OK, here's my long tail... er, tale....

I'm doing some fix-up work at a house, and learned that the furnace has been off for 3 years. The furnace is in a closet next to the water heater. Both sit on a raised section in the closet about a foot from the floor. The furnace draws air from the hallway through an enclosed box that is underneath both furnace and water heater.

It turns out that the water heater had leaked and was then drained and disconnected, and a new water heater was installed in the garage. I didn't see any sign of water damage inside, outside or from underneath, and don't see or smell any mold anywhere, including in the box.

Still, I'm hesitating firing up the furnace because I don't want it to spread any spores through the ducts and into the rest of the house. If the house was empty, I would open the windows and run it long enough to purge it out. But the house is being lived in with the usual furniture, etc.

So what I'm thinking of doing is closing all the vents and sealing them except the one nearest the furnace, and then connecting a large OD hose from the vent to outside thru a window. Then emptying a few cans of Lysol into the intake area and running just the blower for awhile. Then turn on the furnace and run that for awhile. Then seal that vent, and repeat the fan & furnace with the next closest vent, until all the ducts are purged.

I first tried rigging up a box to cover the vent with a vacuum cleaner hose, and then running the vacuum, but the blower puts out way more air than the vacuum can handle.

Anyway, that's my story. Does anyone have any ideas of a better way to be sure the ducts get reasonably dust-free?

Thanks in advance!

SJ

On Mon, 15 Dec 2014 23:08:53 -0800, "Sasquatch Jones"
wrote:
air than the vacuum can handle.

Anyway, that's my story. Does anyone have any ideas of a better
way to be sure the ducts get reasonably dust-free?

Thanks in advance!

SJ


Personally, I'd just change the furnace filters, wipe out the furnace
and try to wipe out the inside of the blower as much as possible (with
the power off), and then start the furnace. Just because the furnace
has been off dont mean the ducts fill with dust.

But if this is a real concern for you, there are companies that do duct
cleaning. That would remove everything that has built up over the
years. But it may be costly ???
Call them and find out!

A bigger concern is to be sure the burner is not leaking carbon
monoxide. Get a Carbon Monoxide detector or have a furnace guy look at
it. If this is an oil furnace the oil filter and nozzle could be
clogged.

On 12/16/2014 03:22 AM, wrote:
On Mon, 15 Dec 2014 23:08:53 -0800, "Sasquatch Jones"
wrote:
air than the vacuum can handle.

Anyway, that's my story. Does anyone have any ideas of a better
way to be sure the ducts get reasonably dust-free?

Thanks in advance!

SJ


Personally, I'd just change the furnace filters, wipe out the furnace
and try to wipe out the inside of the blower as much as possible (with
the power off), and then start the furnace. Just because the furnace
has been off dont mean the ducts fill with dust.

But if this is a real concern for you, there are companies that do duct
cleaning. That would remove everything that has built up over the
years. But it may be costly ???
Call them and find out!

A bigger concern is to be sure the burner is not leaking carbon
monoxide. Get a Carbon Monoxide detector or have a furnace guy look at
it. If this is an oil furnace the oil filter and nozzle could be
clogged.





Yep. Check the heat exchanger.

Vacuum everything out and put in a new filter.

CO detector is a generally good idea.


BTW: I did have a professional service clean the ducts once . Don't
recall the price but it was not too steep.

On Tuesday, December 16, 2014 4:23:03 AM UTC-5, wrote:
On Mon, 15 Dec 2014 23:08:53 -0800, "Sasquatch Jones"
wrote:
air than the vacuum can handle.

Anyway, that's my story. Does anyone have any ideas of a better
way to be sure the ducts get reasonably dust-free?

Thanks in advance!

SJ


Personally, I'd just change the furnace filters, wipe out the furnace
and try to wipe out the inside of the blower as much as possible (with
the power off), and then start the furnace. Just because the furnace
has been off dont mean the ducts fill with dust.

I would just do a filter change and normal service inspection. I
wouldn't wipe out anything. For one thing, you can't get to enough
of anything inside the furnace air system that it matters. Second,
as you say, just because it's been off, doesn't mean the furnace is
going to somehow fill with dust. Dust has to come from somewhere and
get in there.



