New Apartment Mold

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Mar 17, 2014
Messages
1,203
Location
Sunshine State
Mornin' BITOG.

Just moved into a new apartment this past weekend. I popped the front cover off the air handler and found it inundated with mold. The evap coil is filthy so it had me wondering what the cabinet/blower looked like. Everything covered in mold. Now I know Florida is humid but this has to be a problem, right? Mold is dangerous and it's being blown into the air every time the system runs. Condensate line is clear from what I can tell, it's a little hidden though. Dehumidifier is pulling 50-75 pints of water a day, which seems excessive and is far far above what it pulled in our last apartment which was MUCH older, exceedingly poorly sealed and was much closer to the coast. Something just isn't right in my opinion. How do I address this with the rental office?

2011F61E-B9EB-46CB-A303-5272946EA458.jpeg


F5D211DD-1130-483A-A86B-9AEA7D55EF44.jpeg


D5045288-A468-4E39-B2D2-3E884DEBCBAF.jpeg
 
That's a problem. How do you address it with the rental office? Pretty simple, show them the pictures and articles about mold and the health related issues associated with it. Then see how they respond. If you're not happy with the response contact the health department for assistance.
 
The behavior of the previous occupant could be the cause as well. I suspect your HVAC unit is going to get replaced with at least a new plenum. I #$%#@$% hate duct board. That garbage should be illegal in climate zones 1-2 (warm,humid)
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
The behavior of the previous occupant could be the cause as well. I suspect your HVAC unit is going to get replaced with at least a new plenum. I #$%#@$% hate duct board. That garbage should be illegal in climate zones 1-2 (warm,humid)


This isn't the plenum. This is inside the air handler case. There's no replacing this without replacing the unit in my opinion. Never heard of the cabinet insulation being replaced and good luck cleaning that blower. The entire thing is disgusting. I talked to a random HVAC guy I saw yesterday at a store and showed him the pictures and he said that it was totally normal in Florida. He told me they all look like that.....excuse me? That just can't be right.

Also, I definitely think the last tenant was a factor here. When we chose this unit we were told the guy who had it before us was hardly ever here for the year he leased it and was gone for weeks/months at a time. I called power company and his electric averaged about $50/month during the months he wasn't here and no one has that low of an electric bill in the Florida heat unless they have the thermostat set really high, meaning it stayed hot and damp inside this unit for extended periods of time.

And I agree, fibrous ducting of any kind should be illegal in this climate. This mold can't be cleaned, it's in the fibers. If it was metal it could at least be effectively removed and sanitized. That's not possible here.
 
Last edited:
Do you have a grace period on the lease / rental agreement during which you can move out w/o penalty ?

Best of luck to you , :)
 
Originally Posted by Bjornviken
Demand them to remove it. How is the rest of the apartment? Not good for your health!



That's what is extra frustrating...we love the apartment! It's by far the nicest place we've ever rented. We love the area, the community, the office staff has been wonderful so far, our commutes are much improved, everything here is better than what we've had before. I really do not want to get off on the wrong foot with the office but this simply has to be corrected. Not only is not healthy, I am allergic to mold and have the test results to prove it.

I worry they are going to come back and question me on why I was even removing that panel on the air handler, which I guess is a fair point. Residents should probably not be doing that. But then also....why are you as property management not checking it? You know that mold is a problem in this climate so it should be part of your checks when a tenant vacates. I can tell the panel has been taken off before so I am almost certain they've seen the issue but neglected to rectify due to cost. If they give me any hassle I am just going to say that they should pretend this is their home, they found mold and what would they want done about it? Would they want to breath that in? Would they want their spouse/kids/pets to breath that in? Definitley not and they'd have the issue resolved.
 
Last edited:
You could bring it up politely to property management and ask if they'll clean or replace it. If they start fighting you, bring up health and respiratory issues.
 
That's pretty significant. Since you just moved in, I'd address it with the office.

You can clean the surfaces off with paper towels, warm water, and a little bleach. The problem is there is excessive moisture on those surfaces. That's what you'll need to figure out.
 
Originally Posted by Throt
Originally Posted by BMWTurboDzl
The behavior of the previous occupant could be the cause as well. I suspect your HVAC unit is going to get replaced with at least a new plenum. I #$%#@$% hate duct board. That garbage should be illegal in climate zones 1-2 (warm,humid)


This isn't the plenum. This is inside the air handler case. There's no replacing this without replacing the unit in my opinion. Never heard of the cabinet insulation being replaced and good luck cleaning that blower. The entire thing is disgusting. I talked to a random HVAC guy I saw yesterday at a store and showed him the pictures and he said that it was totally normal in Florida. He told me they all look like that.....excuse me? That just can't be right.

Also, I definitely think the last tenant was a factor here. When we chose this unit we were told the guy who had it before us was hardly ever here for the year he leased it and was gone for weeks/months at a time. I called power company and his electric averaged about $50/month during the months he wasn't here and no one has that low of an electric bill in the Florida heat unless they have the thermostat set really high, meaning it stayed hot and damp inside this unit for extended periods of time.

And I agree, fibrous ducting of any kind should be illegal in this climate. This mold can't be cleaned, it's in the fibers. If it was metal it could at least be effectively removed and sanitized. That's not possible here.



Ah ok, I guess there's so much crud that I thought it was duct board. I've never seen insulation inside the hair handler. must be for sound deadening. I'm sure the leasing office will get it taken car of. Don't sweat it (pun intended).
 
You could mitigate some of the danger by locating a portable HEPA filter in each room, they should make a model that fits over the discharge grill and filters all the air going out.

Rod
 
I'd get some bleach, put it in a spray bottle, and spray down all the areas where there is mold. It might be expensive and depending how many vents you have, but maybe think about getting some kind of filter wrapped around the vents so that the air the get blown out, has to go through the filter. Like I said, if you have an apartment, it may not be that hard to do because you may have less vents that say a 3-4 bedroom house.
 
I ve lived in fl 39 yrs and own a carpet cleaning business. How old is your building. That looks normal for rentals for lack of cleaning. Some one had a water leak and did nothing and that's what happens. Needs new pad and maybe flooring.
 
Property management is usually motivated by lawyer letters about black mold and tenant health risks. Let that be your last resort, your Nuclear Option, if management refuses to address the matter.
 
That just looks like dust to me. They ran the unit without the air filter. Mold isn't going to grow on metal or plastic surfaces, unless it's constantly wet and getting organics sprayed on it.
 
Originally Posted by jackz
I ve lived in fl 39 yrs and own a carpet cleaning business. How old is your building. That looks normal for rentals for lack of cleaning. Some one had a water leak and did nothing and that's what happens. Needs new pad and maybe flooring.



This isn't carpet. This is inside the air handling unit for the HVAC.
 
Originally Posted by bobdoo
That just looks like dust to me. They ran the unit without the air filter. Mold isn't going to grow on metal or plastic surfaces, unless it's constantly wet and getting organics sprayed on it.


Mold is on insulation inside of air handling unit. Not on metal or plastic....that would be an entirely different story. That could be cleaned. This is embedded in fibrous material so there is no removing it completely.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top