Obesity is classified now as a genetic predisposition

[MrY]

On 3/9/2018 at 9:18 AM, tropo said:

Not all filters are easy to clean. Mine are very difficult to access because they are industrial-type units fitted above the ceiling. I certainly wouldn't clean them more than once a year as it costs 3000 per unit... and I have 6. Having said that, I cleaned the filter yesterday on a unit that had run nightly for 4 months and there was hardly any dust on it. If the filter has hardly any dust on it, it's unlikely the evaporator coils are dirty and full of mold. In other places I've lived I had thick dust on the filter after only a month. It would depend a lot on the amount of dust in the air where you live. You generally smell the "moldiness" of a unit by how fresh the air smells in the room after it has been running. You turn it on, go out for awhile and then come back in.

 

I just noticed you said it's 3000 baht per unit to clean, not 300..! I used to own half of an Aircon shop in Jomtien for a while (by default to a loan). Cleaning was 400 baht per unit on a contract (4x a year) or 500 baht per single visit. Out of town (more than 10K) was at 10 baht a kilometer and refrigerant was charged by weight. Something's off if you pay that much.

 

Best way to smell mold is that first 'puff' of air when you turn on a unit that has been off a few hours (=has dried already). As to dirty filters, you may have practically no dirt (dust) on filters, but still have mold due to high humidity. It all depends on type of usage, the environment and the climate (rainy/dry season). I doubt you use all 6 units the same, so you don't have to clean them all on the same schedule. I would have the one in the bedroom (most exposure) cleaned most often. When I was living in Jomtien, my house had 8 units and our restaurant had 6 units plus a cold room. They weren't all serviced the same, restaurant kitchen units were cleaned most often (every 2 months) and the pool hut unit the least (once a year).

[tropo]

2 hours ago, MrY said:

 

I just noticed you said it's 3000 baht per unit to clean, not 300..! I used to own half of an Aircon shop in Jomtien for a while (by default to a loan). Cleaning was 400 baht per unit on a contract (4x a year) or 500 baht per single visit. Out of town (more than 10K) was at 10 baht a kilometer and refrigerant was charged by weight. Something's off if you pay that much.

 

Best way to smell mold is that first 'puff' of air when you turn on a unit that has been off a few hours (=has dried already). As to dirty filters, you may have practically no dirt (dust) on filters, but still have mold due to high humidity. It all depends on type of usage, the environment and the climate (rainy/dry season). I doubt you use all 6 units the same, so you don't have to clean them all on the same schedule. I would have the one in the bedroom (most exposure) cleaned most often. When I was living in Jomtien, my house had 8 units and our restaurant had 6 units plus a cold room. They weren't all serviced the same, restaurant kitchen units were cleaned most often (every 2 months) and the pool hut unit the least (once a year).

Yes, it wasn't a typo. The copper pipe feeding the evaporator needs to be cut, the gas expelled and the heavy unit lifted out of the ceiling space for dismantling and cleaning, which is a 3 man job, then welded back in and regassed. They can't be cleaned in place (as far as I know and was told) and are very difficult to access even to clean the filters. I wish I could find someone to do it cheaper. The guy who last did it doesn't really want the job even at that price. Of the 6 units, 3 are hardly used, and I only have to deal with one unit that is used often - the bedroom one. The one in my gym works for only about 10 hours a week. Do you have any suggestions for someone I could call that doesn't mind more difficult than usual jobs.

 

 

 

[MrY]

1 hour ago, tropo said:

Yes, it wasn't a typo. The copper pipe feeding the evaporator needs to be cut, the gas expelled and the heavy unit lifted out of the ceiling space for dismantling and cleaning, which is a 3 man job, then welded back in and regassed. They can't be cleaned in place (as far as I know and was told) and are very difficult to access even to clean the filters. I wish I could find someone to do it cheaper. The guy who last did it doesn't really want the job even at that price. Of the 6 units, 3 are hardly used, and I only have to deal with one unit that is used often - the bedroom one. The one in my gym works for only about 10 hours a week. Do you have any suggestions for someone I could call that doesn't mind more difficult than usual jobs.

 

From the pictures it looks like the filters should be underneath the unit (thus easily removable) and the air exits from the side into another room, right?

 

The cleaning should be done in place using a pressure washer (backflush). If the unit is so poorly installed/designed that it cannot be adequately dismantled in place (fans removed, if that), then next time it's out you should have the framework modified accordingly (may be as simple as drilling out pop rivets and putting in galvanized sheet metal screws to allow disassembly in place). Only takes maybe 10L to clean, first with solvent/detergent solution, then mild soap water (or plain). We used a makeshift PVC tube rack and a large tarp underneath to collect the water back into a bucket.

 

My old partner Tam is no longer in the business, but I can ask him for recommendations (if I can still get in touch).

[tropo]

1 hour ago, MrY said:

 

From the pictures it looks like the filters should be underneath the unit (thus easily removable) and the air exits from the side into another room, right?

 

The cleaning should be done in place using a pressure washer (backflush). If the unit is so poorly installed/designed that it cannot be adequately dismantled in place (fans removed, if that), then next time it's out you should have the framework modified accordingly (may be as simple as drilling out pop rivets and putting in galvanized sheet metal screws to allow disassembly in place). Only takes maybe 10L to clean, first with solvent/detergent solution, then mild soap water (or plain). We used a makeshift PVC tube rack and a large tarp underneath to collect the water back into a bucket.

 

My old partner Tam is no longer in the business, but I can ask him for recommendations (if I can still get in touch).

Yes, the cool air exits through grills in the adjoining rooms. The units are all in the ceiling spaces above bathrooms.

 

The filter can be reached after I take the ceiling out. Although it's a bitch to do, I can do it on my own. That was actually one of the smaller units and the easiest to get out. Other units are inside wardrobe ceilings and even harder to get to. The building is about 20 years old and these were the original ones installed. When I moved in the owner serviced all of them and replaced 4 outdoor units. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the first time they had ever been cleaned. There was no evidence the ceiling panels had ever been unscrewed.

 

It's a rental apartment. Nothing is simple for me to do - I rely on the expertise of aircon specialists. I would have expected for them to have cleaned them in place if it was possible. Fortunately, I didn't pay for the first clean. If you know of anyone who can help, I would appreciate the contact. If I owned the place I'd get rid of them and replace them with normal wall units. These are also expensive to run. Lucky I set them to 27 - 28C.

Edited March 10, 2018 by tropo