But if this is a real concern for you, there are companies that do duct
cleaning. That would remove everything that has built up over the
years. But it may be costly ???
Call them and find out!


I agree. They can clean the ducts, but even they aren't going to get
inside most of the air handler of the furnace. Just because the WH was
leaking, if there is no damage around the WH, no mold visible, etc,
that wouldn't make me worry about the furnace ducts.
If he's worried, how about taking some grills, registers off and taking
a look? Any evidence of mold or abnormal dust in the filters, in the
easily visible part of the blower compartment?

And if there is a problem, I doubt the lysol approach is going to do much
to solve it. I'd also be concerned about choking off almost the whole system
and trying to run the blower.




A bigger concern is to be sure the burner is not leaking carbon
monoxide. Get a Carbon Monoxide detector or have a furnace guy look at
it. If this is an oil furnace the oil filter and nozzle could be
clogged.

Yes, normal inspection is what I'd do. I'd expect you'd get a little
smell of some kind on the first start. I notice that sometimes. But
absent some reason to really expect trouble, I doubt there is going to
be a problem.

On Mon, 15 Dec 2014 23:08:53 -0800, "Sasquatch Jones"
wrote in


So what I'm thinking of doing is closing all the vents and sealing them except the one nearest the furnace, and then connecting a large OD hose from the vent to outside thru a window. Then emptying a few cans of Lysol into the intake area and running just the blower for awhile. Then turn on the furnace and run that for awhile. Then seal that vent, and repeat the fan & furnace with the next closest vent, until all the ducts are purged.

That should work.
--
Web based forums are like subscribing to 10 different newspapers
and having to visit 10 different news stands to pickup each one.
Email list-server groups and USENET are like having all of those
newspapers delivered to your door every morning.

On 12/16/2014 7:40 AM, CRNG wrote:
On Mon, 15 Dec 2014 23:08:53 -0800, "Sasquatch Jones"
wrote in


So what I'm thinking of doing is closing all the vents and
sealing them except the one nearest the furnace, and then
connecting a large OD hose from the vent to outside thru a
window. Then emptying a few cans of Lysol into the intake area
and running just the blower for awhile. Then turn on the furnace
and run that for awhile. Then seal that vent, and repeat the fan
& furnace with the next closest vent, until all the ducts are
purged.

That should work.


The problem with that approach is that the occupants will end up
evacuating the house, gasping for breath from the Lysol fumes.
Seriously. It's a bad idea. Just clean the furnace and the ductwork,
forget about any kind of antifungal treatment whether DIY or
professional. The EPA does not recommend them.

On Tue, 16 Dec 2014 12:26:00 -0600, Moe DeLoughan wrote:

On 12/16/2014 7:40 AM, CRNG wrote:
On Mon, 15 Dec 2014 23:08:53 -0800, "Sasquatch Jones"
wrote in


So what I'm thinking of doing is closing all the vents and
sealing them except the one nearest the furnace, and then
connecting a large OD hose from the vent to outside thru a
window. Then emptying a few cans of Lysol into the intake area
and running just the blower for awhile. Then turn on the furnace
and run that for awhile. Then seal that vent, and repeat the fan
& furnace with the next closest vent, until all the ducts are
purged.

That should work.


The problem with that approach is that the occupants will end up
evacuating the house, gasping for breath from the Lysol fumes.
Seriously. It's a bad idea. Just clean the furnace and the ductwork,
forget about any kind of antifungal treatment whether DIY or
professional. The EPA does not recommend them.

Aren't mold spores practically everywhere anyhow? Mold is not like
ants, who send out scouts looking for something to eat, and then notify
the hill when they find something.

AIUI if there were mold anywhere in the house, or the neighborhood, ,
spores would already be everywhere in the house. But the mold ony grows
where the environment is suitable. The reason it grows where the
environment is suitable is that were spores there in the first place.

And even if the mold grew where the water heater was, all the water
dried up a long time ago and the mold died. That a wall is still
black doesn't mean the mold is alive. Mold doesn't have pall bearers or
family who come and paint a wall white again.

