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Mold on window air conditioner?
Hi all. When I put in my window air-conditioner a few weeks ago, it developed mold within 24 hours on the surfaces where air passes through. I found I would pay too much to have someone properly clean it to make it worthwhile, so ordered a new one and paid for it to be swapped and for the moldy one to be disposed of. I looked up the mold common to AC's, it's called Stachybotrys chartarum -- which can indeed be toxic to vulnerable folks like we are. I don't see that mold showing up here, nor anyone else posting about this AC problem, but I understand it's common. Anyone else have this experience? What did you do about it? How did you prevent a recurrence? I've had window AC's for decades and never had this happen. Thanks for any sharing.
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Sounds like the condensation line that might have been causing the problem???? Water from the line not going where it should have gone????
If the manufacturer has a tech dept. they sometimes can help us to understand.
That was not fun having to go through all that and disappointing for you.
Barbara
@lvnl I can't guess where the mold came from, but now that you have seen it, be alert for it to reappear from spores lurking nearby. In your situation, I would probably be proactive to avoid it coming back. How? Regularly wipe down all accessible surfaces of the unit and the mounting area with fresh, full strength hydrogen peroxide. And watch for moisture or ice accumulating on or near the unit. This would indicate operating with the thermostat set too low (ice) or trying to cool too large a space for the size of the unit.
Also, low end (typically lower price) units may have evaporative capacity that is fine for most conditions but cannot keep up with very high heat or humidity.
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3 ReactionsThank you Sue! I'm gonna be on it!
@blm1007blm1007 thanks so much Barbara!
The new one is a Windmill brand which is highly rated by wirecutter etc. I'm going to reach out to the company.
I recently installed an LG dual inverter air conditioner in my window. It is around $400 , a bit expensive. I got it for 2 reasons. First, after you shut it off, it keeps the fan running for a few minutes to dry the inside to help avoid mold. Second, the compressor turns on gradually and does not blast air , unlike most air conditioners I had previously. It is heavy, at about 65 pounds, so I got a bracket which requires no hardware. I will not remove it seasonally because it is too heavy. Since I live in snowy winters, there are covers to keep it out of the weather. Hope this helps.
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