Research into copper coils and pans

Specific Inspection Topics Inspecting HVAC Systems
1

Research conducted in the military barracks at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C., showed that copper coil fins and drip pans suppressed the growth of bacteria, mold, and mildew, keeping the units free from buildup. “Cleaner units allow for increased heat transfer, decreased airflow resistance, and overall increased system efficiency, as well as a diminished potential for odor,” the association said.

“The biggest surprise was that the efficiency was so much better,” said Michel. “It was substantial, and affected it much faster than we anticipated.” The minimization of mold on surfaces doesn’t allow the biofilm to grow, and biofilm is insulative. Moreover, “The odor problem is the biofilm that grows on the surface.”

2

Same can be said with copper supply plumbing. Cool info.

3

Sounds to me like one of those research grants to scam the Gov out of some more of our tax money as the same can be stated about any type of coil, cleaniness is next to Godliness when it comes to refrigerant systems

4

who’d of thunk clean equipment functions better :roll:

5

Duh prolly some rocket scientist:shock::shock:

6

Man… and this whole time I thought my being covered in attic insulation, dirt from crawlspaces and such put me closer to well… I dunno.

I know a change of shirts helps, but when I get home, my wife will threaten to hit me over the head for coming in looking like Pig Pen. Seems the spiders and what not that are still crawling all over me despite my coveralls, changing shirts and what not are not a welcome addition to our home.

Who’da thunk?

The cleanliness thing…Uhhemm, you look at fan blades from the air handler, they are dirty, you mention in a report that the system should be cleaned…6 months later, the customer calls you to tell you the AC company said you should have noticed the air handler was dirty. :slight_smile: Happens a couple times a year.

Then I think… I get all dirty so no one even reads it?

7

That is **your **problem you are not placing enough emphasis in your report when I see a blower motor and wheel matted with lint it goes in the repair list as its not performing as the MFG intended if the MFG thought lint on the blower and A-coil was just fine they would ship it new in the box with lint covering already installed;-);-):smiley:

8

Could be …, not sure what else I could infer, but I do indicate that the system including the coil, blower and such are dirty and need cleaning by a HVAC technician, while placing this comment in the summary report. I also do indicate that this can reduce efficiency etc… In my neck of the woods, a vertical FAU (say in the garage) and coil are 3-400 to clean… horizontals in the attic, I just heard from a customer had 2 of them and the cost for both was $700, the tech told 'em they could charge more if they wanted to. Ouch.

I hadn’t thought of simply stating, “If lint was supposed to be there, the MFG would have shipped it that way” But it would work as well… good one!

9

Put it on the repair list forget the summary or how do you list repairs are they included within the summary, how do you break it down

10

Yep… repairs end up in the Summary… and in the report as well. Sometimes, they just don’t read it, my friend! Haven’t you had calls like that?

or

They were told that the Home Warranty would take care of everything… so don’t worry about it. That’ll be one of the issues with teeth (amongst others) that I have thought may be part of what may be a coming fallout from this REO market. I can think of a couple instances that the customer called me a year later and told me how sorry they were to have not listened to me, or followed the advice in the report.

As a home buyer, everybody is your friend… until you inherit the liabilities that come along with your purchase, and everyone that said “Don’t worry about it…” now says “It’s your problem now, didn’t you read the paperwork?” :smiley:

The same folks that tell people don’t worry about our findings, are the first to tell our clients to refer to them… post-sale of course.

11

Nope not in the 15 years I have been doing this no calls ever stating that the HVAC contractor said I should have caught so in so. My reports usually are about what the contractor should have or should not have done.

I use HIP reporting system and within that system I make a separate document for repair/replace broken down by systems 1. appliances 2. electrical 3. plumbing 4. Structural 5. Heating/A/C/Ventilation.

When the client presents the report to the seller via the Realtor the normal process here is they just print and present my list of repairs to the seller, the buyer and seller then negotiate.

I don’t mix any of the nice to know items with the to be repaired items no confusion no BS and very few phone calls

12

The more active ingredient at preventing rot in the wood preservative CCA ( chromated copper arsenate) is the copper.

“CCA is a mixture of copper, chromium and arsenic - chemical elements that occur naturally throughout the earth’s crust and atmosphere. Copper becomes an effective fungicide when combined with the other elements. Chromium, also toxic to certain fungi, plays an important role in helping the preservatives to chemically bond or “fix” to the wood fibre. Inorganic pentavalent arsenic is used in CCA because of its effectiveness against wood-destroying insects. Unlike the highly toxic trivalent arsenic, pentavalent arsenic is a naturally occurring trace element present in soil, water, air, plants and in the tissues of most living creatures, including humans”

From a roofing site:

[FONT=Arial]Roofing Solutions: Key Danger Signals - What’s Growing On Your Roof?[/FONT][FONT=Arial]gus, and Moss[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Fact:[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]*Algae, or Gloeocapsa Magma, can spread… from one infested roof to another via the release of airborne spores. As more homes are built closer together, this hardy algae has been able to spread rapidly. *[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Fact:[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial]Algae is well adapted to extreme conditions… heat, long dry spells, UV rays, heavy rain, intense cold, thick snow or high winds doesn’t deter it.[/FONT][FONT=Arial]Fact:

[/FONT][FONT=Arial]The dark color of Algae is a pigmented protective sheath… that encapsulates each cell to protect it from UV rays[/FONT][FONT=Arial]Fact:

[/FONT][FONT=Arial]Copper and Zinc can both inhibit algae growth… Zinc (including pellets) however does have other inherent problems, such as: it’s limited ability to be color matched to roofing shingles, attachment method to roofing shingles, cost and the occasional “bloom” effect due to the build-up of zinc oxide. Copper granules are used instead of zinc for these reasons.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]
Fact:

[/FONT][FONT=Arial]*Copper is 10 times more effective against algae than Zinc… Zinc actually becomes less effective against algae quicker than copper *[/FONT][FONT=Arial]Fact:

[/FONT][FONT=Arial]*AR shingles at work…some granules covering the shingle contain Copper encapsulated by a specially developed coating allowing Copper (cupric ions) to be time-released to prevent algae over a long period *[/FONT][FONT=Arial]
Fact:

[/FONT][FONT=Arial]Dew is the dominant source of water for algae and is the “agent” best suited for the release of the copper in Algae Resistant shingles. Rainwater, although effective, runs off a roof too quickly to provide significant leaching of copper. Dew is also present more days than rain.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]
Fact:

[/FONT][FONT=Arial]Algae can go for long periods of time without water… It is unaffected by heat or downpours and is dormant in winter. Algae secretes a material that adheres them firmly to the shingle surface.[/FONT][FONT=Arial]
Myth:

[/FONT][FONT=Arial]*Algae is killed immediately by copper. FACT: Algae cells are poisoned over time. *[/FONT][FONT=Arial]
Myth:

[/FONT][FONT=Arial]Algae is a fungus. FACT: Algae, or Gloeocapsa Magma belongs to the Cyanobacteria branch in the Eubacteria family and is not a fungus.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial]Myth:

[/FONT][FONT=Arial]Installing a copper ridge or hip shingle with copper granules on an existing roof may overcome an existing colony of algae. FACT: AR granules have not been proven to kill existing algae.[/FONT]
**

Seems like copper fins may be the item to prevent fungus from establishing and building up on coils,etc. Filtering of air and cleaning is to be expected.

13

But not often accomplished