So there are no more spores in the ducts than there are in the rest of
the house, the same air they'r e breathing now.

AFAIK.

On Tue, 16 Dec 2014 05:26:41 -0800 (PST), trader_4
wrote:

I agree. They can clean the ducts, but even they aren't going to get
inside most of the air handler of the furnace. Just because the WH was
leaking, if there is no damage around the WH, no mold visible, etc,
that wouldn't make me worry about the furnace ducts.
If he's worried, how about taking some grills, registers off and taking
a look? Any evidence of mold or abnormal dust in the filters, in the
easily visible part of the blower compartment?

And if there is a problem, I doubt the lysol approach is going to do much
to solve it. I'd also be concerned about choking off almost the whole system
and trying to run the blower.

I woundn't even consider that Lysol, that odor might never go away.

On the other hand, why not wipe out the furnace. When I moved into my
house, the furnace area around the blower was filthy. I bucket of
water, sponge and a little dish soap cleaned it really nice in a half
hour. On my case, I removed the blower, took it outdoors and hosed it
out. I did nothing with the ducts except vacuum inside each register.
Most what I found was small parts of kids toys, and a few coins.

On Wed, 17 Dec 2014 01:55:03 -0500, micky
wrote:


Aren't mold spores practically everywhere anyhow? Mold is not like
ants, who send out scouts looking for something to eat, and then notify
the hill when they find something.

AIUI if there were mold anywhere in the house, or the neighborhood, ,
spores would already be everywhere in the house. But the mold ony grows
where the environment is suitable. The reason it grows where the
environment is suitable is that were spores there in the first place.

And even if the mold grew where the water heater was, all the water
dried up a long time ago and the mold died. That a wall is still
black doesn't mean the mold is alive. Mold doesn't have pall bearers or
family who come and paint a wall white again.

So there are no more spores in the ducts than there are in the rest of
the house, the same air they'r e breathing now.

AFAIK.

We live in a society filled with fear. Much is based on lies and
exaggerations based on advertisers wanting to get our money. Molds have
been around since the beginning of time. You cant avoid them. Sure,
there are some proven to be harmful by scientists and medical people,
but only certain molds. They have been around forever too, but it's
because of tight sealed newer homes concentrating them (which is one
reason I'd not want to cover my walls with plastic sheeting, under the
sheetrock). [Just my personal choice].

Before over reacting to molds, and even asbestos and stuff like that,
get FACTUAL information, not bull**** created by advertisers. After
all, there appears to be big money to be made, if these companies find a
sucker to pay them to dress up in all sorts of space suits, and hang
plastic all over your home, and in the end, run a vacuum cleaner. I
often wonder how much of this is just putting on an theatrical act,
versus really doing something useful.

If the OP has had a leak which caused black mold (that seems to be the
bad one), then have a reputible company test for problems, and be sure
they are certified and all of that. Then remove the decayed material
and repair. If there was no problem to start with, why fear something
that is normal. People who live in a totally sterile enclosure will be
the first ones to become severely ill if there is a flood, hurricane
damage, etc. You need to be immune to these natural molds and stuff, by
normal small daily doses. Same as how a flu vaccine works, you get a
small dose so your body builds up immunity.

So, unless there is a problem, just change the filters, clean the
furnace, and check the registers. If the ducts are filthy, have one of
those companies clean them. Clean them mostly just to remove the dirt,
not being so concerned about molds and so on. If nothing else, cleaning
the ducts will reduce dusting stuff in the house. All of this depends on
the age of the hoem, cleanliness of previous owners, and other stuff.

My house had a leak in one place and there was some black mold. As soon
as I moved in, I opened all the windows in summer, blew a fan outward
and removed the bad sheetrock, wood, insulation, and other materials.
Any wood that remained inside the walls that looked a little moldy, I
washed with strong bleach water. Then I repaired the stuff and
vacuumed/cleaned the house or any remaining dirt as well as sawdust and
stuff from doing the repair. Every spring I like to completely air the
house out by opening windows and blowing a fan outward. My parents did
it, and I used to think everyone did it.

