Powder coming out of air conditioning vent
 

Hi, Just 2 months into our home in The Villages and for the last 2 days a whitish powder is on the counter under the air-conditioning vent. Any idea why and how to correct the problem? Thank you for your help.

Call Home Warranty.

It sounds like construction dust, like drywall dust and sawdust. Have you checked to see if you have a filter in the AC unit, and is it clean? You may want to try one of the super high efficiency filters for awhile to help clean the duct system. Vacuuming the carpets may also help.

I am new here, but the house is not. There is a filter and it looks clean, but I will change it anyway. I just took all the carpets out and tiled, so I don't think the problem is dust from the interior of the house. Any other possibilities? Thanks

How are you sure the powder is coming from the HVAC vent?

Could you somehow tightly close off the vent in question and see the result on your counter?

Don

If the problem persists, I would collect some of the dust and determine if it is fibrous and spongy, or granular. If it is fibrous, it is probably attic insulation that is breaking down. If it is granular, it is probably coming from construction, such as maybe the tile cutting or grout installation or ceiling texture spray. You may want to remove some of your supply registers and see if there is dust in the duct. You could also show the powder to an AC contractor and get another opinion. Good luck.

We had something similar happening and had the A/C & the trunk line replaced. The trunk line for the Supply & Return was 31 years old. We use the Best Quality Filters and still, the white film would show up intermittently. You may just need a Duct Cleaning.

I'm using a guy who is recommended for a dryer cleaning next week named Desmond. I'll let you know what I think about his service or just PM me on Wednesday if I forget. Good Luck.

Desmond is the best!

Desmond is great, I agree.

We very much recommend Desmond. Here is his number; 352.308.9243

Thanks, took the register off and it looks clean except for a moth. I will keep his number. Houses in Florida take a lot of maintenance. Lived in 4 countries and I had never heard of "washing your home", lol

Having your dryer vent cleaned may be a good idea to prevent a fire, but, I have never had my HVAC ducts cleaned, ever.

Back in MA we had our ducts cleaned once after 30 years or so. It pulled out lots of dust and dirt. The dust in the house went down a lot and it cleared up a lot of my wife's allergies. If we were still there we'd be doing every 5 years or so.

However I hesitate to that here though not so much I though it wouldn't help but because the ducts here are just foil tubes that are pretty fragile. Back in MA the ducts were metal and couldn't be damaged by the brushes used to clean them or be collapsed by the vacuum used to suck the dust out. So if I ever have it done here I'd have to be very convinced the operator know how to clean the ducts used in the Villages.

If it turns out that there is dust in the duct-work, it would be better to replace the ducts than to try to clean them.

The foil tube ducts are pretty standard for new construction everywhere, not just in The Villages. I think that any attempt to clean dust from these ducts could damage the ducts. And, I don't know how you would be able to determine if they had been damaged, because they are not accessible in the attic spaces.