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AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS
A/C COMPONENTS
CONTROLS & SWITCHES
A/C DATA TAGS
A/C TYPES, ENERGY SOURCES
RATED COOLING CAPACITY
AIR CONDITIONER BTU CHART
SEER RATINGS
OPERATING COST
SYSTEM OPERATION
OPERATING TEMPERATURES
OPERATING DEFECTS
LOST COOLING CAPACITY
COMPRESSOR CONDENSER
AIR HANDLER UNIT
AIR FILTERS for HVAC SYSTEMS
CONDENSATE HANDLING
  DRIP TRAY DEFECTS
  CONDENSATE LEAKS
  CONDENSATE PUMPS
  CONDENSATE DRAINS
CLEANING & Legionella BACTERIA
  CONDENSATE TRAY CLEANING
  Should we disinfect
  Wisconsin Protocol for Cleaning A/C
  Legionella sp. Health Concerns
  What are Legionella
  Where do Legionella sp. occur?
  Recommended Level for Legionella sp.
  How When to Test for Legionella sp.
  Legionnaires' Disease Information from CDC
DUCT SYSTEM DEFECTS
A/C REFRIGERANTS
A/C DIAGNOSTIC FAQs
INSPECTION LIMITATIONS
CRITICAL DEFECTS
Air Conditioning "How To" Books

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Photograph of an office wall convector air conditioner system

Cleaning & Prevention of Legionella Bacteria in Air Conditioners & Heat Pumps
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  • Cleaning air conditioning condensate trays
  • Cleaning air conditioning cooling towers
  • Legionella, mold, and other pathogenic risks
  • Use of chlorine, bromine, inspections, cleaning
  • Contributions and critique are invited
Our site offers impartial, unbiased advice without conflicts of interest. We will block advertisements which we discover or readers inform us are associated with bad business practices, false-advertising, or junk science. Our contact info is at inspect-ny.com/appointment.htm.

This website discusses Legionella bacteria in air conditioners, how to clean air conditioning systems, Legionnaire's disease prevention & cleaning suggestions for air conditioning equipment and condensate trays, including condensate piping, traps, drains, condensate pumps, and concerns for mold, Legionella bacteria, and other hazards associated with air conditioning systems, cooling towers, and evaporative coolers. This is a chapter of our full document describing the inspection, maintenance, and repair of residential air conditioning systems (A/C systems) to inform home buyers, owners, and home inspectors of common cooling system defects. © Copyright 2008 Daniel Friedman, All Rights Reserved. Information Accuracy & Bias Pledge is at below-left. Use the links at page left to navigate this document or to go to Other Website Topics. Green links at left show where you are in our document & website.

CONDENSATE TRAY CLEANING - Cleaning suggestions for A/C System Condensate Systems

Should we disinfect cooling system equipment or condensate trays?

Should we be putting bromide or chlorine tablets in our condensate trays to keep bacteria from growing?

If we should be, then do we need to alternate bromide with chlorine on some type of frequency to prevent development of resistant bacteria?

We're discussing condensate trays from mechanical equipment like heat pumps, fan coil units and air handlers with AC coils.

These pieces of equipment have condensate trays which are then drained through a small pipe, usually clear, but not always, with a trap in it, to a drain.

These condensate trays have some standing water in them when the AC is functioning. Should these condensate trays be treated with an algaecide of some sort?

There are risks beyond mold and algae, in particular Legionella bacteria (legionnaire's disease) which can have an alarmingly high mortality rate, and also potential hazard sources such as biofilms that can include other bacterial and maybe other pathogens. However the risk of formation of problem levels of mold, bacteria, or other pathogen is probably not the same across all buildings nor types of equipment, and much of the risk may depend on installation and maintenance details at individual installations.

Particularly in climates with a high humidity and a heavy cooling load, and depending on details of the design and installation of the air handler unit and duct work, there is risk of blowing pathogen-contaminated water droplets downstream inside the air conditioning duct work and thus exposing building occupants. With rooftop-mounted cooling units such as cooling towers using water, conditions may be still more attractive for growth of pathogens and there is some risk of movement of pathogens out of the cooling equipment to people located nearby and downwind from the equipment, even if they are outside the building which the equipment actually serves.

While I am not expert on this topic I have collected and provide here some key information and opinions to help sort out these questions. Use the links at page left to read additional details on this topic including recommended cleaning procedures and details of the Leginella hazard in air conditioning systems, humidifiers, etc.






AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS
A/C COMPONENTS
CONTROLS & SWITCHES
A/C DATA TAGS
A/C TYPES, ENERGY SOURCES
RATED COOLING CAPACITY
AIR CONDITIONER BTU CHART
SEER RATINGS
OPERATING COST
SYSTEM OPERATION
OPERATING TEMPERATURES
OPERATING DEFECTS
LOST COOLING CAPACITY
COMPRESSOR CONDENSER
AIR HANDLER UNIT
AIR FILTERS for HVAC SYSTEMS
CONDENSATE HANDLING
CLEANING & Legionella BACTERIA
  CONDENSATE TRAY CLEANING
  Should we disinfect
  Wisconsin Protocol for Cleaning A/C
  Legionella sp. Health Concerns
  What are Legionella
  Where do Legionella sp. occur?
  Recommended Level for Legionella sp.
  How When to Test for Legionella sp.
  Legionnaires' Disease Information from CDC
DUCT SYSTEM DEFECTS
A/C REFRIGERANTS
A/C DIAGNOSTIC FAQs
INSPECTION LIMITATIONS
CRITICAL DEFECTS
Air Conditioning "How To" Books
More Information

InspectAPedia TM Home & Site Map
Air Conditioning
Contact Us

AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS Chapter Index

To continue reading this air conditioning inspection guide, use links to the document chapters at left or below. Links shown in green font indicate where you are in this document.

