fins then I would wipe with dilute bleach to disinfect followed by a proper detergent clean and thorough drying. I am not an expert but this summarizes the recommendations from several reputable sites to eliminate mold if it is present. The recommendations by CaptBill look interesting especially if there is an ongoing problem.
 
I have used the spray cans of auto AC vent cleaner which worked well. Available at most auto stores.
 
Can you just change the ducts?
If you have the non insulated ducts, go back with insulated.
Non insulated ducts sweat a lot, especially on the outside.
 
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