Room A/C spitting out chunks of black--dirt??

[Steven L.]

Hi all,
I've got a Sears Kenmore room air conditioner unit in a thru-the-wall
sleeve in my living room.

When it's running, it keeps spitting out little pieces of
black--something--perhaps dirt, that are really dirtying up my nice
carpet. Not all the time, but maybe a half dozen chunks each day.

I cleaned the A/C filter, but that's not stopping the problem.

Where is that black stuff coming from, and how can I stop it?

-- Steven L.

[HeyBub]

Disintegrating insulation? Gasket?

[vjp...@at.biostrategist.dot.dot.com]

I used to work in a building where the central air spewed black soot. We
made them tape filters on top of the vents. They practically tore apart he
building for ten years trying to figure out what it was. After I was long
gone, they figured it out. Turned out the grabage trucks used to pull up
right by the intake and spewed exhausts into the building HVAC. THis was a
building chock full of world class engineers!

- = -
Vasos Panagiotopoulos, Columbia'81+, Reagan, Mozart, Pindus, BioStrategist
http://www.panix.com/~vjp2/vasos.htm http://www.facebook.com/vasjpan2
---{Nothing herein constitutes advice. Everything fully disclaimed.}---
[Homeland Security means private firearms not lazy obstructive guards]
[Urb sprawl confounds terror] [Phooey on GUI: Windows for subprime Bimbos]

[Ron]

Probably a dried out foam gasket. I have an older car that is doing
the same thing. Brown sticky pieces of foam come out of the vents
sometimes.

[NGDirect]

"Steven L." <sdli...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:B6WdnVP-APcboIzR...@earthlink.com...

My old unit had a sponge rubber filter right under the front vents that
dried out and began to crumble after a few years. It was pretty worthless
to start with. While it did catch some dust, it was hardly enough to keep
the cooling fins from getting pretty gunked up so I tossed it.

[Ed Pawlowski]

"Steven L." <sdli...@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:B6WdnVP-APcboIzR...@earthlink.com...

What does the black stuff look and feel like? Could be pieces of the foam
filter, but can also be wads of mold that built up in there over the winter.

[Ron]

On Jun 10, 11:22 pm, "Ed Pawlowski" <e...@snetnospam.net> wrote:
> "Steven L." <sdlit...@earthlink.net> wrote in message

He never said he had a foam filter.

[harry]

This is probably fungus/mould growing on the wet evaporator. It will
need to be cleaned and sterilised with a suitable chemical. Not an
easy job.

[Ed Pawlowski]

"Ron" <bigel...@yahoo.com> wrote

>>
>> > I cleaned the A/C filter, but that's not stopping the problem.
>>
>> > Where is that black stuff coming from, and how can I stop it?
>>
>> What does the black stuff look and feel like? Could be pieces of the
>> foam
>> filter, but can also be wads of mold that built up in there over the
>> winter.

> He never said he had a foam filter.

So what? It may or may not have one. Maybe it did and it was replaced. It
is still a possibility and I'm sure he is capable of looking as to the type
of filter he does have.

[Steven L.]

"harry" <harol...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:b4741e27-2fdf-4854...@c33g2000yqm.googlegroups.com:

That's what it feels like as it crumbles away between my fingers.

I had better get that cleaned soon, I have terrible allergies.

-- Steven L.

[Leftfeilder]

replying to Steven L., Leftfeilder wrote:
I purchase two a/c units from Sears and the same black confetti looking
particles are coming out of my vents and on to my nice furniture. I've
literally cleaned my vents where there is nothing visible in them and I turn
on the a/c and more comes out, but not as much. When I try to remove it; it
smears. I've never had this problem before.

tg


--
for full context, visit https://www.homeownershub.com/maintenance/room-a-c-spitting-out-chunks-of-black-dirt-446601-.htm

[Brenda]

replying to Leftfeilder, Brenda wrote:
I have the same thing...When I clean it off the surfaces it lands on, it is
damp and smeary. Not sure if it's mold, rotten foam, gasket liner. Pieces are
about a fourth the size of a corn flake. Nobody around here wants to clean
window units. Suggestions

[Shanmukha]

replying to Brenda, Shanmukha wrote:
I have the same problem with the ac in my living room of the apt I am renting.
Please suggest how to fix this issue. My community maintenance guys are so
dumb they don’t know why this is happening and they were suggesting this is
isn’t a big problem.

[Ed Pawlowski]

On 4/25/2019 8:14 PM, Shanmukha wrote:
> replying to Brenda, Shanmukha wrote:
> I have the same problem with the ac in my living room of the apt I am
> renting.
> Please suggest how to fix this issue. My community maintenance guys are so
> dumb they don’t know why this is happening and they were suggesting this is
> isn’t a big problem.
>

Probably chuncks of dust and mold. Coils need a good cleaning.

