My folks have had mildew or mold for the past few years, showing up on the AC registers located in the kitchen area. Mom says it's not mildew because it is hard to remove and keeps coming back. So she had a company come by and they quote the following:

• 3 duct lines going to 3 registers. $150 ea = $450
• 3 duct lines going to 3 returns. $150 ea = $450
• Mold remediation = $820
• Total = $1,720.

A bit pricey but hey if it removes all the mold and makes mom happy then it's a win.

But then they told her that the evaporator coil needs to be replaced, and this is where I'm getting concerned.

The house has 3 different AC units. The other 2 units are original to the house (17 or 18 years old)
The RUUD unit that feeds to the 2 registers where the mold is, was replaced in 2017, so it's 8 years old. This unit feeds the most-used part of the house which is all open-plan (kitchen, dining, living areas).
They told her there's water and rust in the drain pan and that's a result of the evaporator coil needing replacement. When my dad went to check it the next day the drain pan was dry. The guy responded via text that it's just intermittent and still needs replacement.

My personal thoughts not being an HVAC guy, if there's mildew/mold then there's excess condensation somewhere which is caused by cold and hot air mixing, typically either where the ducting connects to the register, or a tear in the ducting, or where the ducting connects to the plenum, or on the plenum itself. And if there's too much water in the drain pan, just pour some vinegar or put some of those tabs in it to clear out the drain line.

They are wanting to charge $5,450 parts and $3,960 labor to install a new Goodman 4 ton evaporator coil and condenser.

To make matters worse, when my dad left the room, the AC guy talked my mom into signing for the job and making a venmo deposit, so the opportunity for job cancellation is limited. This isn't a well know company and their website and facebook are pretty vague with no real reviews. I called the guy and we've spoken today, I politely raised some concerns and he's going to look into it and get back with me this afternoon.

Any thoughts, feedback or suggestions?

FHKPLEX03 said:

---

My folks have had mildew or mold for the past few years, showing up on the AC registers located in the kitchen area. Mom says it's not mildew because it is hard to remove and keeps coming back. So she had a company come by and they quote the following:

• 3 duct lines going to 3 registers. $150 ea = $450
• 3 duct lines going to 3 returns. $150 ea = $450
• Mold remediation = $820
• Total = $1,720.

A bit pricey but hey if it removes all the mold and makes mom happy then it's a win.

But then they told her that the evaporator coil needs to be replaced, and this is where I'm getting concerned.

The house has 3 different AC units. The other 2 units are original to the house (17 or 18 years old)
The RUUD unit that feeds to the 2 registers where the mold is, was replaced in 2017, so it's 8 years old. This unit feeds the most-used part of the house which is all open-plan (kitchen, dining, living areas).
They told her there's water and rust in the drain pan and that's a result of the evaporator coil needing replacement. When my dad went to check it the next day the drain pan was dry. The guy responded via text that it's just intermittent and still needs replacement.

My personal thoughts not being an HVAC guy, if there's mildew/mold then there's excess condensation somewhere which is caused by cold and hot air mixing, typically either where the ducting connects to the register, or a tear in the ducting, or where the ducting connects to the plenum, or on the plenum itself. And if there's too much water in the drain pan, just pour some vinegar or put some of those tabs in it to clear out the drain line.

They are wanting to charge $5,450 parts and $3,960 labor to install a new Goodman 4 ton evaporator coil and condenser.

To make matters worse, when my dad left the room, the AC guy talked my mom into signing for the job and making a venmo deposit, so the opportunity for job cancellation is limited. This isn't a well know company and their website and facebook are pretty vague with no real reviews. I called the guy and we've spoken today, I politely raised some concerns and he's going to look into it and get back with me this afternoon.

Any thoughts, feedback or suggestions?

---

4-tons is enough for a whole house. Seems awfully large for "is all open-plan (kitchen, dining, living areas)." That can't be more than 1,000 sq.ft.

He told you the pan was 'rusted', but it's obviously not so off the bat he's lying to you. Tell you parents to cancel immediately and get a second opinion. Check whatever she signed regarding 'cancelation' but good luck getting the deposit back.

It could be mold b/c the 2017 unit is simply oversized and turning on/off all the time b/c it cools the space down too quickly and you cannot get the air to dry out. Or as you suggested there is a rip/tear/leak somewhere in the supply or return system.

Also, check that the drain line is in fact draining the pan (just pour some water into the pan - or a correctly installed pan drain will have a "T" in the line with a cap to flush it out.

