I like the way you work. I've been doing it myself and the overall inspection usually tells the story for you and the homeowner. Thanks for the heads up for the others watching.
My younger years I lived in a house with a basement and floor registers like this. Works great for heating. But the dust and dander and nastiness, falls right down in them. Also was lousy for cooling, especially with high ceilings. Living in Central Texas, where basements just don’t happen, I appreciate ceiling registers. Cold air falls during the nine months of AC use. In winter, ceiling fans blowing down on a low or medium speed, pushes the heat down very well. Using a heat pump down to 20F is very efficient. Below that I have heat strips just in case.
The worst case of mold in the ductwork that I've seen was caused by the trap being knocked of a package unit and the fan being run continuously. Mold was growing on the walls above every vent and the trunk line was internally insulated. When I opened the unit, it had about 6 inches of water in it. White mold was all through the system and the homeowner wanted me to clean it. I turned the job down because I knew it would never come out of the duct liner and she needed serious mold remediation through the whole house.
Never liked crawlspaces unless flooding is an issue. Even then the units went elsewhere when a choice was available. I once bought a house in N. Oklahoma, slab on grade one story where they had laid pvc ducts under and through the slab for floor registers. Fed by two downflow furnaces and coils. Mold test was positive, the seller paid to abandon the whole system. Concrete filled the registers and went with a single attic system and new ductwork using ceiling registers. It was a modulating furnace and two stage ac system from twenty years ago combined with forced air zoning. Had to heat trace the furnace condensate line. Worked great.
Where there is an accumulation of dirt and moisture there is a strong opportunity for mold/fungal growth. I find a problem with many of these situations an accumulative effect of time, dirt, dampness and lack of air flow. The problem with many of these crawlspaces is the collection of duct work, pipes, wires (obstructions to adequate crawlspace ventilation), and small water intrusions from the crawlspace being below grade, missing refrigerant pipe insulation condensate drips and leaks from water pipes/drain pipes; sets the stage for mold. Most of these crawlspace are too low to accommodate all these issues. But from a legal stand point you really shouldn't call it mold unless its tested. Refer to it as suspected mold or mold-like substances. Unless it's sampled, tested and species identified; it shouldn't be referred to as "mold". A representing lawyer would cringe with such liberty. Mold or not, remedial action is needed based off of just what I saw in this video.
Brother-in-law’s house has the same problem as this one with the addition of being a “below grade” crawl with sandy/clay soil. Except it was that way for 50 years with lack of ventilation through the foundation. It got left abandoned for 5 years with vents closed, the mold was so thick I still got an infection with a mask on. Point being, take care of it while you can.
As a fellow professional HVAC technician what are your thoughts on the legal repercussions of using the word "mold" as opposed to "microbial growth" to your clients?
I remember having this discussion a number of years back, with some fellow techs. Pretty sure you can call it what you like, but you can't use the term to scare Grandma Jables into thousands of dollars of duct work. Which is fair, a lot of nefarious types were using the "black mold" scare in the 80s and 90s, to do just that.
As a former certified Mold Inspector, You cannot call it mold unless it has been tested and confirmed. The down side is, all air samples taken will test positive for mold and a majority of surface testing samples will test positive. The key is having a vey low spore count. Most don't even realize they eat mold everyday: Bread, cereal, cheese, fruits and veggies, to name a few. You can't control the food source, but you can control the moisture and keep the humidity below 60%....... Remove any 1 of these 3: Food source, moisture or High humidity, and Mold can't grow.
@@primusheating1 that may be true if the duct doesn't get installed correctly. Mold doesn't grow on metal without organic material ( dust or dirt) . It needs food , water and right Temps to grow. I have seen mold in metal duct a lot also. Mainly cause not sealed tight and poor filtration. Dust and dirt in duct and in time you can get mold ....
Tear it all out dry ice blast the whole underside and use spray in foam insulation done problem solved no vapor barrier needed and run hard ducts rather than those flex ducts. Easier to maintain and keep ducts clean if they’re hard ducts!
Mr Ted you and Steve live should get together and make videos you guys are f****** awesome I love your work I learned it a long time ago should have stayed in it but I didn't but I still use the same integrity
Hard to say it’s not bad mold without having it tested first. And may they need new ductwork thru out home and aeroseal the system and seal bootbox to floor connection to stop Moisture from being pulled in under house or crawl space
I do not like them at all. I have never bought or sold a single one. I do install 5 inch media filters quite often but never the silly one you speak of.
