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My question is more to people who are snowbirds then year round folks. I bought my house (patio villa) about 5 years ago. Due to family situation I wasn't able to use it until last winter and this winter. We are here from Dec to mid May. Both last year and this year my fiancé gets sick as soon as we get here. Up till now I attributed her sickness to colds and flu like illnesses especially when I hear how many people have been sick. But I am wondering if there might be something else at play here. When we leave in May I set my humidistat to 60% and set my thermostat on cool setting at 82 degrees. This illness thing has me wondering how much my AC is running at these settings and if it allows for stuff to grow in my air ducts i.e. thus being the cause of my fiancé getting sick. Appreciate any input as to how folks leave there homes when they leave and if anyone has gotten sick from their HVAC systems.
Thank you,
Bob

Quote:

Originally Posted by daca55 (Post 1347634)

Hope you get an expert's response. I seem to recall hearing that nothing higher than 80 was recommended, since mold will otherwise begin to grow. Perhaps you should get a duct cleaning/disinfecting, too. When I leave for 2 months in the summer, I leave ceiling fans going on low, as well. Good luck.

Possibly allergy related rather than a cold. Pollen is prevalent here during the winter months.

While we are full time, a couple of questions. Do you use a home management firm to check on your house while you are away? Do have the humidistat set while you are here? There are a lot of molds and pollen, and in another thread there were complaints about sinus problems late last year. You did not state the type of sickness, could this be an allergy? If the house is sitting empty for several years, and now 6 months at a time, you may have a significant dust problem. Have you changes the air filter in the A/C at least once per year, possibly twice per year, depending to the system. Did you check the drain on the A/C, if it is blocked, you can easily get mold in the air handler where the filter is located. Have you tried opening the house and completely airing it out when you come down?
No real good answers, but hope this helps.

When was the last time you had maintance done, filter changes, we would leave our villa for 6 months. Did have Sunkool come every 6 months, and homewatch every week

Thanks everyone for your input. We are having system evaluated to see if anything is in there. We do all the maintenance things and have it serviced every year. Our problem may be just allergies. Thanks again!!
Bob

After spending 3 full years here, we are only now beginning to realize how many allergens are in the air outside starting in December. The plants are actually blooming. We both get the usual 'hay fever' type things starting the second week of December.