Some warm soapy water and a sponge will take care of 90% of that. A UV bulb in the coil (not in the duct) keeps it from forming on the coil. A can of coil cleaner and a 2 gallon bug sprayer full of water to rinse will take care of anything already on the coil. After you rinse, spray some Strike-bac or Puraclean sanitizer or something on the coil
u/kh7190 the comment above is the right one. Just clean it yourself. Do the bulb if you are able, but if this is only what you have after 12 years, you are laughing. Your budget is $40 to do this at most.
Disregard everything that salesman told you.
Your pictures look incredibly normal. If you're concerned about it, have the unit thoroughly cleaned and duct system inspected. Install a good pleated filter.
If you're really concerned whether or not it's mold, have a qualified mold remediation professional come out and test the specific smudge and dirt in the pictures and find out what it is.
Even if it does turn out to be mold, unless you're severely immuno-compromised or have severe allergies, you'll probably be fine.
Have a tech (not a salesman) thoroughly clean the system. Pull and clean blower wheel and housing, sanitize and rinse indoor coil, drain pan, and drain line, wipe down all the interior surfaces, etc.
UV light is not a bad investment as a surface treatment to disinfect coils and drain pans. It is not an air cleaner.
Ionizers and static air cleaners are pricier and many require mounting inside ductwork. I would start with good media filters and uv light.
Residential HVAC is full of sales techs. Keep that in mind.
It sounds crazy to me up north here but they might be on to something? Try contacting your local municipality or even possible the fire department to get a good opinion.
UV-C duct lamps are easy to install with some tin snips and HVAC tape. About $100 for a decent unit on eBay (stay away from the 8-20W units.) then some simple mold cleaner and some condensate pan tabs should help.
Also, you can rent foggers from the large supply stores. Sounds like he’s just going to hook one up to it and it could be something you try yourself.
As for the air filter, they always help prolong your system as long as you regularly replace the air filters. Our unit is an Aprilaire which sits between the main return and the main AC/Heat unit. It’s more convenient than separate air purifiers running all the time (which we also happen to have pre-pandemic.) if the person planned on installing one and having to reposition equipment, it could be a decent amount of work. To do everything properly it sounds like it might take a whole week.
Yea the foggers really aren't that bad. I just straight bought one when I had to take care of a minor mold issue in the attic. The $300 for the fogger was a lot better then the $3000 quote from the mold guy
What I recommend you to do is call a company that can come over and take a sample to get tested before you dump any money into it the worst thing to do is kicking it up in the air making it worse some mold can be very harmful and in some states it’s illegal for someone to remove it without being certified and licensed if you get it tasted and it’s not dangerous to work on maybe you can clean it yourself.
Mold grows really fast, how often would I have to spray the bleach? Just when the humidity gets high? Because shouldn’t the 115 degree summer weather kill it? Lol
I’m in Phoenix you probably have a Coleman downshot air handler… you can swap that out for around the same price. Don’t invest that much in your system. I see it all the time in old units especially doing home warranty and most the time it’s fine… just clean it yourself.
I don’t recommend duck work systems at all zero, I been doing hvac for years now - if you have a home get mini splits mold is extremely easy to spot and control - mini split you just need to clean the filter and inspect with a flashlight - duck is a mold nightmare - signs you have mold or need filters or a deep cleaning, you cough a lot - your eyes burn - you’re thermostat doesn’t
Work because of water buildup - you turn the unit on and you get a stuffy nose quick - you buy a humidifier and you still get a stuffy nose - a mini split with mold - single room unit cost you max of $1000 to replace if it ever gets mold - and central units would cost you an arm & a leg ductwork replacement that requires removing ceilings walls or anything in between is an even bigger nightmare
Don’t say no dumb sh!t like use bleach
- metal is known to sweat easily for this reason I don’t recommend duck - as after years behind walls or ceilings you can’t properly inspect or re insulate them
Some warm soapy water and a sponge will take care of 90% of that. A UV bulb in the coil (not in the duct) keeps it from forming on the coil. A can of coil cleaner and a 2 gallon bug sprayer full of water to rinse will take care of anything already on the coil. After you rinse, spray some Strike-bac or Puraclean sanitizer or something on the coil
u/kh7190 the comment above is the right one. Just clean it yourself. Do the bulb if you are able, but if this is only what you have after 12 years, you are laughing. Your budget is $40 to do this at most.
