Aircon/Smell/Mold > The Law Of Physics...

[zappalot]

Smell and mold will come automatically after some time in every aircon i guess.

So this is why we have to clean it regularly, right?

We open the aircon to cool down the room to 28/27 degrees in the night.

The aircon shops always want to tell us that this is to hot... We will not have any mold if we set the aircon to below 25 degrees.

I guess that is nonsense. No matter which temperature the aircon is set to, the aluminium heat exchanger system inside the indoor unit will get wet. It can`t be avoided. Dust will be collected inside and the combination of dust/dirt and the wet/humid conditions inside the aircon unit will automatically attract mold to settle down.

That is just physics...

Am i wrong with my conclusion? I mean this is Thailand but the law of physics/chemisty/biology does apply even here...

[trogers]

We open the aircon to cool down the room to 28/27 degrees in the night.

Why do you not just open the windows and on the fan at night. The min. temp of outside air at 25-26C will be lower then those set into the aircon. Thus, humidity in the room will build up as the compressor will not be extracting mositure from the room much.

[zappalot]

Aug 28, 12 07:00 26.2 23.9 87 1006.96 calm 10.00 - Cloudy Sky Aug 28, 12 04:00 26.5 24.3 88 1006.04 calm 10.00 - Partly Cloudy Sky Aug 28, 12 01:00 26.9 25.0 90 1006.69 calm 10.00 - Partly Cloudy Sky

hm, the last weeks the temp was almost all night more at 27 degrees than below 26 and this with above 85% humidity. In the house the temperature never goes that low, in the night normally the temperature inside remains about 2-3 degrees above the outside temperature.

So it is about 3 degrees more cold in the aircon room than in the rest of the house, also the humidity is down a lot. The difference we feel is huge if changing from non aircon - room to aircon room.

i guess it is just normal that with about 8 hours of daily usage the aircon should be cleaned about every 4-5 months.A friend suggested to get some chlorine, order a shop to clean the aircon and order them when they arrive to put it into the water. Chlorine will kill the mold...

No need to discuss this topic with ignorant thais. Anyway, no matter how low the humidity in a room, the aluminium heat exchanging parts inside the indoor unit getting so cold that they get wet.

I remember days in Turkey with about 10% humidity and about 38 degrees - a cool glass of beer was getting wet outside, the humid in the air condensated (and dry inside :-) ) always, Independent from the relative humidity.

Edited August 28, 2012 by zappalot

[Naam]

Am i wrong with my conclusion?

no, your conclusion is correct. whever the filters of our units are cleaned (6-8 weeks) we spray a disinfectant (Dettol) into the running unit. but that does not mean a thorough foam cleaning every one or two years can be avoided.

[zappalot]

So Dettol is the brand/name of this disinfectant? To be bought in every supermarket or a pharmacie?

[Naam]

So Dettol is the brand/name of this disinfectant? To be bought in every supermarket or a pharmacie?

available in supermarkets but in Thailand not in pressurised spray cans. you have to use the available pump-action spray containers and fill them with Dettol.

[Delight]

I found this on line:

The air smells musty

Air conditioners remove moisture from the air. The water collects in the base of the unit. Under normal conditions this water will be evaporated out of the unit. However, it is possible for some water to sit stagnant in the base of the air conditioner for extended periods of time. There is no easy way to prevent this problem. The problem will be reduced if you carefully clean the base of the inside of the air conditioner at least once a year. That will keep any dirt, lint or dust from absorbing the water and allowing mold and mildew to grow. Also, replace the filter behind or in the front cover.

[Pseudolus]

Am i wrong with my conclusion?

no, your conclusion is correct. whever the filters of our units are cleaned (6-8 weeks) we spray a disinfectant (Dettol) into the running unit. but that does not mean a thorough foam cleaning every one or two years can be avoided.

I thought you of all people would know that mould starts to grow rapidly at about 80 degree f (26 celius give or take) so the actual experts who have been speaking to him are correct. Dettol stinks by the way.