On Wednesday, December 17, 2014 4:01:48 AM UTC-5, wrote:
On Tue, 16 Dec 2014 05:26:41 -0800 (PST), trader_4
wrote:

I agree. They can clean the ducts, but even they aren't going to get
inside most of the air handler of the furnace. Just because the WH was
leaking, if there is no damage around the WH, no mold visible, etc,
that wouldn't make me worry about the furnace ducts.
If he's worried, how about taking some grills, registers off and taking
a look? Any evidence of mold or abnormal dust in the filters, in the
easily visible part of the blower compartment?

And if there is a problem, I doubt the lysol approach is going to do much
to solve it. I'd also be concerned about choking off almost the whole system
and trying to run the blower.

I woundn't even consider that Lysol, that odor might never go away.

On the other hand, why not wipe out the furnace. When I moved into my
house, the furnace area around the blower was filthy. I bucket of
water, sponge and a little dish soap cleaned it really nice in a half
hour. On my case, I removed the blower, took it outdoors and hosed it
out. I did nothing with the ducts except vacuum inside each register.
Most what I found was small parts of kids toys, and a few coins.

I doubt that with most furnaces today you could remove the blower, hose
it out and put it back together in half an hour. And it seems fairly
pointless anyway. All you're getting at is a small part of the furnace,
none of the duct system. Even in the furnace, there is a lot more than
the blower. The heat exchanger is usually totally inaccessible

The OP said there was no sign of anything out of the ordinary, he/she certainly did not see any Black Mold.

I generally agree with Jerry here.

The term "myco" means fungal, and a "mycotoxin" is a poison that covers the surface of spores produced by certain fungii. Fungal spores are so tiny, that initially there was considerable debate amongst medical professionals as to whether the amount of mycotoxins that would be ingested by inhaling the spores of those molds would be enough to make a person sick. And, as a result of studies, they've found that some people are more sensitive to myco toxins than others. In general, the worst effect of inhaling mycotoxin coated spores is that a person gets much the same symptoms as the common cold; a general feeling of being unwell, runny nose, cough and headaches. Most people never even feel sick from inhaling mycotoxins.

But, what about the advertisements from contractors specializing in mold removal that say that mycotoxins can be deadly? The truth is that ingesting huge amounts of mycotoxins CAN cause people to get very sick, or have failure of their major organs (like the liver) and even die, but those cases are not the result of inhaling mold spores. Those cases are the result of people eating the wrong kind of mushrooms.

The mold removal business today is driven largely by fear and hypochondria. People get older and gain weight, and they look for a reason to explain why they're not a active and healthy as they were, and often they blame BLACK MOLD!!! So, an entire cottage industry has bloomed removing mold from people's houses.

In actuality, if you simply remove the source of water that mold needs to survive, you'll get rid of the mold as well. Often, this isn't practical. For a house with a concrete basement that wasn't properly water proofed on the exterior, moisture will migrate into the basement walls and cause mold to grow inside those walls. That's exactly what happened in the house I grew up in, and I never felt sick despite my being the only one in our family who had a bedroom in that basement and slept down there every night from the time I was about 12 until I was about 16.

If you want to kill mold spores, probably the most effective way without making a mess by splashing Lysol around is to rent a machine called an "Ozone Generator" or simply "Ozone Machine". Just phone around to the places listed under "Janitorial Equipment & Supplies" in your yellow pages phone directory, and many of those places will either rent them or know who does.

Ozone, chemically O3 is an "oxidizing bleach", just like Javex or Chlorox Bleach, or hydrogen peroxide. Ozone (O3), bleach (NaOCl) and hydrogen peroxide (HOOH) all spontaneously break down to form more stable molecule, and in the process spit out a lone oxygen atom.

How to say this politely? Lone oxygen atoms are the horny drunken sailors of the chemical world. They will react with anything that's unstable enough to react with them, and that generally means things that will break down by themselves given time. And that, in turn, means large organic molecules. It is large organic molecules gat give rise to smells and tastes in the foods we eat. Large organic molecules called "dyes" are famous for allowing us to change the colour of fabrics. We have large organic molecules in our hair that determines what colour our hair is.