Floor ducting is one of the worst designs made in the past... all your dust and make them filthy. Houses with those are usually dusty and have poor air quality.
I like the way you work. I've been doing it myself and the overall inspection usually tells the story for you and the homeowner. Thanks for the heads up for the others watching.
Sometimes it's difficult to tell the customer about the other issues that they have...Fun!
@@shawnwalsh5430 haha 100% agree I’m still new to the trade but sometimes I’m a little too honest with somethings
My younger years I lived in a house with a basement and floor registers like this. Works great for heating. But the dust and dander and nastiness, falls right down in them.
Also was lousy for cooling, especially with high ceilings.
Living in Central Texas, where basements just don’t happen, I appreciate ceiling registers. Cold air falls during the nine months of AC use.
In winter, ceiling fans blowing down on a low or medium speed, pushes the heat down very well. Using a heat pump down to 20F is very efficient. Below that I have heat strips just in case.
The worst case of mold in the ductwork that I've seen was caused by the trap being knocked of a package unit and the fan being run continuously. Mold was growing on the walls above every vent and the trunk line was internally insulated. When I opened the unit, it had about 6 inches of water in it. White mold was all through the system and the homeowner wanted me to clean it. I turned the job down because I knew it would never come out of the duct liner and she needed serious mold remediation through the whole house.
Never liked crawlspaces unless flooding is an issue. Even then the units went elsewhere when a choice was available. I once bought a house in N. Oklahoma, slab on grade one story where they had laid pvc ducts under and through the slab for floor registers. Fed by two downflow furnaces and coils. Mold test was positive, the seller paid to abandon the whole system. Concrete filled the registers and went with a single attic system and new ductwork using ceiling registers. It was a modulating furnace and two stage ac system from twenty years ago combined with forced air zoning. Had to heat trace the furnace condensate line. Worked great.
Encapsulate the crawl and condition it. Takes care of those problems
Would you recommend a whole house air purifier? It would reduce the dust accumulation in the new duct?
I’ll never understand putting all the HVAC mechanicals in the worst environment possible. Just goofy.
they have popcorn ceiling? same white crud on the floors
Where there is an accumulation of dirt and moisture there is a strong opportunity for mold/fungal growth. I find a problem with many of these situations an accumulative effect of time, dirt, dampness and lack of air flow. The problem with many of these crawlspaces is the collection of duct work, pipes, wires (obstructions to adequate crawlspace ventilation), and small water intrusions from the crawlspace being below grade, missing refrigerant pipe insulation condensate drips and leaks from water pipes/drain pipes; sets the stage for mold. Most of these crawlspace are too low to accommodate all these issues. But from a legal stand point you really shouldn't call it mold unless its tested. Refer to it as suspected mold or mold-like substances. Unless it's sampled, tested and species identified; it shouldn't be referred to as "mold". A representing lawyer would cringe with such liberty. Mold or not, remedial action is needed based off of just what I saw in this video.
Brother-in-law’s house has the same problem as this one with the addition of being a “below grade” crawl with sandy/clay soil. Except it was that way for 50 years with lack of ventilation through the foundation. It got left abandoned for 5 years with vents closed, the mold was so thick I still got an infection with a mask on. Point being, take care of it while you can.
I never liked the idea of putting a unit in crawl spaces. So much moisture and its never well ventilated. Sometimes it's your only choice though.
the wet insulation/joists were from a failed/ineffective vapor barrier?
As a fellow professional HVAC technician what are your thoughts on the legal repercussions of using the word "mold" as opposed to "microbial growth" to your clients?
I remember having this discussion a number of years back, with some fellow techs. Pretty sure you can call it what you like, but you can't use the term to scare Grandma Jables into thousands of dollars of duct work. Which is fair, a lot of nefarious types were using the "black mold" scare in the 80s and 90s, to do just that.
I would like to know what does that "project" cost? and is it covered , you think by your homeowners insurance?
As a former certified Mold Inspector, You cannot call it mold unless it has been tested and confirmed. The down side is, all air samples taken will test positive for mold and a majority of surface testing samples will test positive. The key is having a vey low spore count. Most don't even realize they eat mold everyday: Bread, cereal, cheese, fruits and veggies, to name a few. You can't control the food source, but you can control the moisture and keep the humidity below 60%....... Remove any 1 of these 3: Food source, moisture or High humidity, and Mold can't grow.
