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crazy question/crazy customer / need an answer

we put an attic a/c system in a one story cape.

no rooms on second floor, big open attic, well vented, cold up there



 The customer is a germ-o-phobe, mold-o-phope,draft-o-phobe.



in the off season the customer covers up all the registers with sheet plastic,

taped at the edges. She thinks the humidity from her super humidifier will migrate up there and condenses leaving puddles in the ductwork and encouraging mold growth.



She is getting a few teaspoons of condensation in the sheet plastic

 at a few different registers. We go over there and uncover everything, run the fan for a half hour and she's fine again.



she wants a more permanent solution... any ideas?



she runs two clean air machines and a steam humidifier which she keeps at 33%.

oh and she is some kind of a scientist.



she has thrown service people out of her house for coughing sneezing or farting

so everybody just walks in and coughs to get out of finding a fix for her weird problem.  It actually says on her service screen"NO COUGHING BURPING,SNEEZING OR FARTING ALLOWED IN THIS CUSTOMERS HOUSE"
" Do what you can, with what you have, where you are" Teddy Roosevelt

Comments

  • geno54
    geno54 Member Posts: 43
    Where to start

    we put an attic a/c system in a one story cape.



    no rooms on second floor, big open attic, well vented, cold up there







     The customer is a germ-o-phobe, mold-o-phope,draft-o-phobe.



    Sell her UV lights for in the blower/coil area



    in the off season the customer covers up all the registers with sheet

    plastic,



    taped at the edges. She thinks the humidity from her super humidifier

    will migrate up there and condenses leaving puddles in the ductwork and

    encouraging mold growth. Yes it can migrate into the ductwork and condense on the colder surfaces, sometimes severely if the humidity is too high. Thats partially why the humidifier companies want you to adjust your humidity settings based on the OA temp. Aprilaire gives you a OA sensor for there humidistats specifically for this. Possibly adapt this method to her steam humidifier







    She is getting a few teaspoons of condensation in the sheet plastic



     at a few different registers. We go over there and uncover everything,

    run the fan for a half hour and she's fine again. Make sure all boots, plastic or metal are insulated well







    she wants a more permanent solution... any ideas?



    Disconnect the ducts and cap off in the fall and reconnect in the spring



    she runs two clean air machines and a steam humidifier which she keeps

    at 33%.



    oh and she is some kind of a scientist.







    she has thrown service people out of her house for coughing sneezing or

    farting



    so everybody just walks in and coughs to get out of finding a fix for

    her weird problem.  It actually says on her service screen"NO COUGHING

    BURPING,SNEEZING OR FARTING ALLOWED IN THIS CUSTOMERS HOUSE

    Good luck, people with phobias don't bend very much. Maybe start coughing or sneezing
  • Coany
    Coany Member Posts: 91
    edited February 2010
    thanks

    she already has a UV light, which she drives us nuts about because there is no indicator light on it to show its "ON".

    Its pretty hard for any homeowner to tell if those things are working.



    we already re-wrapped all the boxes and made sure the fiberglass was up tight to the boxes



    I actually think she might like the idea of dis-connecting the runs, but she will not like the idea of leaving them open in the attic all winter, we would have to plug the box and the

    run.



    when the temperature drops she should adjust her 33% setting down some.





    Thank you for the help.
    " Do what you can, with what you have, where you are" Teddy Roosevelt
  • geno54
    geno54 Member Posts: 43
    Challenging customer

    thanks

    she already has a UV light, which she drives us nuts about because there

    is no indicator light on it to show its "ON".  You can buy LED lights from ABCO or Radio Shack for different voltages and mount one directly or remotely from the Light or mount a video cam inside the plenum and connect it to her computer. All of this would be charged appropriately of course



    Its pretty hard for any homeowner to tell if those things are working.







    we already re-wrapped all the boxes and made sure the fiberglass was up

    tight to the boxes







    I actually think she might like the idea of dis-connecting the runs, but

    she will not like the idea of leaving them open in the attic all

    winter, we would have to plug the box and the. Thats easy to do. going back there repeatedly is not



    run.







    when the temperature drops she should adjust her 33% setting down some.



    Again the aprilaire Humidistat will adjust  automatically. Having her adjust manually by OA temp is just another phone call to you.





    Thank you for the help.
  • Dan M_6
    Dan M_6 Member Posts: 8
    Use foam board instead of plastic

    Maybe if one inch foam board is used to cover the ducts there will be less of a chance for condensation. Plus if there is any she cant see it, unlike the plastic.

    Dan
  • Coany
    Coany Member Posts: 91
    another good idea

    thanks
    " Do what you can, with what you have, where you are" Teddy Roosevelt
  • Techman
    Techman Member Posts: 2,144
    crazy answer

    Sell her what she needs! In the attic unit install the steam humidifier with an outdoor temp sensor to auto adjust the humidity level,also install a Trane or Carrier super Clean Effects air cleaner and install the UV light in the attic unit. Put the fan in the " on " position for the cleanest air possible. IF she's proud to be a card carrying germaphobe then she will go for it.As far as the coughing ,sneezing,farting,etc,put on a body condom and a respirator,but charge her up the dupa on your pricing. Good luck
  • ST
    ST Member Posts: 10
    Heat Recovery Ventilator?

    Would a heat recovery ventilator be a solution?  It would be running continuously and work in conjunction with her air filter and UV light. 
This discussion has been closed.