Oxydizing bleaches spontaneously break down to form oxygen, salt water or water and spit out a lone oxygen atom when they do. That oxygen atom reacts with large organic molecules breaking them into pieces. When that happens, the resulting pieces of molecules no longer absorb light, or affect the sensors in our noses or on our tongues the same way the original molecule did. So, when you bleach a T-shirt, the dye is still on the shirt, but it's been broken into small pieces that don't absorb light the way the original molecules of dye did. Ditto for smells and tastes. When a person dies in a house, and the body isn't discovered until the neighbors start to complain about the stench coming from the house, it's an ozone machine that's used to break down all the organic molecules in the air before the house goes up for sale (if that's what the beneficiaries of the will want).

So, if you want to kill anything in the duct work of the house, instead of splashing bleach around, a smarter move would be to set up an ozone machine and have the furnace circulate ozone through the ductwork.

Ozone is very unstable. Within 2 or 3 hours of shutting the ozone machine off, all of the ozone will have broken down to form oxygen, and the lone oxygen atoms will have reacted with whatever large organic molecules they came into contact with. NOTHING can survive it's constituent molecules being broken up into pieces, not even mold or mold spores.

But, ozone molecules will attack all large organic molecules they encounter. So, try and constrain the ozone to the ducts as much as possible. Ozone will lighten the colour of dyed carpets and dyed draperies. Cellulose is a large organic molecule made of sugar molecules stacked up like bricks in a wall. If you leave a cellulose sponge in bleach overnight, by morning the sponge will be mush. The cellulose molecules are still there, but they've been broken up into small pieces that no longer have any strength. So, when you squeeze that cellulose sponge, you get a ball of much that doesn't return to it's original shape.

Anyhow, by keeping your duct work dry, any spores that are inside your ducts will eventually die. The mycotoxins, if any, on those spores aren't generally enough to make people anything more ill than they would be if they had a cold. And, once those people are no longer inhaling mycotoxin coated spores, their health returns to normal.

So, I'd say that if you wanted to sterilize your ducts and kill any mold or spores in them, the way to go would be to use ozone, and keep everyone out of the house while the ozone machine is generating ozone. And, as Jerry said, humans have been exposed to mycotoxins for thousands of generations as we evolved from apes, and we're pretty well used to mycotoxins. So, when people inhale mycotoxins, those that do get sick don't get any sicker than they would from a cold. The companies that make a business out of removing mold from homes survive largely on fear of the unknown and hypochondria.

Hope this helps.

nestork wrote:
;3322482 Wrote:

We live in a society filled with fear. Much is based on lies and
exaggerations based on advertisers wanting to get our money. Molds
have
been around since the beginning of time. You cant avoid them. Sure,
there are some proven to be harmful by scientists and medical people,
but only certain molds. They have been around forever too, ...

I generally agree with Jerry here.


I ran ozone for months while I was fixing a house. I also used chlorine
dioxide. Part of the reason was to get rid of the smell. Was vacant while
cleansing.

Greg

The term "myco" means fungal, and a "mycotoxin" is a poison that covers
the surface of spores produced by certain fungii. Fungal spores are so
tiny, that initially there was considerable debate amongst medical
professionals as to whether the amount of mycotoxins that would be
ingested by inhaling the spores of those molds would be enough to make a
person sick. And, as a result of studies, they've found that some
people are more sensitive to myco toxins than others. In general, the
worst effect of inhaling mycotoxin coated spores is that a person gets
much the same symptoms as the common cold; a general feeling of being
unwell, runny nose, cough and headaches. Most people never even feel
sick from inhaling mycotoxins.

But, what about the advertisements from contractors specializing in mold
removal that say that mycotoxins can be deadly? The truth is that
ingesting huge amounts of mycotoxins CAN cause people to get very sick,
or have failure of their major organs (like the liver) and even die, but
those cases are not the result of inhaling mold spores. Those cases are
the result of people eating the wrong kind of mushrooms.

The mold removal business today is driven largely by fear and
hypochondria. People get older and gain weight, and they look for a
reason to explain why they're not a active and healthy as they were, and
often they blame BLACK MOLD!!! So, an entire cottage industry has
bloomed removing mold from people's houses.