[zappalot]

I thought you of all people would know that mould starts to grow rapidly at about 80 degree f (26 celius give or take) so the actual experts who have been speaking to him are correct. Dettol stinks by the way.

No, i didn`t know that. Interesting but: Even if i run the aircon at 25 or lower i will shut if off in the morning, Some humidity will remain, the temperature will rise to at least 31/32 degree celsius. That mean if i don`t run the aircon day and night i will have the rapidly growing mold...

Then i will better regularly clean it with chlorine and spray some Dettol from time to time. If i spray it in the morning the smell will probably be gone in the evening then...

thx for anyones input so far, i learned some new things :-)

[transam]

Haven't had my A/C cleaned in 3 years, noooooooooooo problem. You smelly people eh.

[zappalot]

Haven't had my A/C cleaned in 3 years, noooooooooooo problem. You smelly people eh.

Assumed that you operate it several hours a day it must be full of dirt and dust. Every fan get dirty after a few weeks. After 2 or three months they are full with dirt.

Maybe you should see a doctor. Your nose has a problem!

[transam]

Haven't had my A/C cleaned in 3 years, noooooooooooo problem. You smelly people eh.

Assumed that you operate it several hours a day it must be full of dirt and dust. Every fan get dirty after a few weeks. After 2 or three months they are full with dirt.

Maybe you should see a doctor. Your nose has a problem!

Nooooooooooo, l clean the filter now and again, takes 2 minutes, nothing else.

[zappalot]

Nooooooooooo, l clean the filter now and again, takes 2 minutes, nothing else.

i c, i c. Our filter is very coarsemeshed. It can`t hold away all dust, What kind of filter do you have, best would be some kind of HEPA filter, but i guess for this i have to create something by myself...

btw: what temperature do you set with your aircon?

Edited August 28, 2012 by zappalot

[transam]

Nooooooooooo, l clean the filter now and again, takes 2 minutes, nothing else.

i c, i c. Our filter is very coarsemeshed. It can`t hold away all dust, What kind of filter do you have, best would be some kind of HEPA filter, but i guess for this i have to create something by myself...

btw: what temperature do you set with your aircon?

Yeh, mine is a course filter that l blast with a water hose and put it back. 27 Degs. Did have a guy a few years back to do it all properly for 500bht. Did a thorough job too.

[Tywais]

I thought you of all people would know that mould starts to grow rapidly at about 80 degree f (26 celius give or take) so the actual experts who have been speaking to him are correct. Dettol stinks by the way.

You've never seen mold in a refrigerator? Mold can start growing at 4 deg C.

Appropriate Temperatures. Unfortunately, most molds grow very well at the same temperatures that humans prefer. In addition, anyone who has cleaned out their refrigerator quickly realizes that temperatures close to freezing are not cold enough to prevent mold growth and temperatures that are much warmer than humans prefer, like those of the tropics, will grow abundant quantities of mold. Therefore, it is not feasible to control mold growth in our home environment through the control of temperature.

Solar energy center

[zappalot]

Mold and dust everywhere... Can u provide a pic of ur filter?

Here u c ours, its crap as u can see the dust and mold on every parts as well as on the ventilation part:

[Naam]

Nooooooooooo, l clean the filter now and again, takes 2 minutes, nothing else.

i c, i c. Our filter is very coarsemeshed. It can`t hold away all dust, What kind of filter do you have, best would be some kind of HEPA filter, but i guess for this i have to create something by myself...

btw: what temperature do you set with your aircon?

i bought electrostatic filter mats in the U.S. and cut them to size. it's a bit problematic to fix them because they are much thicker (4-5mm) than the usual filters in split units. makes big difference in air quality when people smoke and of course they are filtering out much smaller airborne particles then the normal filter.

they have to cleaned more often because of their density and they reduce airflow considerably. cleaning is done with a pressure washer and then they are steam cleaned.

