AC Mold - deepest cleaning method

Guys,

Without doing major dismantling, what is the MOST thorough way you have for treating mold in air conditioning?

I have one specific car in a few days that needs a serious bit of odour treatment. The cabin air filter has just been changed so the odour is obviously down in the fins. The interior will have been detailed and shampooed as well.

I have several odour treatment chemicals, fogger, etc. so here is what I am thinking of doing with my Tornador and Fogger

Firstly remove the cabin air filter and clean that area.
Use a 70/30 mix of odour eliminator product / enzyme cleaner in the tornador.
Next, turn engine on with filter out,
Turn the controls to cold Fresh Air intake
Spray the Tornador into the air-intake vent for a minute (a generous spray)
Switch controls to medium temperature 20 degrees Celsius. (can't remember what you guys have in Fahrenheit)
Spray solution generously around the interior floor, seats and headline.
Switch on Fogger and fill interior with anti-bac mist, engine still on for a further 2 mins.
Turn off engine and leave for 20 to 30 mins before opening all doors to air the car.

I have a TiO2 air purifier that I might apply as well but not sure if I need it.

What else do you think could be added to ensure the mold down in the AC can be treated and killed? I have heard that some people drill a hole somewhere down under the dash and spray in there, but I wouldn't know where to do that!

Look forward to your replies.

Thanks.

No need to drill a hole.
The areas they are trying to get to can be accessed by turning the a/c to suck in outside air and then spraying the chemical from the outside into those intakes, let it run for a minute or two, shut off.
Then let is set for 5 minutes, and repeat.
This gets the chemical completely inside the cavatities, including the evaporator tray where most of the odor is coming from, as well as the mold likes living there since it is warm and moist.

Another consideration would be to have a good Ozone Generator and put in the car, turn on the vehicle and the air conditioner and let the ozone circulate throughout the car and a/c system. That should kill the mold spores in the system and car.

Regards
Bud ABraham

Hi guys,

I'm not in possession of an Ozone generator, Bud, so that isn't an option.

I tried the original process but it didn't go exactly to plan. The filter was in an stupid awkward place and it was too much trouble to access it properly!

When I collected the car, it smelled pretty bad actually. But dropping it back, I was getting no trace of bad odour. Hopefully it will never return but I will do a follow up with the client in the next week or two as I usually do.

Many thanks for the input.

Call Beth at AI and she will send you a small sample of the Odor Terminator, for free, and it's enough for you to test out.
Tell her I requested for her to do so.
Ketch

If Ketch's suggestion does not work then try renting an ozone generator from a rental yard. That is really the best method I have found to circulate through a/c vents, etc.

Regards
Bud Abraham

Will Ozone kill a growth of mold as effectively as an applied chemical?

I just got the feeling that it will get the surface of the mold, but the underlying growth would return in the presence of any further moisture.

I think it is far more effective to apply an appropriate mildewcide to the surface where mold growth is present and then use an ozone machine if necessary afterwards. There some effective products designed to clean and kill mildew spores in ac/heating vents such as Mist System or drivepur


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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/01/2012 02:40PM by concoursgarage.

The high-end hotels in Las Vegas inject ozone into their air conditioning systems that run 24 hours a day to insure there is no mold and to eliminate the sell of smoke for the patrons in the casino.

And, the ozone generator has been used by hotels and motels to eliminate the smell of smoke in rooms in which someone has smoked. It kills the bacteria causing the odor in carpets, bedspreads, drapes and upholstery.

Ozone kills bacteria. It is an easier and more thorough method than applying chemical. The ozone will penetrate further into the carpet and fabric upholstery fibers than a liquid which may only hit the surface.

But, with ozone you must remove the source of the odor. If you have crusty mold on the carpets you need to shampoo them, to get rid of the spores.

Again, the chemicals work, it is just my experience they are a bit harder to use and to insure that the chemical gets to every cell of bacteria where the gas will.

Bud A

Thanks guys.