Author Topic: Need Home Repair Advice  (Read 5121 times)

Offline davidmal

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Need Home Repair Advice
« on: June 20, 2017, 10:17:15 AM »
My tenant lives on the top floor and is finding black mud on their AC unit. Maybe it's from a roof leak? Or something else? Any advise? Or maybe the ac unit is broken?

The AC window unit sits in a metal sleeve in the wall.


I heard it could be from the debris that goes airborne from the road construction while they rip out the street.  Problem is it is only happening on this air conditioner and no other unit.

« Last Edit: June 21, 2017, 10:06:12 AM by jj1000 »
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Offline dovy2

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Re: Need Home Repair Advise
« Reply #1 on: June 20, 2017, 10:53:36 AM »
Are your sure it's new?
Cuz i had an ac on which birds used to hang out, and did their things all over the ac.. and after a few months it looked like the stuff in your pictures

Offline mmgfarb

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Re: Need Home Repair Advise
« Reply #2 on: June 20, 2017, 10:56:48 AM »
Can you edit the title to "Advice"
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Offline hachover

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Re: Need Home Repair Advise
« Reply #3 on: June 20, 2017, 12:38:50 PM »
Does the unit have a foam filter that hasn't been replaced in a while? The foam can crumble and shred. Doesn't look like it from the picture, but that's all I could think of
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Offline aygart

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Re: Need Home Repair Advise
« Reply #4 on: June 20, 2017, 12:52:57 PM »
Does the unit have a foam filter that hasn't been replaced in a while? The foam can crumble and shred. Doesn't look like it from the picture, but that's all I could think of
That would be on the inside anyhow. Looks to me like
Are your sure it's new?
Cuz i had an ac on which birds used to hang out, and did their things all over the ac.. and after a few months it looked like the stuff in your pictures
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Offline somefield

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Re: Need Home Repair Advise
« Reply #5 on: June 20, 2017, 02:18:06 PM »
Just a quick primer on what may be happening. The outside coil has air pushed through it so that it exits the outside back of the unit. This air is pulled in through the ventilation ribs built into the outside of the cabinet. Along with the air is the "stuff" floating in the air which can include pollen, dirt (of many different types), floating seeds from trees and plants, concrete dust if there was construction going on and the list goes on. Many window units use the outside fan to pick up condensate water and fling/blow that through the coil to gain a bit of added efficiency. You take the mix of air-born things and add a little moisture and heat (that coil gets hot) and you've got a perfect setup for making some really unique "cement" or "mud" as you called it .

You want to clean these by "flushing" from the outside to the inside of the coil. Trouble is when you do this, and the crud starts coming off, there is really no good way for that to be drained out unless the unit you have has a plug that allows that section of the bottom of the case to be drained easily. If you still have the old units experiment with different household cleaning fluids to find which one best dissolves the "cement" bond. A hand spray bottle should be all you need and of course patience. Each area of the country and even your city may have different components that make up the problem. Good Luck!

Offline davidmal

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Re: Need Home Repair Advise
« Reply #6 on: June 20, 2017, 03:14:17 PM »
Are your sure it's new?
Cuz i had an ac on which birds used to hang out, and did their things all over the ac.. and after a few months it looked like the stuff in your pictures
Back side is flush with the brick of the house no ledge to sit on
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Offline davidmal

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Re: Need Home Repair Advise
« Reply #7 on: June 20, 2017, 03:18:21 PM »
Just a quick primer on what may be happening. The outside coil has air pushed through it so that it exits the outside back of the unit. This air is pulled in through the ventilation ribs built into the outside of the cabinet. Along with the air is the "stuff" floating in the air which can include pollen, dirt (of many different types), floating seeds from trees and plants, concrete dust if there was construction going on and the list goes on. Many window units use the outside fan to pick up condensate water and fling/blow that through the coil to gain a bit of added efficiency. You take the mix of air-born things and add a little moisture and heat (that coil gets hot) and you've got a perfect setup for making some really unique "cement" or "mud" as you called it .

You want to clean these by "flushing" from the outside to the inside of the coil. Trouble is when you do this, and the crud starts coming off, there is really no good way for that to be drained out unless the unit you have has a plug that allows that section of the bottom of the case to be drained easily. If you still have the old units experiment with different household cleaning fluids to find which one best dissolves the "cement" bond. A hand spray bottle should be all you need and of course patience. Each area of the country and even your city may have different components that make up the problem. Good Luck!
Wow. no easy solution being that its up very high.
-DMC
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it ~Ferris Bueller"

Offline davidmal

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Re: Need Home Repair Advise
« Reply #8 on: June 20, 2017, 03:18:32 PM »
Can you edit the title to "Advice"
@Admin.
-DMC
"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it ~Ferris Bueller"

Offline Entrepreneur

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Re: Need Home Repair Advice
« Reply #9 on: June 23, 2017, 04:28:53 PM »
What can I put to block water from seeping from under this door.  In the below picture I am facing the door and it swings out towards me and this is the side I will have to put something that will swing with the door.


Offline aygart

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Re: Need Home Repair Advice
« Reply #10 on: June 23, 2017, 04:37:01 PM »
What can I put to block water from seeping from under this door.  In the below picture I am facing the door and it swings out towards me and this is the side I will have to put something that will swing with the door.


Is it pooling water , water running sideways along it or running towards the doorway?
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Offline Entrepreneur

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Re: Need Home Repair Advice
« Reply #11 on: June 23, 2017, 04:39:56 PM »
Is it pooling water , water running sideways along it or running towards the doorway?
The cement behind the door/fence is pitched towards me (taking this picture) so it would be running towards the fence/door

Offline aygart

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Re: Need Home Repair Advice
« Reply #12 on: June 23, 2017, 04:45:28 PM »
The cement behind the door/fence is pitched towards me (taking this picture) so it would be running towards the fence/door
I have a feeling your only answer will be to build up the ground at the doorway
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Offline Entrepreneur

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Re: Need Home Repair Advice
« Reply #13 on: June 23, 2017, 05:03:23 PM »
I have a feeling your only answer will be to build up the ground at the doorway
I can't because that will block the door from swinging

Offline aygart

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Re: Need Home Repair Advice
« Reply #14 on: June 23, 2017, 05:12:56 PM »
I can't because that will block the door from swinging
So make a threshold of some sort in the doorway. The only thing I can see going under the door would be a brush sweep but that will not be close to perfect with keeping out the water. The link is an exapmple not a recommendation for anything specific.
Frost King SB36W 2" x 36" Extra Aluminum/Brush Door Sweep, White - - AmazonSmile ($10.72)

Feelings don't care about your facts