Split System AC and mold....

tommym

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OK so as part of my getting healthier in 2022.....

I'm prone to pneumonia due to the humid environment and my pulmonologist advised me to have a professional recheck my home's AC system. As he feels AC is probably one of the most overlooked items on the quarterly checklist. Sure enough, the AC guys had a look-see and told me that the wall units are absolutely filthy. Geez, I just had them fully serviced less than a year ago, and only use these things on the weekends. The bad news is that there are no replacement parts for these older units 30-year-old units, and the wall units along with the exterior compressor would have to be changed out as a set. That would cost $5,000 to $6,000 USD. I just told them to remove the wall units, compressor, etc., and dispose of them. Gonna be a hot summer this year.

So check your home AC systems for mold, etc. when you have the time to do so. Might save you or your loved ones' life.

Tommy
 

tommym

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30 years old! You can get 5000BTU window units at the big box stores for under $150 that are 100x more efficient.
Yep, but trying to get that past the HOA is going to be an uphill battle.

Tommy
 

tommym

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Oof. If I woke up in an HOA my house would be a smoldering hole in the ground by noon.
Yeah, can't really blame the HOA on this one. The original homes had ductless AC refrigerant lines and control wiring concealed and routed within the walls, floors, and ceilings. The HOA wants to maintain the looks of the exterior of the homes. The problem is that the newer replacement ductless AC systems use different refrigerant lines and control wiring. Thus, the existing refrigerant lines and control wiring are of no use. So you would have to tear up the house to reroute new refrigerant lines and control wiring. What a mess.

Tommy
 

chazmo

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That sucks, Tommy. Did you actually discuss this with the HOA at a meeting? You can't be the only one with that problem... Maybe they can set up a group buy or something to make the replacement effort more palatable to the individual owners. Difficult situation. In any case, good luck with whatever you choose to do.
 

tommym

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That sucks, Tommy. Did you actually discuss this with the HOA at a meeting? You can't be the only one with that problem... Maybe they can set up a group buy or something to make the replacement effort more palatable to the individual owners. Difficult situation. In any case, good luck with whatever you choose to do.

Yes, we did discuss this with the HOA along with many other concerned homeowners, on many occasions. The HOA stuck to their guns.

BUT as of today, there is some unexpected light at the end of the tunnel. :)

Note that the following only applies to my mother's single-family home that I co-own with her. My wife's townhouse (same sub-division, HOA) is another ball of wax.

It seems my mother's medical conditions trump the HOA rules and regulations. We just received a letter from the Department of Justice stating that where HOA rules and regulations conflict with reasonable accommodations to the homeowner's disabilities and life-safety concerns, the latter shall take precedence over HOA rules and regulations. Lots more mumbo-jumbo in the letter. But essentially, if mom wants to take the cheapest route and install window AC, she is free to do so. It also states that where a window AC conflicts with fire egress regulations, a through-the-wall installation (if deemed structurally feasible) shall be allowed. The window AC shall be allowed to protrude past the exterior face of the wall so as to not impact the interior footprint of the room, except in public areas where these protrusions may conflict with other accessibility rules and regulations, or safety concerns. We don't have any "public" areas on this piece of property, so we are good on that one.

Tommy
 

tommym

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Oof. If I woke up in an HOA my house would be a smoldering hole in the ground by noon.
GAD,

The problem is that in my neck of the woods, all new residential developments are required to have an HOA. It has been the case for the last 30+ years.

Tommy
 

GAD

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GAD,

The problem is that in my neck of the woods, all new residential developments are required to have an HOA. It has been the case for the last 30+ years.

Tommy
That’s nuts. Where is this?
 

Nuuska

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So you can cut the trees and put them in a tree museum and pave paradise + build a pink hotel & swinging hot spot - but not an AC unit on your window ? 😏
 

Midnight Toker

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Yes, we did discuss this with the HOA along with many other concerned homeowners, on many occasions. The HOA stuck to their guns.

