HVAC duct cleaning?

Is the UV light thing a scam? Everyone is pushing that now

For dirt to get to the supply ductwork (past the unit) it must first get past the return air filter and then go through the evaporator coil at the unit.

Changing filters regularly will get most the dust. Since the coils is wet do to dew point most dust gets stuck there.

That blows.

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Is the UV light thing a scam? Everyone is pushing that now

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My AC guys did start recommending UV light on mine due to the mold/mildew they were seeing on my units during twice yearly seasonal checkups.

Of course I had questions. I asked why they had never raised this issue with my previous less expensive and less efficient unit. I asked why these units recommended by them are demonstrating a problem they did not share with me as a consideration for the purchase decision.

I also mentioned that the previous AC guy who left their business recommended that I do an air quality test to determine if the black spots around my ceiling vents were simply dust that grabbed onto moisture or more harmful mold spores.

I bought this LINK and tested several rooms. The package also includes a control test which is used to sample outdoor air as a point of comparison. The results showed no mold or mildew in any room, which demonstrated there was nothing dangerous for UV light to affect.

They sent me an estimate anyway and the cost was a few thousand.

I’m no longer paying that service agreement and will find another local business for my winter checkup.

It’s probably cheaper to just clean up the mildew twice a year than to buy UV lights but I hope an HVAC expert can better educate me on that.

Bet The Hitch in Ponchatoula has HVAC ducts that rival London bubonic plague sewers.

I did it a few years back when I got a new air conditioning unit and used the old ductwork. It did get a ton of shite out of the ductwork, but I didn’t see any changes in air quality.

Probably do it again next time I get a new unit as well, because it just seems like the right thing to do.

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Is the UV light thing a scam? Everyone is pushing that now

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I've been curious about this as well. The evaporator coil on my A/C unit, as some of you all may remember, starting leaking back at the end of June. We used a shop vac but that only resolved the issue for about a week. I never followed up here but we did resolve it. The pipe from the evaporator coil had to be moved, as I missing the first part of the pipe when doing pouring vinegar down the line as part of monthly maintenance.

My original A/C guy of course recommended an entire system, as my Carrier A/C unit is original to my townhome and is significantly old. As part of this, he had also said there was some mold. Not enough to replace any duct work, but he also wanted to do the whole UV light thing as well on any new unit.

My original A/C guy has now been fired and I found another really good guy who is local to me (I'm in FL, not LA). But I know it's probably another year or two before I'll have to replace the unit. Is there any genuinely good reason to do a UV light when installing a new system?

When I worked offshore we would have the ducts cleaned once a year and it was legit. My next rig did not clean the ducts for five years or more, and people were complaining about health issues. We pushed hard to get them cleaned. They sent out a team and cleaned. I saw the before and after pics along with sacks of dust on each deck, and it was disgusting.

That being said, it was an industrial environment, and the ducts are metal. I would be very careful to clean flex ducts. You may as well just replace them every 15-20 years.

I got a new AC system for a property and replaced all the ducts, but one duct to the master bedroom could not be replaced as it was wedged in walls. We had it cleaned. THe dust was minor. The duct is at least 30 years old.

The mold pitch around air registers is definitely a scam. I got the fear mongering pitch too. I got a second opinion and realized that if my house less than 20 years old in excellent condition has mold in the ac vents, then 90% of homes in Louisiana have mold.