[Bob Slobknob]

On 4/25/19 8:14 PM, Shanmukha wrote:
> replying to Brenda, Shanmukha wrote:
> I have the same problem with the ac in my living room of the apt I am renting.
> Please suggest how to fix this issue. My community maintenance guys are so
> dumb they don’t know why this is happening and they were suggesting this is
> isn’t a big problem.
>

That's the problem with renting because you're at the mercy of your slumlord.

If you owned the window AC, you could take the unit apart and clean the coils as needed.

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[Bill]

Bob Slobknob wrote:
> On 4/25/19 8:14 PM, Shanmukha wrote:
>> replying to Brenda, Shanmukha wrote:
>> I have the same problem with the ac in my living room of the
>> apt I am renting.
>> Please suggest how to fix this issue. My community maintenance
>> guys are so
>> dumb they don’t know why this is happening and they were
>> suggesting this is
>> isn’t a big problem.
>>
>
> That's the problem with renting because you're at the mercy of
> your slumlord.
>
> If you owned the window AC, you could take the unit apart and
> clean the coils as needed.
>

Maybe it's caulk?

[Marius Josipovic]

Maybe it's decomposing mouse turds?

[Terry Coombs]

  More likelya buildup ofmold and dust/condensate mud . A good start
would be to pull the front cover and clean or replace the filter and
vacuum as much crud as you can from the evap coil (that's the one right
behind the filter) . You can break that crud loose with an old
toothbrush as you suck it outta there . Spray the coil until wet with a
household general purpose cleaner with bleach to help kill off the mold
. What it probably really needs is to be pulled and completely cleaned .
BTW , that mold in there can be a breathing hazard for some people ...

--
Snag
Yes , I'm old
and crochety - and armed .
Get outta my woods !

[Bill]

We'll have to rely on the OP to let us which they more closely
resemble. Good guess. On a cold night, an air duct might be good
place for a mouse to warm up. I didn't think of that..

[Wade Garrett]

On 4/26/19 6:32 AM, Bob Slobknob wrote:
> On 4/25/19 8:14 PM, Shanmukha wrote:
>> replying to Brenda, Shanmukha wrote:
>> I have the same problem with the ac in my living room of the apt I am
>> renting.
>> Please suggest how to fix this issue. My community maintenance guys
>> are so
>> dumb they don’t know why this is happening and they were suggesting
>> this is
>> isn’t a big problem.
>>
>
> That's the problem with renting because you're at the mercy of your
> slumlord.
>
> If you owned the window AC, you could take the unit apart and clean the
> coils as needed.
>

No need to own it to take it apart ;-)

--
Your taxes are high because you support lots of folks who can't be
bothered with working. They ever come by and say thanks…or can I mow
your lawn? Nope...

[AC me]

replying to Leftfeilder, AC me wrote:
> When I try to remove it; it smears. I've never had this problem before.
> tg

My units from the 1990s started doing that a few years ago. Blowing sheet-like
chunks of smearable stuff that has no mold odor to it, as well as finer
particles. I'm sure its not mold (I hope) because I am allergic to mold and I
always feel better - breathe better - with the units running. I took the front
off - the face bringing the grill mount with it - and cleaned what I can get
to, but it makes no difference in the debris production, especially at first
use after the heating season. I clean the dust filters once a week when I'm
running the units. They sit in the windows over the winter as I can't heft
them out anymore and have no place to put them if I could. They work well - my
hunch they are better than anything I could replace them with. One is made in
the US and the other in Japan.

[this.is.the.pres...@gmail.com]

Same issue here. I have a living room 30year old GE thru-wall-unit made in Japan that still works! Came with my condo and for the past 3 summers it has spit pepper size black particles onto the floor that are soft and easily smear when I clean them almost daily. I took out this very heavy until in 2019 and throughly cleaned it with paper towels and vacuum and it was disgustingly dirty and rusty. Less particles spit out but it did not stop. I live in Chicago area so I cover the until both inside and outside to stop the cold air from coming in so I'm wondering if this would build mold, however my bedroom a/c does not have this problem. I really miss the mini-split a/c units we had in Europe, seemed cleaner and more efficient system. I'm thinking of purchasing a new unit this summer as as I jokingly googled it but seems I'm not crazy now but even more disturbed. Cancer survivor here so its scary to think it could be mold. Good luck to you all in resolving this issue!

