Newsgroups: rec.autos.tech
From: ghg@noose.ecn.purdue.edu (George Goble)
Subject: Re: Air Conditioner Midew Spray
Message-ID: <Csrrw8.7Ix@noose.ecn.purdue.edu>
Date: Mon, 11 Jul 1994 09:33:44 GMT

In article <CsqzK8.I5s@gordian.com> johnk@gordian.com (John Kalucki) writes:

> > My '91 Accord had a very foul mildew'ish odor after the car had been
> > sitting for a while when the air conditioner had been previously
> > running. The smell went away pretty quickly after I started driving or
> > turned on the air conditioner.
>
>Why, after 30+ years of automotive AC, hasn't this problem been solved
>by design? Building HVAC doesn't have this problem...

Building HVAC does have this problem sometimes.. only another name:
Legionaire's disease.  Problem is fungus  growing in moist areas.
If the ducts and evaporator are wet for 3weeks/month.. FUNGUS will
move in.. just like in showers, etc.  One has to either dry it out
now and then (run on Vent only with compressor off), or try to
fight it with spraying Lysol in the intake (use normal setting
instead of max as this sucks in air from the outside).. After
spraying, immed shut it off so Lysol stays in ducts overnight.


--ghg

From: John De Armond
Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.rv-travel
Subject: Re: Mold in the A/C.
Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 03:01:48 -0400
Message-ID: <aopo93t18bt80v7ouseasot5oro4969f7a@4ax.com>

On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 21:28:59 -0500, "Steve Barker" <ichasetrains@some.yahoo.com>
wrote:

>We've had a tremendously high mold count since the floods in eastern Kansas.
>We now have a nice blast of mold smell each time the a/c unit comes on in
>the RV.  What is an effective way to rid the system of this?  My wife is
>highly sensitive to mold and we spend a lot of time in this unit.

Take the AC unit apart enough to get to the evaporator.  Liberally hose the
evaporator, the water tray and anywhere else mold might grow with a bleach solution.
About 1 part bleach to 3 or 4 parts water, not critical.  Put it in a spray bottle
and add just a speck of bleach-compatible laundry detergent as a wetting agent to
help it penetrate the mold.  Wet everything down well, let it soak, repeat, then
rinse.  Follow that by cleaning away the little dead mold bodies and dirt with air
conditioner coil cleaner.  I think I saw coil cleaner at Lowe's awhile back.  If not,
any HVAC or appliance parts supply house will have the stuff.

If coil cleaner is hard to come by, use any of the many varieties of alkaline purple
cleaner/degreaser.  Castrol's Purple Power* is one commonly found at Wallyworld and
car parts stores. *not sure whether it's Castrol's brand but am sure about the Purple
Power name.  One of the best formulations (and the cheapest) is called Purple Stuff
made by the Luther Chemical Company.

Purple stuff requires a lot more water to rinse away than coil cleaner so I'd
consider it a second choice.  It must be completely removed or the caustic soda in
the formula may corrode the aluminum parts.

If you want to do THE BEST job of cleaning the coils, follow the coil cleaner with a
blast from a pressure washer.  Blast AGAINST the air flow.  This requires that you
mask over the openings to the RV to prevent water ingress.  The pressure washer does
such a good job that it is the usual method I use.

John

From: John De Armond
Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.rv-travel
Subject: Re: Mold in the A/C.
Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:57:10 -0400
Message-ID: <kn3q9312u8jl043v89e06btr81nemcqias@4ax.com>

On Tue, 17 Jul 2007 07:51:21 -0400, Lee <lbray5032@bellsouth.net> wrote:

>Neon John wrote:
>>Follow that by cleaning away the little dead mold bodies and dirt with air
>> conditioner coil cleaner.  I think I saw coil cleaner at Lowe's awhile back.  If not,
>> any HVAC or appliance parts supply house will have the stuff.
>
>
>Hi
>
>I will assume then that the coil cleaner and the other products you
>mentioned would have no effect on a rubber roof or must you have water
>running while using these products?  Stuck that post in my Hold file!

There are no petroleum distillates in the cleaners so I'd not expect any effects on
rubber roofs.  I'd still have water running over my roof if it were either rubber or
aluminum just as a general precaution.

Coil cleaner is simply strong detergent and either an acid or alkaline base.  Both
kinds are available.  Generally an acid base is preferred for coils unless they are
clogged with grease, say, from a condensing unit sitting near a restaurant grease
hood exhaust.  Then the alkaline cleaner works better because it saponifies the
grease.  The acid base dissolves lime and other mineral buildup that results from
condensate being evaporated on the condenser.

Purple stuff is strongly alkaline and is the most amazing grease cutter I've ever
used.  Spray it on that greasy black crud that collects on charcoal grills and the
stuff just runs off.  It's better than Gunk for degreasing engines.  It WILL quickly
corrode aluminum so don't let it dry on anything.

Purple stuff is also an excellent black streak remover, though I'm hesitant to
recommend it.  It leaves the paint surface so devoid of protective coating that
unless it is immediately waxed, it will oxidize.  One MUST immediately apply wax as
soon as the paint is dry.

John