UV light for mini split

[jjrbus]

I have 3 DIY Daikin mini's in my house. 2 9k and one 12k, the 12k being the workhorse.

The 12k evaporator has a mold issue, to the point the bower wheel needs to be removed to clean. Yet the coils and fins stay clean? Appears that the coils are metal where it is not easy for the mold to grow and the plastic blower is porous and the mold can attach itself.

Wondering if anyone has mold issues and added a UV light and what your experience with them is.

Also see they now have LED UV and looking into that.

 

[rlitman]

The coil stay clean, because they are continuously being "washed" by condensate, whereas dust collects on the plastic blower, and forms a home for mold.

I would stay far away from any UV lights. Just clean the system when it needs it. Consider cleaning with something that prevents future mold growth.

 

[Kaizen]

Even though the coil looks clean it’s not. Get a spray for it and take it all apart. Mine was icing up and a good clean was all it needed. Wheel had lots of gunk and fins looked relatively clean till I sprayed it and saw what came off. Never heard of a uv light in a unit. Guess if it worked they would have them from factory


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[jjrbus]

The coil stay clean, because they are continuously being "washed" by condensate, whereas dust collects on the plastic blower, and forms a home for mold.

I would stay far away from any UV lights. Just clean the system when it needs it. Consider cleaning with something that prevents future mold growth.

UV is proven technology, why would you stay away from it?

 

[rtz]

Are the plastics in the unit UV resistant?

 

[jobo1004]

Are the plastics in the unit UV resistant?

This ^. Also sometimes the insulation on the wires in the unit aren't rated for UV.

 

[rlitman]

UV is proven technology, why would you stay away from it?

Saying UV is proven technology is like saying that NASA invented foam mattresses.

If it wasn't engineered to be integrated with your specific mini-split (and actually, there are mini-splits on the market with UV built in that supposedly do work to a degree), then any retrofit is not proven to work well with it.

Anyway, UV will not keep mold off your blower. It doesn't do what you think it does.

 

[Jackfre]

I think you issue is retained moisture. If the unit drains well it shouldn't **** up...ideally Adding any equipment to the air stream of a mini-split will partially restrict air flow. My units have a "Coil Dry" feature that allows the unit to run until it dries off the coil and drain pan. It actually puts it into a heat mode to do so, but at a very low input. When I am shutting my units off in the cooling mode I hit the coil dry button.

 

[jjrbus]

I do not have coil dry, when I turn units off which is not very often I run the fan for some time to dry them. Mold on mini blower wheels seems to be a very common problem in humid areas and my unit drains well. If I google mold on mini ac blower wheel I get 2 1/2 million hits, so I am not the only person experiencing this.

 

[Jackfre]

I do not have coil dry, when I turn units off which is not very often I run the fan for some time to dry them. Mold on mini blower wheels seems to be a very common problem in humid areas and my unit drains well. If I google mold on mini ac blower wheel I get 2 1/2 million hits, so I am not the only person experiencing this.

You are certainly correct. I'm in CA and it is dryer than a popcorn fart. I heard the condensate pump on the bedroom evaporator run the other night and I was shocked. The mold issue happened when I worked the New England area as well. I have Fujitsu's. I called tech service a year or so ago and asked about the cleaning regimen. They said twice a year. Over time, if the wheel doesn't clean up replacement of the wheel might be a good idea.

 

[jjrbus]

Plastic wheel seems to be a big part of problem. Seems it may be gas filled derlin plastic which looks solid but is very porous giving the mold a nice home to thrive in.

If the things were made as to be easy to clean it would be no big deal. This requires disassembling the unit to get the blower wheel out. The Daikin is not as bad as some of the others I have seen videos of to remove blower wheel.

 

[dcg9381]

Request - someone take photos of cleaning these wheels on the Daikins....

 

[fitter30]

Blower wheel is in the cold 100% relative humidity of the coil thats why the wheel grows mold and collects dirt that makes it through the filter and coil. Some mini companies make different filters but they are still thin, most are for odors. When the 40-45* air warms up RH drops drastically.

 

[jjrbus]

Blower wheel is in the cold 100% relative humidity of the coil thats why the wheel grows mold and collects dirt that makes it through the filter and coil. Some mini companies make different filters but they are still thin, most are for odors. When the 40-45* air warms up RH drops drastically.

I keep being told I have too high RH in my house. But the blower wheel is drawing air through the wet coil. So does not make sense?? On the other hand every mini is drawing air through wet coil so everyone should be having this problem?