[jimkerr]

I’d like to know what company is trying to scam you so I don’t use them.

[gmacw]

These 100% work! Although it depends on mold type as well as where installed. I did HVAC for many years and these became very popular during COVID. I have two installed in my heat pump system at home in MA. Please note, Although the UV lamp will bill certain types of bacteria and mold, it can only kill via line of site. Meaning anywhere the UV light does shine on, ie. where there’s a shadow when light is on, or other side of evaporator coil. My daughter gets symptoms for allergies every year, since I installed the UV lamp, they are Minimal at best.
If there is slight mold, another option is spraying coil cleaner (not bleach) onto the coils then rinse with water. This is a much less expensive option but does not kill any bacteria floating thru the air as it passes thru coil.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by gmacw

These 100% work! Although it depends on mold type as well as where installed. I did HVAC for many years and these became very popular during COVID. I have two installed in my heat pump system at home in MA. Please note, Although the UV lamp will bill certain types of bacteria and mold, it can only kill via line of site. Meaning anywhere the UV light does shine on, ie. where there’s a shadow when light is on, or other side of evaporator coil. My daughter gets symptoms for allergies every year, since I installed the UV lamp, they are Minimal at best.
If there is slight mold, another option is spraying coil cleaner (not bleach) onto the coils then rinse with water. This is a much less expensive option but does not kill any bacteria floating thru the air as it passes thru coil.

Even if the light kills some mold on the coils, the salespeople for these lights claim that it purifies the air as it flows through the air handler, and provides better air for the entire house. In my opinion, this claim is totally bogus. The system is definitely not worth spending thousands of dollars for, especially if you expect one light bulb to treat the air in your entire house.

[FredMitchell]

What color was the "mold"? A common problem in Florida is Zooglea, a bacteria that builds a white sticky mess that can clog the water drain. Getting the line flushed is a messy job, probably required a wet-vac with a way to connect it to you exterior drain.

UV is supposed to help. Aluminum lines in the coil instead of copper is supposedly a contributing factor.

[westernrider75]

Originally Posted by GreggC69

Positiveinlife - Curious who you had do the install. It was one of the local BIG firms that looked at ours and quoted over $2K.

We just had our maintenance done also, this is the third year they have been trying to sell us this system, we are also on the fence about it.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by Bill14564

Isn’t spraying bleach on aluminum coils a bad idea?

Probably, but if you only spray it to kill the mold and immediately rinse it off, it may not damage the coils. I would prefer to use the spray chemical that is specifically designed to clean the coil. But spending thousands of dollars for a UV light bulb seems unnecessary to me.

[CoachKandSportsguy]

We have one installed, during covid, the first year after we bought the house.
Don't remember the cost,

we aren't penny pinchers about healthy foods,
know that hospitals use UV light to sterilize equipment, including covid masks,
being older we are more susceptible to getting sick,
if there was an extended air conditioner outage, it would take a little longer for the mold to start growing in the house.
we are more proactive with breathing recirculated air all day.
Safety or decreased risk, in whatever form, takes time and/or money, can't get around it


It's your money, its your comfort level, do some reading about the effectiveness, and then make a decision you feel comfortable about. No one cares about how you spend your money, only you do.

[MandoMan]

Originally Posted by GreggC69

Had annual tune up of house a/c system last week. When you pull the cover off of the handler in the garage, the technician pointed out areas of specs of mold around the coils and various areas of the unit. The recommendation is for the installation of a multi placement ultraviolet light system to prevent and eliminate any mold development. Has any one experienced this? According to the technician, the mold is something noted on virtually all Villages units. Curious on others experience and curious if anyone has installed one of the ultraviolet lights.

My HVAC maintenance company installed one in the duct above the HVAC unit. He showed my a photo he said showed the duct covered with black mold. I couldn’t read the photo. It cost me $3,500. Whether or not it works, I don’t know.

In a previous home, I had a well that had some e-coli contamination, and that was fixed with a UV light. That was a light tube close to 3 feet long that ran inside a stainless steel tube. There was perhaps a quarter inch between the light tube and the stainless steel tube. All the water ran through that space and was immediately sterilized. Then it went through a filter. The light tube had to be replaced yearly, and a buzzer went off when the year was past. The UV light I had installed here covers a much bigger area of air. It may not kill every mold spore going through the duct, but only the ones that are close enough. But it runs whenever the system runs, and the air recirculates, so it should gradually cut down the number of spores over a couple weeks and keep catching any that come through. But was I crazy? A sucker? Probably.

[BlueStarAirlines]

Originally Posted by jimkerr

I’d like to know what company is trying to scam you so I don’t use them.

Sunshine just serviced my HVAC unit and recommended.

[ToniPaul]

Originally Posted by GreggC69

Had annual tune up of house a/c system last week. When you pull the cover off of the handler in the garage, the technician pointed out areas of specs of mold around the coils and various areas of the unit. The recommendation is for the installation of a multi placement ultraviolet light system to prevent and eliminate any mold development. Has any one experienced this? According to the technician, the mold is something noted on virtually all Villages units. Curious on others experience and curious if anyone has installed one of the ultraviolet lights.

UV is good, and will kill germs - but a better option is an ionizer; both will kill germs (and CoVid) - but an ionizer will kill covid on surfaces, while UV will only kill what’s in the airflow.
Did this for a critical facility I ran during the pandemic - no employee covid due to building conditions.

[Sgt Ed]

Originally Posted by biggamefish1

Truth, in Florida, you will get some light mold in your HVAC system. Truth just spray some bleach on the affected areas and it will be ok till next year, Scammrs.

NO BLEACH in the AC unless you want a new unit in 6 months. Highly corrosive to aluminum coils.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by GreggC69

Had annual tune up of house a/c system last week. When you pull the cover off of the handler in the garage, the technician pointed out areas of specs of mold around the coils and various areas of the unit. The recommendation is for the installation of a multi placement ultraviolet light system to prevent and eliminate any mold development. Has any one experienced this? According to the technician, the mold is something noted on virtually all Villages units. Curious on others experience and curious if anyone has installed one of the ultraviolet lights.

So, if the technician says that there is mold in virtually all Villages HVAC units, should every homeowner spend thousands of dollars to install a UV light?

[CybrSage]

Originally Posted by CoachKandSportsguy

No one cares about how you spend your money, only you do.

Welcome to TOTV, you must be new here.

[LoisR]

Go for it. Weve had one gor seversl years. Or a replacement (the are good for 2 years). Before the UV light, our air filter was all black. We were breathing that stuff. After the lights were installed, the filter was only a little black. What a difference it made. Replacement bulbs are $100 when bought on line.

[Wondering]

Originally Posted by GreggC69

Had annual tune up of house a/c system last week. When you pull the cover off of the handler in the garage, the technician pointed out areas of specs of mold around the coils and various areas of the unit. The recommendation is for the installation of a multi placement ultraviolet light system to prevent and eliminate any mold development. Has any one experienced this? According to the technician, the mold is something noted on virtually all Villages units. Curious on others experience and curious if anyone has installed one of the ultraviolet lights.

Have it installed because they are worth it. They can last one to three years. There is a "window" that shows you when it is lite and functional. They are easy to replace yourself. Go online and you can buy them for $20 to $30 dollars.