3,800 sq ft house
1 unit for upstairs
1 unit for primary bedroom area
1 unit for the main living area

You and I both agree there is little chance of getting the deposit back. The invoice states "NO REFUNDS". They will likely claim they used the deposit money to order the replacement evaporator coil and condenser.

I would assume that the 2017 unit was a like-for-like replacement of the original unit and therefore wouldn't be oversized, but I really don't know.

I thought HVAC was warranted for ten years. Have you tried talking to the contractor who installed it? It may be under warranty.

I think the 2017 work only had a 5 year warranty

Did the company do a heat load? If they didn't, argue that as reason enough to get out of the agreement. Any company worth their salt will do a heat load before selling a new unit. If they didn't do one and company still says they can't get out of it, I'd raise 30 levels of hell and blast them publicly until they cave.

Three units on a single house, and this unit is FOUR TONS??? Either that house is insanely big, or their unit is oversized and that's the reason they have moisture/potential mold.

I doubt they did a heat load report. I'm guessing they would just say that they weren't trying to determine if the existing unit was sized appropriately, they were just quoting like for like replacement components based on their "inspection".

I would estimate that 4 ton unit covers 1,700 sq ft of the house, with lots of large windows. That seems ok to me (not an HVAC guy) since I have a 5 ton unit on my 2,300 sq ft house.

If all else fails, take them to small claims court. They likely won't show up and you'll win by default.

Yesterday I finally had time to go look at the units myself. The unit that he said needed replacing isn't even the unit that fed to the "mold" on the AC registers. I looked at the "mold" and it wasn't mold and I was able to clean it off easily.

Also had an AC company that someone recommended on texags come by and they said everything was fine. Nothing needed to be replaced.

I've informed the original company that we will not be proceeding with any of his recommended repairs and that we need our money returned and I asked what address to send the registered letter. We will see how long they push back and hold out.

Thanks for all the feedback and recommendations on this thread. It was all very helpful.

Your gut is smarter that Mom who wants to getRdone and if not done well, that's for another day, perhaps due to past history frustrations with you.know.who? They are living with a cheap deal going bad and health costs the most these days, even IF you get lucky with good, rare care.

I vote to fire these guys, forget Goodman and have a Trane/Am.Std outfit
GUT and put in The Best, even ducts then forgetaboutit.
If pricey, then pay double and live no frills for awhile, e.g. a 30yr mortgage getting dbl.pay is gone in 7 years once upon a time ...

Sounds ridiculous.

Most every manufacture has used plastic pans for the last 20 years. Ruud evaporator coils have been aluminum since 2009ish so explain the rust.

Your mildew issue if only occurring at a few registers is likely due to a poor seal at the Sheetrock. Take the register off, get some caulk and fill in the gap between the register box and Sheetrock then reinstall the register.

Find a new AC guy.

After inspecting the units and registers myself yesterday, there was some inaccurate info in my original post. In summary though, the original company has now said they will return the deposit and the only repairs we will be making, with a different company, is to replace a rusted out secondary pan on one of the units that had messed up in 2018. The pan is rusted through so any water could leak again into the sheetrock below. My folks are happy with the current forward direction and my mom has a fresh reminder/lesson learned. I'm sure all here already know this, but give a reminder to the elderly ones in your family to only use trusted, referred service contractors. I tell my folks all the time to just use me to fix things or let me research and contract these things, and it actually would have all been fine if that salesman hadn't waited until my dad left the room and then convinced my mom to sign up for all that work and make a deposit...

Sounds like you have it worked out. Just a few comments - Goodman is junk, anyone installing these are low dollar contractors. Don't be fooled by the "we got bought by Daikin now we're better" bs. A rusty pan doesn't mean a coil needs replaced. Any time you hear this combination, go get a second opinion. Hope you get it resolved.

FHKPLEX03 said:

---

To make matters worse, when my dad left the room, the AC guy talked my mom into signing for the job and making a venmo deposit, so the opportunity for job cancellation is limited.

---

This right here raised a hundred flags for me. Even if their recommended job had been solid (which it wasn't) this is a sign of a bad scammy operator.

hahaha = SOP = how we seem to buy new cars these days
even with a Consumer Reports car buyer menbership deal maker on board ... dismissed
I guess time = $$$$$$

I had a Goodman installed several years ago. It was inexpensive and came with a lifetime parts and labor warranty. They come check it twice a year. I have only had one part replaced, at no cost.It works well for my house.

Based on my experience over the last 17 years here, I would follow whatever TruService says. Never steered me wrong when others tried.