In actuality, if you simply remove the source of water that mold needs
to survive, you'll get rid of the mold as well. Often, this isn't
practical. For a house with a concrete basement that wasn't properly
water proofed on the exterior, moisture will migrate into the basement
walls and cause mold to grow inside those walls. That's exactly what
happened in the house I grew up in, and I never felt sick despite my
being the only one in our family who had a bedroom in that basement and
slept down there every night from the time I was about 12 until I was
about 16.

If you want to kill mold spores, probably the most effective way without
making a mess by splashing Lysol around is to rent a machine called an
"Ozone Generator" or simply "Ozone Machine". Just phone around to the
places listed under "Janitorial Equipment & Supplies" in your yellow
pages phone directory, and many of those places will either rent them or
know who does.

Ozone, chemically O3 is an "oxidizing bleach", just like Javex or
Chlorox Bleach, or hydrogen peroxide. Ozone (O3), bleach (NaOCl) and
hydrogen peroxide (HOOH) all spontaneously break down to form more
stable molecule, and in the process spit out a lone oxygen atom.

How to say this politely? Lone oxygen atoms are the horny drunken
sailors of the chemical world. They will react with anything that's
unstable enough to react with them, and that generally means things that
will break down by themselves given time. And that, in turn, means
large organic molecules. It is large organic molecules gat give rise to
smells and tastes in the foods we eat. Large organic molecules called
"dyes" are famous for allowing us to change the colour of fabrics. We
have large organic molecules in our hair that determines what colour our
hair is.

Oxydizing bleaches spontaneously break down to form oxygen, salt water
or water and spit out a lone oxygen atom when they do. That oxygen atom
reacts with large organic molecules breaking them into pieces. When
that happens, the resulting pieces of molecules no longer absorb light,
or affect the sensors in our noses or on our tongues the same way the
original molecule did. So, when you bleach a T-shirt, the dye is still
on the shirt, but it's been broken into small pieces that don't absorb
light the way the original molecules of dye did. Ditto for smells and
tastes. When a person dies in a house, and the body isn't discovered
until the neighbors start to complain about the stench coming from the
house, it's an ozone machine that's used to break down all the organic
molecules in the air before the house goes up for sale (if that's what
the beneficiaries of the will want).

So, if you want to kill anything in the duct work of the house, instead
of splashing bleach around, a smarter move would be to set up an ozone
machine and have the furnace circulate ozone through the ductwork.

Ozone is very unstable. Within 2 or 3 hours of shutting the ozone
machine off, all of the ozone will have broken down to form oxygen, and
the lone oxygen atoms will have reacted with whatever large organic
molecules they came into contact with. NOTHING can survive it's
constituent molecules being broken up into pieces, not even mold or mold
spores.

But, ozone molecules will attack all large organic molecules they
encounter. So, try and constrain the ozone to the ducts as much as
possible. Ozone will lighten the colour of dyed carpets and dyed
draperies. Cellulose is a large organic molecule made of sugar
molecules stacked up like bricks in a wall. If you leave a cellulose
sponge in bleach overnight, by morning the sponge will be mush. The
cellulose molecules are still there, but they've been broken up into
small pieces that no longer have any strength. So, when you squeeze
that cellulose sponge, you get a ball of much that doesn't return to
it's original shape.

Anyhow, by keeping your duct work dry, any spores that are inside your
ducts will eventually die. The mycotoxins, if any, on those spores
aren't generally enough to make people anything more ill than they would
be if they had a cold. And, once those people are no longer inhaling
mycotoxin coated spores, their health returns to normal.

So, I'd say that if you wanted to sterilize your ducts and kill any mold
or spores in them, the way to go would be to use ozone, and keep
everyone out of the house while the ozone machine is generating ozone.
And, as Jerry said, humans have been exposed to mycotoxins for thousands
of generations as we evolved from apes, and we're pretty well used to
mycotoxins. So, when people inhale mycotoxins, those that do get sick
don't get any sicker than they would from a cold. The companies that
make a business out of removing mold from homes survive largely on fear
of the unknown and hypochondria.

Hope this helps.