[Pseudolus]

I thought you of all people would know that mould starts to grow rapidly at about 80 degree f (26 celius give or take) so the actual experts who have been speaking to him are correct. Dettol stinks by the way.

You've never seen mold in a refrigerator? Mold can start growing at 4 deg C.

Appropriate Temperatures. Unfortunately, most molds grow very well at the same temperatures that humans prefer. In addition, anyone who has cleaned out their refrigerator quickly realizes that temperatures close to freezing are not cold enough to prevent mold growth and temperatures that are much warmer than humans prefer, like those of the tropics, will grow abundant quantities of mold. Therefore, it is not feasible to control mold growth in our home environment through the control of temperature.

Solar energy center

Very true, but there are many types of mould, and more often than not what lost through drop in temperature, is replaced by a food source (sugars basically). I keep my air running 12 hours a day; never have a problem with it smelling etc but then I did make sure I had the right BTU for the rooms. The Thai solution is usually to get the highest BTU there is which I assume would not combat humidity. Maybe those with a smelly air unit basically have the wrong BTU installed?

By the way, instead of Dettol, I would use lime juice. A lot nicer to have a distant whiff of lime in the air as opposed to Dettol. Whats next - TCP? lol

[shaurene]

We open the aircon to cool down the room to 28/27 degrees in the night.

Why do you not just open the windows and on the fan at night. The min. temp of outside air at 25-26C will be lower then those set into the aircon. Thus, humidity in the room will build up as the compressor will not be extracting mositure from the room much.

Hi. I still have company in New Zealand and we have been supplying Dehumidifiers for more than 20yr, my son runs it now. Moisture causes mold and mildew and it is alive. It thrives more in lower tempd than high and it need moisture to grow. As far as I know mould will not build up on the aluminium finns. Why you get water on the finns is because the humidity is in the area and it is pulled into the air con and the air beeing full of moisture hits the cold evaporator and makes the air very cold and turns the moisture in the air to water because the air cannot hold the moisture any more as it gets heavy. If you remember in the UK in winter and the outside temp is low we get water on the inside of the window and also get mould on the curtains. You also get it forming on the ceilings.

Edited August 29, 2012 by shaurene

[Naam]

We open the aircon to cool down the room to 28/27 degrees in the night.

Why do you not just open the windows and on the fan at night. The min. temp of outside air at 25-26C will be lower then those set into the aircon. Thus, humidity in the room will build up as the compressor will not be extracting mositure from the room much.

Hi. I still have company in New Zealand and we have been supplying Dehumidifiers for more than 20yr, my son runs it now. Moisture causes mold and mildew and it is alive. It thrives more in lower tempd than high and it need moisture to grow. As far as I know mould will not build up on the aluminium finns. Why you get water on the finns is because the humidity is in the area and it is pulled into the air con and the air beeing full of moisture hits the cold evaporator and makes the air very cold and turns the moisture in the air to water because the air cannot hold the moisture any more as it gets heavy. If you remember in the UK in winter and the outside temp is low we get water on the inside of the window and also get mould on the curtains. You also get it forming on the ceilings.

hear hear!

[zappalot]

i bought a toilet cleaner with 15% hydrochloric acid - i guess added some of this to the cleaning water will destroy the mold inside the aircon...

or can this cause damage to the aircon unit?

i also had the idea to get some chlorine from the kind they add to swimming pools....

[ballbreaker]

i also had the idea to get some chlorine from the kind they add to swimming pools....

You could also use a solution of regular Clorox and water.

I have been using 3M Air Foam 2 in 1 Cleaner and Freshener the last couple years. I clean once a year and one can is big enough to do all three of my current units. Just follow the directions on the can.

You can find in Lotus, Home Pro and most likely Big C.

Edited September 5, 2012 by ballbreaker

[Naam]

i bought a toilet cleaner with 15% hydrochloric acid - i guess added some of this to the cleaning water will destroy the mold inside the aircon...

or can this cause damage to the aircon unit?

i also had the idea to get some chlorine from the kind they add to swimming pools....

both is corrosive and should not be used.