[Ed Pawlowski]

On 5/18/2020 1:02 AM, this.is.the.pres...@gmail.com wrote:
> Same issue here. I have a living room 30year old GE thru-wall-unit made in Japan that still works! Came with my condo and for the past 3 summers it has spit pepper size black particles onto the floor that are soft and easily smear when I clean them almost daily. I took out this very heavy until in 2019 and throughly cleaned it with paper towels and vacuum and it was disgustingly dirty and rusty. Less particles spit out but it did not stop. I live in Chicago area so I cover the until both inside and outside to stop the cold air from coming in so I'm wondering if this would build mold, however my bedroom a/c does not have this problem. I really miss the mini-split a/c units we had in Europe, seemed cleaner and more efficient system. I'm thinking of purchasing a new unit this summer as as I jokingly googled it but seems I'm not crazy now but even more disturbed. Cancer survivor here so its scary to think it could be mold. Good luck to you all in resolving this issue!
>

Sounds like mold. I'd get the coil and fan professionally cleaned
outside of the house.

[Bob F]

Or rotting foam "insulation" or padding.

[Clare Snyder]

I.ve seen that before - but the rubber was not only rotted but slimy
- with mold or something very mold-like that came off with bleach -
bleach does not take off rubber - - - I cleaned it up and used some
weatherstrip foam tape to replace the "seals" then sold it.

[Chuck]

replying to Clare Snyder, Chuck wrote:
I have a window unit a/c installed through the wall. It's about 6 years old.
I've had the black flakes that smear blowing out of the vents for probably all
but the first year I used it, including this year. A couple weeks ago I
sprayed it with Frost King a/c coil foaming cleaner. It hasn't helped at all.
Has anyone found an actual working solution for this problem? I'm a renter and
my landlord is stingy so even I tell him the issue I don't know if he'll even
do anything about it. But would a professional be able to do anything for less
than the cost of a new unit?

[Ed Pawlowski]

On 6/17/2020 8:14 PM, Chuck wrote:
> replying to Clare Snyder, Chuck wrote:
> I have a window unit a/c installed through the wall. It's about 6 years
> old.
> I've had the black flakes that smear blowing out of the vents for
> probably all
> but the first year I used it, including this year. A couple weeks ago I
> sprayed it with Frost King a/c coil foaming cleaner. It hasn't helped at
> all.
> Has anyone found an actual working solution for this problem? I'm a
> renter and
> my landlord is stingy so even I tell him the issue I don't know if he'll
> even
> do anything about it. But would a professional be able to do anything
> for less
> than the cost of a new unit?
>

Spraying through the front grill is probably not doing a very good job.
You have to take it out of the case so you can flood the coil and
possible the drain pan. Best done outside so you can rinse it well.

[Ed Pawlowski]

I should add, they sell anti=bacterial pads you can put in the drain pan
to help in the future. Amazon, about 10 bucks.

[micky]

In alt.home.repair, on Wed, 17 Jun 2020 21:36:49 -0400, Ed Pawlowski

<e...@snet.xxx> wrote:

>On 6/17/2020 9:15 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>> On 6/17/2020 8:14 PM, Chuck wrote:
>>> replying to Clare Snyder, Chuck wrote:
>>> I have a window unit a/c installed through the wall. It's about 6
>>> years old.
>>> I've had the black flakes that smear blowing out of the vents for
>>> probably all
>>> but the first year I used it, including this year. A couple weeks ago I
>>> sprayed it with Frost King a/c coil foaming cleaner. It hasn't helped
>>> at all.
>>> Has anyone found an actual working solution for this problem? I'm a
>>> renter and
>>> my landlord is stingy so even I tell him the issue I don't know if
>>> he'll even
>>> do anything about it. But would a professional be able to do anything
>>> for less
>>> than the cost of a new unit?
>>>

Ed probably knows more about this, but I woudl have thought it was the
foam filter coming apart. OTOH, if it s 4tarted in the 2nd year,
another reason to think Ed is right.

>>
>> Spraying through the front grill is probably not doing a very good job.
>> You have to take it out of the case so you can flood the coil and
>> possible the drain pan.  Best done outside so you can rinse it well.
>
>I should add, they sell anti=bacterial pads you can put in the drain pan
>to help in the future. Amazon, about 10 bucks.

I myself would not bother a landlord about little things like this
(unless nothing fixed it and I couldn't use the AC), or expect him to
pay the $10. It was partly this behaviour (never calling him) with my
landlord of 6 or more years, partly that I didn't call him at home and
certainly not at night, that even though I went on personal rent strike
twice and he had to take me to court both times, and even though it was
a draw once and I won iirc $150 one of those time, he was still willing
when he was paying me to leave to pay me before I actually left. So
that his assistent, who often handled things in court, told him not to
pay me before I'd left, and the landlord's reply to that was "You can
trust Micky."

For various reasons, I thought he was a jerk (and that's the nicest word
I can think of), but I treated him politely anyhow.