Replace with galvanized pipe and 2" insulated wrap. More expensive but better airflow and easier to clean. Thxs for the vids!
And still will have the same issues. Did three inspections this month alone and still same issues with all metal ducting.
They don’t want to spend money to encapsulate so depending on weather the problem could come back in the future. House will be sold by then.
@@TedCookHVAC : In other words, it's a time bomb, problem for the new owner.
@@primusheating1 that may be true if the duct doesn't get installed correctly. Mold doesn't grow on metal without organic material ( dust or dirt) . It needs food , water and right Temps to grow. I have seen mold in metal duct a lot also. Mainly cause not sealed tight and poor filtration. Dust and dirt in duct and in time you can get mold ....
@@TedCookHVAC I'm a retired hospital maintenance mechanic and this definitely made me cringe.
Good vid ... Thx ...
i am more concerned about how much mold ted get in too
Tear it all out dry ice blast the whole underside and use spray in foam insulation done problem solved no vapor barrier needed and run hard ducts rather than those flex ducts. Easier to maintain and keep ducts clean if they’re hard ducts!
Agree...might not be worth the trouble. I'd be more worried about the mold on a brick of cheese most
I guess their insurance will pick up that hefty bill. Is it not a good time to replace the Furnace if it is 2012
Mr Ted you and Steve live should get together and make videos you guys are f****** awesome I love your work I learned it a long time ago should have stayed in it but I didn't but I still use the same integrity
Hard to say it’s not bad mold without having it tested first. And may they need new ductwork thru out home and aeroseal the system and seal bootbox to floor connection to stop Moisture from being pulled in under house or crawl space
Part of why I love living in a dry climate. Mold is almost a non-issue unless something majorly goes wrong.
Ted I’ve noticed that you don’t seem to sell many of the CleanEffects filters with your systems…do you not like them or just a coincidence?
I do not like them at all. I have never bought or sold a single one. I do install 5 inch media filters quite often but never the silly one you speak of.
At 3:48 ... what is that multi colored cable?
Mold smold!🤣🤣😅
Thanks again for the videos!
🥃🥃🍺🍺🍺⛳🎳
Stay safe.
Retired (werk'n)keyboard super tech. Wear your safety glasses!
Did you test that material for mold? You can't call it mold without a test its a little unprofessional to do so. It's more likely to be mildew.
I'm curious what the total cost would be for the remediation of that mess?🤔
ballpark guess - $40,000
Looks like a bigger house. My guess is around $25,000
Green is the borate treatment, what’s the relative humidity?
it’s south carolina so somewhere between 100% and holy s*%#
👍
@anti DIY HVAC is it ok if I visit your shop 3/31/22 or 4/1/22 me and my family are on vacation and are moving here soon. Thanks
You can try me at 864-320-6719 to find out my availability. I have had a pretty busy week and not been at the shop as much as I’d like.
@@TedCookHVACok
Wow sounds expensive.
its hard to stop that with a dirt crawl space.
I should appreciate basements more after seeing the crawl spaces you guys down south have to deal with
Big Money, caused by a bad design.
Give us a ball park price +-1000 interested how much.
I could see it being anywhere from 10k to 20k for full incapsulation by a reputable company
My dude put a respirator on!!!
Call Rainbow International for your mold issues and duct cleaning....
Those type of homes suck thats why i love florida 90% homes are over attic
My Ducks were fighting with the Moles in my yard !
Steve lavimoniea however the hell he spells it
Maybe ac run 1 a year
I hate floor vents so much. Too easy for crap to fall down in them.
Hello from the great state of Michigan
Hi Michigan, born and raised in Detroit then as a kid moved to St. Clair Shores back in 1955 - now in Florida - yes I'm old 👍
That duct cleaning company did a terrible job
Last comment by me Steve Levy lav
I Do not run into to many CRAWLSPACE
I’d never want to deal with floor vents, or gas heat. More stuff to break.
NOT a fan of Flex duct.
Floor ducting is one of the worst designs made in the past... all your dust and make them filthy. Houses with those are usually dusty and have poor air quality.
Should be illegal, against code to put HVAC in crawl space or attic.
I get crawl space but attic? Really?
Haven't heard of a unit in the crawl space, but here in the SW US majority of the houses have the furnaces in the attic. It sucks.
Pirst
1st
you said it looks like “something” lol you don’t do air duct cleaning. you do hvac. big difference. House definitely needs an anti microbial fog
Lemme guess - you sell such services...