/diy/ - Do It Yourself

That was the left half of the vents, this is the right half

Heres what id call the clean side of the left half

and now the clean side of the right half

>>411896
Fellow /g/entooman here. There is mold all inside of that thing. At least the "clean" side.

Long and tedious method would be taking some lysol and diluting (if needed) to spec, and using Q Tips to clean the mold off, going in through the grate. Chances are though, it's down in the unit, so it'd just keep coming back. Also, because it blows out, demold the entire room it's in at a minimum (with a cloth and fresh lysol this time..... or over 9000 Q-Tips, your choice), and it might be good to get the adjacent rooms as well. Mold spreads incredibly easily, and is toxic because it looks like black mold. Not a mold specialist though.

If it keeps coming back, call a mold specialist or a flood restoration company (They deal with mold all the time) to come tell you exactly where the mold is and if it indeed has spread.

If you have elderly or children or people with compromised immune systems present in your place, this last step needs to be done anyway. Time to call a professional, anon.

>>411891
>/giy/
Pic related.

>>411902

Ahh i was thinking about q tips but im not sure if theyd be long enough. But ill try that.

And can black mold really come just from excessive moisture? I figured something like that would be more serious but I've never dealt with mold despite living in florida.

and I lold, /giy/. Im half asleep

>>411922
They do make longer Q Tips but they are hard to find and you'd go through a lot of them.

Any mold needs a list of "ingredients": Moisture, mold spores, something to grow on, and warmth.

http://www.amazon.com/Cotton-Tipped-Applicators-100-ct/dp/B0002ZS42Y

There's usually a filter on the intake that you are supposed to clean ever so often, so there must be a way to take the grill off.

>>411982
This too.

>>411976

Thank you kind sir

>>411982
There is, but it slides in and out of the side and snaps in. There isnt any way to take the front off without breaking it

I usually take my window ac units outside every spring and hose them down, just to be sure I'm not blowing crud in my apartment. Obviously I let them dry out for several days before bringing them back in. I don't think just water would help out with mold, maybe some bleach or lysol in a spray bottle? Probably what I'd do.

>>411988
No problem. Let us know how it turns out!

HOWDY!!! It's your local mold remediator. In my line of work, bleach is the go to tool. I would suggest a spray bottle and an old toothbrush in your current condition. Spray what is contaminated and scrub it down. If you have the ability to hose down the screens outside I would do this too. Also, it may look like the unit is one piece and you can't get it apart with out breaking it, but I would bet there are silencers somewhere on it that might help. The bleach should do the trick. I have spent quite a many hours gutting basements to the studs, spraying bleach, scrubbing with a wire brush and bleaching again and again. At the end I use a paint gun and spray killz over everything.

>>412047
Screws not silencers... gd auto correct

>>412016
If i was to take it out of the window id be better off just buying a new one

>>412047
The problem is i cant really remove it from the window, and if i was to i would probably just buy a new one because itd get so fucked up taking it out. I dont want to spray the bleach or do anything while its in the house because then when i turn it on its that air going everywhere in the room. I'll take pics of the side tomorrow and show you if the threads still alive, no screws on the inside part id need to get off. Only the part thats outdoors that isnt affected

The bleach won't kill you bro, water it down a little and spray away. I wouldn't worry about turning it back on after it sits for awhile. Won't kill ya.

>>412062
Well the issue is the room is my bedroom. Its right over the foot of the bed. It's also where my computer is and im a college student. Im in this room ~80% of the time

If i wasnt in here so often i wouldnt worry about the bleach as much

>>412073
I'd for sure worry about the mold more, also glad we could help. Let us know what becomes of this project please

>>412075

I will. I might attempt q tips tomorrow just to see what the situation is like for removing it. If the threads still alive ill post updates, im not sure how fast things usually move here though.

Thanks for everyones help that contributed

>>412079
/diy/ is a very slow board. This thread'll be here for sure. Thank you!

An old toothbrush might work better though!

These things normally have a snap off/on front grill. The grill has to be off for fitting (usually has side or bottom holes that you screw through to fix it to the framing - can't get to these holes with the grill in place). You got a model number?

I've fitted about 4 different makes and the front unclipped off each one.

>>412303
Nope you are right - just downloaded the manuals - what a retarded design.

Remove from window, undo 3 screws each side on metal cover, undo fixing scres for front, clean, reassemble and refit. Should take about an hour.

>>412306
Sorry - 4 screws each side

>>412303
>>412306

Damn i seriously thought there wasnt any way to remove it. But its just like i said earlier, with the way i have it in the window, if i removed it id just be better off buying a new one. With the seals, how its set up, and the shit i sprayed on it for an extra seal, if i removed it id probably have a chance of breaking the window or the air conditioner, and putting it back in would be hell if i didnt ruin it taking it out. Im just considering buying a new one now.

Also i tried the toothbrush yesterday, id need a smaller one to get through the slats. Ill probably try the qtip method today or tomorrow

>>412949
Shame you can't remove it, but hey that's what creative solutions are for.

>Also i tried the toothbrush yesterday, id need a smaller one to get through the slats.
You have any small paintbrushes? They'd do it. If not you could saw the head of the toothbrush down to about half width without too much trouble.

It's probably not a big deal but I'd run the vacuum while you do it, just to suck up the worst of the disturbed mould.

Thinking more about the vaccum, you could rig up something to mount a drinking straw onto the smallest tip you have for it, vacuum crap out of the slots directly.

>>412951
That might work, however, you'd really run the risk of disturbing the mold even more with what doesn't get sucked up by the vacuum, eddys around the nozzle etc.

Pantbrushes would work, just make sure they are soft and not the stiff ones otherwise you might end up "flinging" the existing mold up into the air.

>>412951
And I'd make sure it's a filtered vacuum, not just a typical shopvac. Ideally use one with a true HEPA filter: look for the serial number and test results printed on the filter itself. Otherwise you just are shooting that mold back into the atmosphere of your house.

Look for (on the filter) test results at .3 microns are 99.97 percent or above and the serial number. Each HEPA filter will have a unique S/N I believe.