"gregz" wrote in message ...
nestork wrote:
;3322482 Wrote:

We live in a society filled with fear. Much is based on lies and
exaggerations based on advertisers wanting to get our money. Molds
have
been around since the beginning of time. You cant avoid them. Sure,
there are some proven to be harmful by scientists and medical people,
but only certain molds. They have been around forever too, ...

I generally agree with Jerry here.


I ran ozone for months while I was fixing a house. I also used chlorine
dioxide. Part of the reason was to get rid of the smell. Was vacant while
cleansing.

Greg

Did the ozone corrode the ducts or other metal surfaces in the house?

No, ozone won't affect metals.

Yes, you can breathe ozone, but it's unhealthy. The ozone will attack the tissues in your throat and lungs.

On Wed, 17 Dec 2014 03:01:01 -0600, wrote:

On Tue, 16 Dec 2014 05:26:41 -0800 (PST), trader_4
wrote:

I agree. They can clean the ducts, but even they aren't going to get
inside most of the air handler of the furnace. Just because the WH was
leaking, if there is no damage around the WH, no mold visible, etc,
that wouldn't make me worry about the furnace ducts.
If he's worried, how about taking some grills, registers off and taking
a look? Any evidence of mold or abnormal dust in the filters, in the
easily visible part of the blower compartment?

And if there is a problem, I doubt the lysol approach is going to do much
to solve it. I'd also be concerned about choking off almost the whole system
and trying to run the blower.

I woundn't even consider that Lysol, that odor might never go away.

On the other hand, why not wipe out the furnace. When I moved into my
house, the furnace area around the blower was filthy. I bucket of
water, sponge and a little dish soap cleaned it really nice in a half
hour. On my case, I removed the blower, took it outdoors and hosed it
out. I did nothing with the ducts except vacuum inside each register.
Most what I found was small parts of kids toys, and a few coins.

If your heating ducts are infested with kids toys, you may eventually be
overwhelmed by toys growing in the corners of the closets.

OTOH, if the coins multiply fast enough, that's a very good thing.

On Thu, 18 Dec 2014 23:21:07 +0100, nestork
wrote:


Snuffy \Hub Cap\ McKinney;3323076 Wrote:

Did the ozone corrode the ducts or other metal surfaces in the house?

No, ozone won't affect metals.

Yes, you can breathe ozone, but it's unhealthy. The ozone will attack
the tissues in your throat and lungs.

Dont those ultraviolet light devices sold for going behind the furnace
filters, generate ozone? If not, what do they do?

"Snuffy \"Hub Cap\" McKinney" wrote:
"gregz" wrote in message
...
nestork wrote:
;3322482 Wrote:

We live in a society filled with fear. Much is based on lies and
exaggerations based on advertisers wanting to get our money. Molds
have
been around since the beginning of time. You cant avoid them. Sure,
there are some proven to be harmful by scientists and medical people,
but only certain molds. They have been around forever too, ...

I generally agree with Jerry here.


I ran ozone for months while I was fixing a house. I also used chlorine
dioxide. Part of the reason was to get rid of the smell. Was vacant while
cleansing.

Greg

Did the ozone corrode the ducts or other metal surfaces in the house?

Levels were not extreme enough. Some rooms got separate treatment. Hvac ran
as normal, mostly cold months. You could get fairly high smelly fresh
ozone, but the ozone is easy to smell without being corrosive. Chlorine
dioxide can cause bleaching near dispensers.

Greg

wrote:
On Thu, 18 Dec 2014 23:21:07 +0100, nestork
wrote:


Snuffy \Hub Cap\ McKinney;3323076 Wrote:

Did the ozone corrode the ducts or other metal surfaces in the house?

No, ozone won't affect metals.

Yes, you can breathe ozone, but it's unhealthy. The ozone will attack
the tissues in your throat and lungs.

Dont those ultraviolet light devices sold for going behind the furnace
filters, generate ozone? If not, what do they do?

They generally produce some ozone, but not that much. Uv kills upon
exposure.
Some water treatment plants use large uv lamps to purify water. ozone
generators just use high voltage ac corona on plates and use fans or pumps.

Greg