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. I work in the Philippines where most of the window type air conditioning systems have no ports for adding refrigerant. There is supposedly a pinch connector you can use to puncture the line for servicing. The pinch remains in the line permanently. Where can I find more information on this adapter or pinch for servicing or recovering sealed A/C systems?

A. Bolt on service ports are available through most HVAC supply houses in the USA. These work well for recovery, but tend to leak if left in a system so I won't put them in anything that's going back into service.

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 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.

Q. My car is getting older and I've noticed the air coming from the air conditioning ducts and air vents smells musty, dusty, and dirty. Is there a way I can clean the ducts and vents? Also, is this something I can get done at an auto detailer?

A. The answer to your 2nd question first. Maybe?! Some detailers will only clean/restore what they can reach, although there are some who might go the extra mile. The problem is, they don't want to be responsible for destroying your dash vents to get at the ducts. When I worked in a body shop, we simply used compressed air through the vents to blow out the dust and dirt accumulated while the car sat inside being worked on.......some people even put pieces of air freshner directly in the vents to sweeten the smell afterwards.