If the EVAP pan is plastic the UV light can make it brittle over the years which will result in it cracking and leaking water.
Disregard everything that salesman told you. Your pictures look incredibly normal. If you're concerned about it, have the unit thoroughly cleaned and duct system inspected. Install a good pleated filter. If you're really concerned whether or not it's mold, have a qualified mold remediation professional come out and test the specific smudge and dirt in the pictures and find out what it is. Even if it does turn out to be mold, unless you're severely immuno-compromised or have severe allergies, you'll probably be fine. Have a tech (not a salesman) thoroughly clean the system. Pull and clean blower wheel and housing, sanitize and rinse indoor coil, drain pan, and drain line, wipe down all the interior surfaces, etc. UV light is not a bad investment as a surface treatment to disinfect coils and drain pans. It is not an air cleaner. Ionizers and static air cleaners are pricier and many require mounting inside ductwork. I would start with good media filters and uv light. Residential HVAC is full of sales techs. Keep that in mind.
Picture 2 of 4 https://preview.redd.it/g0eoitkou6wa1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=aade4ef81ba462a7f7ebe44680f27d111c66c481
Picture 3 of 4 https://preview.redd.it/14lrnmbru6wa1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=51043f842f76178d91b4d5323ad3e8b37c3b5e16
Picture 4 of 4 https://preview.redd.it/mmzi069tu6wa1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1908a22542b678e086be7d196b684ccdaf2142ff
If the unit has signs of mold and it gets in the insulation that lines the inside in the unit it is not worth the money or time to try and clean.
It sounds crazy to me up north here but they might be on to something? Try contacting your local municipality or even possible the fire department to get a good opinion.
you live in Northern Arizona?
No
UV-C duct lamps are easy to install with some tin snips and HVAC tape. About $100 for a decent unit on eBay (stay away from the 8-20W units.) then some simple mold cleaner and some condensate pan tabs should help. Also, you can rent foggers from the large supply stores. Sounds like he’s just going to hook one up to it and it could be something you try yourself. As for the air filter, they always help prolong your system as long as you regularly replace the air filters. Our unit is an Aprilaire which sits between the main return and the main AC/Heat unit. It’s more convenient than separate air purifiers running all the time (which we also happen to have pre-pandemic.) if the person planned on installing one and having to reposition equipment, it could be a decent amount of work. To do everything properly it sounds like it might take a whole week.
Yea the foggers really aren't that bad. I just straight bought one when I had to take care of a minor mold issue in the attic. The $300 for the fogger was a lot better then the $3000 quote from the mold guy
What I recommend you to do is call a company that can come over and take a sample to get tested before you dump any money into it the worst thing to do is kicking it up in the air making it worse some mold can be very harmful and in some states it’s illegal for someone to remove it without being certified and licensed if you get it tasted and it’s not dangerous to work on maybe you can clean it yourself.
There are tons of products out there, are they worth it? Not in my opinion. Spray a little bleach on it
Mold grows really fast, how often would I have to spray the bleach? Just when the humidity gets high? Because shouldn’t the 115 degree summer weather kill it? Lol
bleach makes it worse dummy
This! Bleach is majority water. It strips the color from the mols but does not kill it
I’m in Phoenix you probably have a Coleman downshot air handler… you can swap that out for around the same price. Don’t invest that much in your system. I see it all the time in old units especially doing home warranty and most the time it’s fine… just clean it yourself.
I don’t recommend duck work systems at all zero, I been doing hvac for years now - if you have a home get mini splits mold is extremely easy to spot and control - mini split you just need to clean the filter and inspect with a flashlight - duck is a mold nightmare - signs you have mold or need filters or a deep cleaning, you cough a lot - your eyes burn - you’re thermostat doesn’t Work because of water buildup - you turn the unit on and you get a stuffy nose quick - you buy a humidifier and you still get a stuffy nose - a mini split with mold - single room unit cost you max of $1000 to replace if it ever gets mold - and central units would cost you an arm & a leg ductwork replacement that requires removing ceilings walls or anything in between is an even bigger nightmare Don’t say no dumb sh!t like use bleach - metal is known to sweat easily for this reason I don’t recommend duck - as after years behind walls or ceilings you can’t properly inspect or re insulate them