Indoor air pollution

Indoor air pollution
If you think that only air conditioning part time is saving you money, you may have a different opinion after reading my post.

This air conditioner was cleaned about 2 years ago. Tenants think that opening windows to save money is a good idea. What they don't see is what happens to the inside of the air conditioner when it's exposed to the pollen, dust and EXCESSIVE humidity that they let in when they open windows. There is no doubt that what you see is black mold/mildew. I had to treat the A/C 5 times with bleach to get rid of it. The plastic squirrel cage was a mess, especially the back side.

Excessive humidity is pulled off the evaporator and sprayed all over the inside of A/C where it mixes with the pollen and dust creating black mold/mildew.

I did the math once and if my memory is right, it takes 11000 BTU of cooling to convert one gallon of humidity, moisture, to one gallon of water. If your window A/C drips water, collect the water in a 5 gallon bucket. You'll be amazed. So where is the savings by opening the windows??? In my opinion there is none. Not to mention the pollen issue. I never open windows during the cooling season. Not until later fall, winter, or early spring. I don't like pollen

I use the spray you can get from Dollar General for $2 a can that kills right at 100% of all the bad guys. About once a week I spray the evaporator air intake, leave the grille intact and all. Clean the unit with Clorox every couple of years. Not dead yet.

HTH,
Mark

You make good points George but there is even more to consider. 99% of filter material sold for window units does a very poor job. That stuff should have never got past the filter to begain with. The easiest good filter to find is pleated ones. Buy the largest one available,take it apart and cut to size and you will get 2 or 3 from 1. Pollen alergies aside,there is money to be saved by turning ac off and opening windows overnight but less than 2 hours and you probly save little or nothing.

You have a good point. The front of the evaporators coils was very clean. Should have posted a pic. Point is, if you open windows you allow pollen and very small dust, dirt, particles do their thing inside a window shaker.

The design of a window shaker is backward from a central. Window shakers pull the air through the evaporator, pulling condensate off, and push the air through the condenser coil, also pushing bugs, dirt, lint into the coil. Bad design, just that simple. The air flow through centrals is the opposite.

I will someday post a pic of a window shaker that is used 24/7. Windows are kept closed and unit is on low fan speed to prevent pulling condensate off evaporator.

Hope you all get my point.
George

Often furnace filters are the same price for all sizes, or there isn't too much price difference between the sizes. I buy the largest filter in the width I need. One furnace takes a 14x20 size. I buy a 30x20 and leave the extra sticking up. When the filter needs replacing I flip the fliter end-for-end to get a second fliter life out of it.