  1. AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS
  2. A/C COMPONENTS
  3. CONTROLS & SWITCHES
  4. A/C DATA TAGS
  5. A/C TYPES, ENERGY SOURCES
  6. RATED COOLING CAPACITY
  7. SEER RATINGS
  8. A/C OPERATING COST
  9. SYSTEM OPERATION
  10. OPERATING TEMPERATURES
  11. OPERATING DEFECTS
  12. LOST COOLING CAPACITY
  13. COMPRESSOR CONDENSER
  14. AIR HANDLER UNIT
  15. AIR FILTERS for HVAC SYSTEMS
  16. CONDENSATE HANDLING
  17. CLEANING & Legionella BACTERIA
      CONDENSATE TRAY CLEANING
      Should we disinfect
      Wisconsin Protocol for Cleaning A/C
      Legionella sp. Health Concerns
      What are Legionella
      Where do Legionella sp. occur?
      Recommended Level for Legionella sp.
      How When to Test for Legionella sp.
      Legionnaires' Disease Information from CDC
  18. DUCT SYSTEM DEFECTS
  19. A/C REFRIGERANTS
  20. INSPECTION LIMITATIONS
  21. CRITICAL DEFECTS

Technical Reviewers

  • Thanks to Mark Cramer, Tampa Florida, for assistance in technical review of the "Critical Defects" section and for the photograph of the deteriorating gray Owens Corning flex duct in a hot attic. Mr. Cramer is a Florida home inspector and home inspection educator.
  • http://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/otm_iii/otm_iii_7.html is OSHA"s technical manual re Legionnaire's disease
  • US EPA Safe Drinking Water Hotline: 800-426-4791
  • "Legionella in NY - How to Conduct a Legionella Risk Assessment", Mark Hodgson, LSC, Naperville IL & Diane Miskowski, MPH, EMSL Analytical, Inc., Westmont NY, Crown Plaza, White Plains, 8 May 2007. Course description: "Guidelines for the control of Legionella in critical care hospitals in New York have been in place for two years. In October 2006, these guidelines were extended to include nursing homes and long term care facilities. Join us for this 8 hour seminar to learn all you need to know to conduct a Legionella health risk assessment, control it in your facility, and remediate it. This course will describe the ecology of the [Legionella] organism, the epidemiology of the disease [Legionnaire's disease], a discussion of some recent outbreaks, and the proper sampling methods and analysis of the bacteria. A significant amount of time will be spent discussing how to actually perform a Legionella risk assessment, and an overview of cooling towers and potable water system design and how that contributes to growth of the [Legionella] organism. Discussion will include where Legionella can be found in the engineered environment, and the use of biocides and other controls."
  • Thanks to Craig Balchunas, AHI Accurate, LLC., a home inspection firm in Hyde Park, NY. - (800) 360-3998
  • "Legionella", a public information poster provided free by LA Testing, an California environmental testing lab - www.LATesting.com.
  • Thanks to Jon Bolton, an ASHI, FABI, and otherwise certified Florida home inspector who provided photos of failing Goodman gray flex duct in a hot attic.
  • Thanks to Alan Carson, Carson Dunlop, Associates, Toronto, for technical critique and for providing a copy of Carson Dunlop Weldon & Associates Technical Reference Guide to manufacturer's model and serial number information for heating and cooling equipment ($69.00 U.S.).
  • Thanks to Dave Burley, State of Vermont, for correspondence on this matter, 5/10/2007
  • Critique, contributions wanted: Contact Us to suggest text changes and additions and, if you wish, to receive online listing and credit for that contribution.

Use links at the left of each page to navigate this document or to view other topics at this website. Green links show where you are in our document or website.

AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEMS
A/C COMPONENTS
CONTROLS & SWITCHES
A/C DATA TAGS
A/C TYPES, ENERGY SOURCES
RATED COOLING CAPACITY
AIR CONDITIONER BTU CHART
SEER RATINGS
OPERATING COST
SYSTEM OPERATION
OPERATING TEMPERATURES
OPERATING DEFECTS
LOST COOLING CAPACITY
COMPRESSOR CONDENSER
AIR HANDLER UNIT
AIR FILTERS for HVAC SYSTEMS
CONDENSATE HANDLING
CLEANING & Legionella BACTERIA
DUCT SYSTEM DEFECTS
A/C REFRIGERANTS
A/C DIAGNOSTIC FAQs
INSPECTION LIMITATIONS
CRITICAL DEFECTS
More Information

InspectAPedia TM Home & Site Map
Air Conditioning
InspectAPedia Bookstore
Electrical
Environment
Exteriors
Heating
Home Inspection
Insulate Ventilate
Interiors
Mold Inspect/Test
Plumbing Water Septic
Roofing
Structure
Accuracy & Bias Pledge
Contact Us

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07/13/2007 - 01/31/2006 - Created 3/28/95 www.inspect-ny.com/aircond/aircond20.htm - Web page design & content © 2007 Daniel Friedman All Rights Reserved