Q. Every spring companies advertise clearning of dirty air ducts in homes. They assert that the duct accumulate dust, and mold, and cleaning them reduces allergies. Is there any truth to this. Our house (30 yrs. old) has never had its "ducts cleaned." Please advise.

A. Many people do not realise the importance of cleaning fan coils and duct work. Although it may seem things are OK, you are potentially breeding harmful bacteria and may be suffering the side affects without knowing it. If not maintained, bacteria can build up within air conditioning coils, leading to flu like symptons, sick building syndrome and fatigue. I have put a page together here that will provide much more detailed information: http://www.ampleair.com.au/air-conditioning/Service-Maintenance/Domestic-Maintenance/Aeris-Guard-Anti-Bacterial-Treatment-Service.html Regards Jon http://www.ampleair.com.au

Q. Should I withhold rent if this is not addressed within 1 month?

A. No, it is not regular maintenance. It is not required at all. You can not legally withhold for this, and the landlord is not obligated to clean the ducts. Clean them yourself if you are in a tizzy about them.

Q. I moved into a condo a couple of months ago, and my bedroom is hotter than all of the other rooms. I've had air conditioning technicians come out several times, and the repairs have added up to over $600, but I still have the problem. I can't think of any reason why my room is consistently hotter than all the others. I've had all my ductwork replaced because I was told that the ducts weren't insulated enough, and I've had dampers installed to make sure there's even air flow in every room. For instance, right now where I live it's about 60 degrees outside. I still have my air conditioner on, and it's about 70 degrees in every room, except my bedroom, which is about 78 degrees. I'm going out of my mind trying to figure out what the deal is. I'm assuming that there must be something in or around my room that is warming it up somehow. Has anyone else had this problem, do you have any idea what it could be? Is it possible for a room to get that hot just from electric things running it in? I have a ceiling fan that I keep on quite a bit. Could it be warming up and becoming counter-productive? I have thick, dark curtains over my windows, so I don't think it's the sun - esp. since it gets hotter at night. My room is small, I upgraded the vent in it from 7" to 8" because the AC guy told me it would fix the problem. No cathedral ceilings in my room, but there are in other rooms and they stay cool. The AC unit is on the roof, and I am on the top floor, thermostat is prob. about 10-20 feet from the AC unit. The thermostat is right outside my room. The water heater is in a room adjacent to mine, but I have felt the wall next to it and it is not hot - could that still be it?

A. Consider these points 1. Is your bedroom is adjacent to a utility closet or other source of heat? 2. Usually, poorly insulated ductwork will result in a loss of heat in the system causing the air to cool off before it is delivered to a room. 3. The room may be better insulated than the other rooms in your condo. Also, an open floor plan, cathedral ceilings, or an open loft will make air treatment very difficult. 4. Where is the thermostat located in relation to the ductwork and registers? If it is in a hard to heat area the bedroom will suffer the effect.

Q. I am currently looking into leasing a shop, the one we are looking at has got 2 air conditioning units. I am just woundering if anybody can help me with these? Things like, How often should I get them serviced?, How much will it cost? How much will they cost to run? etc. Thank You.

A. Once a month, change filters in both units whether they need it or not. Use disposable filters. The washable type cut off air flow and ckoke the compressor. If the indoor fans are belt driven, check the belts once a month. If you have condensate pumps, add one cup of bleach to them once a month. Twice a year, have outdoor and indoor coils cleaned. A little maint. now can save you thousands in the future.

Q. I have a friend of a friend (who is an A/C Tech) that has offered to come out and 'top up' my home A/C unit with freon for $200. The air is blowing about 70 degrees but will not cool the house any less than 75. 1) Will this fix the problem? 2) Is that a reasonable deal or am I being taken for a ride?

A. I actually just had someone fill mine up this morning, and it cost $125. (But he cut me a deal, plus we live in a very small town) I'd say that's a pretty fair price. Our entire house has been SO much cooler than it was....before it would only cool it to 80 and my fiance said he fell asleep and woke up and it had cooled to 65. Just make sure that the Freon (sp?) is your problem. It could be the air filter or coils. Hope this helped.

Q. My aunt has not cleaned their air ducts in 5 years(ever since they moved into the house) and they have not been using an air filter since. She lives in northern cali and uses the heater during the winter and the a/c not so much during the summer. I saw the part where the air goes into the duct and it was covered with so much grey dust that i just HAD to vaccum it for her. There were 2 of these. They were both downstairs up close to the ceiling. Their house is 2 story. one was next to the stairs I told them they should buy an air filter because her whole family has asthma including her, but they're scared that the filter might catch on fire! Their youngest son (4) also just recently got asthma after winter. But they dont really get allergies in the house in the summer because they have windows open but its only in the winter when they have the heater on Dont you think they need this or is it just me? Do you suggest air duct cleaning? since its been so long without a filter

A. To give you an idea of how much dirt is in the duct work you can look inside the ducts or supply air runs by removing the diffusers. What you should be more concerned about is the dust that may be attached to the blower wheel and the evaporator coil and if the furnace is High efficiency it may have a secondary heat exchanger that may also plug up. If any of these actually plug right up with dust It may cause the air conditioning to freeze up. What is required is a full heating and cooling planned service maintenance check and cleaning. Many heating and cooling companies have a program in place and will go as called or will sign you up for an annual maintenance. The annual maintenance might be a good idea for them as they will also change the filter regularly. The usual cost of a maintenance program is what they would charge for 1 1/2 -2 hrs labour and any parts that you would need like a filter.

Q. Does anyone know a good website that teach me step by step how to service ( and do commonly needed replacement) my single room (Window /wall mounted) Air Conditioner. Googled website almost all only show companys that do air cond repair. I want this as new hobby ! T H A N K S !!

A. Try starting here: http://www.hometips.com/cs-protected/guides/centairfix.html Google diy air conditioner repair. gl

Q. I just moved into a new home that had never had the ducts cleaned. The house is a ranch with gas forced air heat on one zone with about 9 vents. I found this company on a coupon for $45 which included unlimited vents and a couple access holes. When the company began their work they found mold and the price skyrocketed from $45 to $1400. Does this sound like a screw job or is that price accurate for mold removal and duct cleaning?

A. Mold removal/remediation is entirely different from air duct cleaning. However, it is not uncommon to find mold in your air ducts. That is why we recommend the Electro Breeze Duct Mount UV kit at http://www.allergy-relief-air-purifier.com/air-conditioning-filters.html. This unit will eliminate mold and bacteria from your indoor air and keep your air conditioning coils clean from mold. You must consider that to remove the mold from your air ducts, the air duct cleaning company is entering into a potentially dangerous situation for their employees. This requires expensive equipment and a person with the skills to do the remediation properly. Now that they have knocked the mold loose, you will need the high efficiency filtration and ultra-violet light of the Electro Breeze DMUV kit to kill and capture the mold spores in your indoor air. I hope this helps.