OT----Any HVAC guys here?-----OT

@NPHuskerFL

@JefCB01 what do your A coils look like? They are the coils you use the filter for. Might have to remove a cover to see them. That really should have been checked in a pre season. A unit can freeze up and appear to have a leak if they are dirty and not letting air threw. If they look good. No mold on them your good I would say. I am not a HVAC professional just a hack who tries to save a buck.

39 Years in the trade here---Do you have pictures you can share? Did they take pictures of the coil? Duct cleaning does have its time and place- typically Mold is in the Pans and Coils especially with you Green Grass Guys, we see it a lot in the return the return ducting and for us it is easier to just replace

A lot of Bargain "Spring Service Specials" are just a fishing expedition

If it is not musty, you may be ok, but pictures and a second opinion would be in order --My Two Cents

JefCB01 said:

Taking a break from my egg related questions.  If anyone here is an HVAC professional I have a question.

I live in Houston and had an AC company come out last week to do our preseason AC tune-up.  Before the guy started in the attic he pointed at some dust/dirt build up on the attic ductwork and said that it was mildew/growth bacteria coming from inside the ductwork and now is outside (only on the top that I could tell) and that we should clean our ducts and sanitize them to the tune $750 per unit.

Seems like I'm getting played by am I?  Our house doesn't smell moldy or musty...none of the ducts in any room have visible dust or growths when I stand up to them and shine a flashlight.  Our filters are changed regularly and stay pretty clean.

Am I missing something? For your trouble, I present my recent paella done on my large BGE.

No help on the AV....but me likey the paella.

We are talking about the outside top of the ductwork, correct?  Not the inside of the ducts or the coil.  

I've been a licensed mechanical contractor since 2004. That was a BS sales pitch. Save your money for SRF and RW. Everyone else is correct about the A-coil and blower wheel. Be sure those are clean and change your filter as needed.

the ducting is a system closed to the attic.  total bullsh*t explanation of why you need ducts cleaned 

alaskanassasin said:

 This is our pre season ac tuneup ritual

Ha Ha

thetrim said:

@NPHuskerFL as long as he hasn't peace'd out recently.

And if he has, you just need to wait a few days longer.

Not a HVAC guy but I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night... How can I help??

what is this "season" you guys speak of? I go through that with my heater but when my ac is having issues, I know it quickly- no matter what month it is. very little down time for our units down here.

No active mold growth ....if you have a concern go to the box store and get a test kit....IMO, they were just fishing, and by chance was it an advertised " Special" ..

Exterior of insulation does not get mold ( normally )

cookingdude555 said:

Go mini split!  No more ducts.  I am sure people will pile on for my suggestion, but I really like ours.  I even put it in myself  .  A second one goes in the master bedroom next month.

Best thing I ever did for my central system was get in there into where the A coil was and clean it really good, make sure the fins were combed straight.  I had a tech tell me I needed a new system.  5 years ago.  My SEER 10 R22 system is still running great.  I don't trust them.  But eventually it will spring a leak and I either will need to add R407c, or finally give into a newer system.

I installed one in my shop and one in the master bedroom.  Might get rid of the central one day, but it has another decade of life in it and the gas furnace is 97% efficient or something.   Installed everything myself.

nolaegghead said:

cookingdude555 said:

Go mini split!  No more ducts.  I am sure people will pile on for my suggestion, but I really like ours.  I even put it in myself  .  A second one goes in the master bedroom next month.

Best thing I ever did for my central system was get in there into where the A coil was and clean it really good, make sure the fins were combed straight.  I had a tech tell me I needed a new system.  5 years ago.  My SEER 10 R22 system is still running great.  I don't trust them.  But eventually it will spring a leak and I either will need to add R407c, or finally give into a newer system.

I installed one in my shop and one in the master bedroom.  Might get rid of the central one day, but it has another decade of life in it and the gas furnace is 97% efficient or something.   Installed everything myself.

I think I saw the shop one in one of your pics once.  I really like them.  I went looking after seeing this thread and I am picking up three more units next week.  That should do it for me.  I wont need the central anymore, but I wont rip it out.  The central is tough on the shoulder seasons here in Utah (April, late September/early October).  Its warm enough to use AC, but not hot enough for it to run at longer intervals.  You get a constant feeling of a freezing house, followed by a long warm up period.  Its sized for the hottest day of the year, and it does well in that regard, but the inverter in these ductless systems are excellent at scaling back when needed.  My kitchen unit will run down around 3000 btu so its always keeping the room at the set temp without fluctuations.  Ductless systems are to air conditioning what a flameboss is to a BGE.

I have an air scrubber plus with a regular media filter, the air bear. I thought the scrubber was a joke until I tried it. Gets the dust out like crazy and kills odor. I've had mine a year now, I'll always have one. If you or anyone In the house is sensitive to ozone, ask for the non ozone cell. Still kicks ass. 

I have a central heat pump system with the inverter compressor, a trane xv20. It's awesome. (I used to do sales for HVAC so I got good prices on my stuff. Expect to pay around a grand for an air scrubber. Cost on them is like 400 bucks or less.)