BUT as of today, there is some unexpected light at the end of the tunnel. :)

Note that the following only applies to my mother's single-family home that I co-own with her. My wife's townhouse (same sub-division, HOA) is another ball of wax.

It seems my mother's medical conditions trump the HOA rules and regulations. We just received a letter from the Department of Justice stating that where HOA rules and regulations conflict with reasonable accommodations to the homeowner's disabilities and life-safety concerns, the latter shall take precedence over HOA rules and regulations. Lots more mumbo-jumbo in the letter. But essentially, if mom wants to take the cheapest route and install window AC, she is free to do so. It also states that where a window AC conflicts with fire egress regulations, a through-the-wall installation (if deemed structurally feasible) shall be allowed. The window AC shall be allowed to protrude past the exterior face of the wall so as to not impact the interior footprint of the room, except in public areas where these protrusions may conflict with other accessibility rules and regulations, or safety concerns. We don't have any "public" areas on this piece of property, so we are good on that one.

Tommy
That's ridiculous. ALL hvac systems w/ older refrigerant are being phased out for new ones. So anytime anyone has to replace their system, it'll require a new line set. I've had 4-5 ductless units installed in various properties I manage. I just bought line set covers and painted them the same color as the outside of the building and they blend right in. Besides, it's always best to have your line sets outside, and attached directly to the back of the head unit right through the exterior wall. Your condensation line will also be hidden under the line set cover. Running it inside the walls just leads to potential problems, leaks, condensation line sludge buildup that you cannot access, MOLD!!, etc. I would have an hvac person talk some sense into the HOA. Or tell them that you'll run it inside if the HOA will sign off being responsible for future mold remediation, as exterior line sets prevent exactly that!! They are designed for through wall installation! Today's ductless wall mount units are super efficient and run quiet as a mouse (outside and in). 100x better than any window unit.

Show them these covers and tell them you'll paint them to blend in. ANYTHING but mold in your house.

IMG_2837.JPG
IMG_2836.JPG
 
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tommym

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We
That's ridiculous. ALL hvac systems w/ older refrigerant are being phased out for new ones. So anytime anyone has to replace their system, it'll require a new line set. I've had 4-5 ductless units installed in various properties I manage. I just bought line set covers and painted them the same color as the outside of the building and they blend right in. Besides, it's always best to have your line sets outside, and attached directly to the back of the head unit right through the exterior wall. Your condensation line will also be hidden under the line set cover. Running it inside if walls just leads to potential problems, leaks, MOLD!!, etc. I would have an hvac person talk some sense into the HOA. Or tell them that the HOA will be responsible for future mold remediation, as exterior line sets prevent exactly that!!

Show them these covers and tell them you'll paint them to blend in. ANYTHING but mold in your house.

IMG_2837.JPG
IMG_2836.JPG

Yeah, we showed them those covers. The problem with exterior installations is that in addition to the vertical run you may also need a bunch of sloped horizontal runs to reach the various rooms. I have seen many of these installs in other subdivisions that look totally ghetto. So I get why the HOA continues to fight against exterior installs.

Tommy
 

Midnight Toker

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We


Yeah, we showed them those covers. The problem with exterior installations is that in addition to the vertical run you may also need a bunch of sloped horizontal runs to reach the various rooms. I have seen many of these installs in other subdivisions that look totally ghetto. So I get why the HOA continues to fight against exterior installs.

Tommy
How many head units would you require? I have one building w/ 4 of them, and we ran the horizontal just above ground level (covers mounted to the foundation just below the siding.) It looks fine, but I get what you're saying. I've seen some pretty sloppy installs myself.
 

tommym

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How many head units would you require? I have one building w/ 4 of them, and we ran the horizontal just above ground level (covers mounted to the foundation just below the siding.) It looks fine, but I get what you're saying. I've seen some pretty sloppy installs myself.
We currently have 5 interior air-handling units and 3 exterior compressor/condenser units.

Tommy
 
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