can breathing freon from a leak in indoor ac coils cause health issues? in a condo, have an outside ac unit with 'air handler' in my laundry room, with coils I assume freon runs thru from outside (they get cold). Had the fan motor replaced and the tech had to add a pound of freon, commented could be a leak in the "inside coils" and may need to add more freon in a couple of years. Didn't think anything of it at the time, but have allergies, and my congestion is worse now the ac is back on than during the 3 weeks when I had the windows open with fans, and that doesn't make sense. Wondered if I'm breathing freon, and that could be the issue?Technician says there is a leak in the evaporator coils indoors. Air is pushed through the cooling coils and into the living space of the home. We breath that r-410a coolant. The manufactured evaporator coil is 2 years old. We have spent over $1400 repairing low coolant problems without replacing the evaporator coils. We now see that is the problem that needs replacing.

A 2 year old unit..? The manufacturer Nordyne refused to warranty at 1 year 2 days. Family health not an issue if it isn't their family...same goes for the repair service company. They didn't mention that accumulation indoors is a heath issue for occupants. Where is our protection? Here is a link to an MSDS for it - you can read for yourself on the toxicity and side effects. Basically, has not been found to be toxic or cancer causing, but breathing it can cause a number of effects as is says under the Inhalation item, and when it contacts heated surfaces like a furnace or water heater flame is can for acids. what size ac unit do i need for a 1200 sq ft houseIt also carries a lubricant with it in the air conditioning system (commonly mineral oil) and vaporized oils are known to be a significant respiratory hazard, both chemically and because the aerosolized oil coats the lungs causing edema and gradual suffocation.air conditioning heater wall units

/_Uploads/dbsAtt...======However, if leaking a pound every yesar or few, unlikely to have a noticeable effect unless you are breathing right at the leak point. I would say more likely, the respiratory effects are from inadequate filtration of dust and lint that is being recirulated in your home, or from mildew/mold growth on the evaporator coils. That is a common source of respiratory issues, as is forced air ventilation in general because it tends to pull inand recirculate more allergens from outside and inside than direct electric or steam/hot water radiator or baseboard systems.texa air conditioning unit No it can not hurt you at all. The only way refrigerent can harm you is by inhaling it directly into the lungs, which can cause frostbite and kill you. The only thing its hurting is your wallet and the ozone layer.The only way its harmful is by burning the freon directly with a flame. A furnace is not hot enough to burn leaking freon.

Phosgene gas is produced when freon is burned. It will turn a yellow torch flame green during that process which I have seen many times before. If you breath in the fumes from the green flames "Phosgene gas" it can kill you instantly. Phosgene gas is also found in Mustard Gas which has been used as a chemical weapon since WW1.There is no way for a homeowner to come in contact with Phosgene gas unless the furnace or house is on fire and you are standing at or above the evap. coil at the very second the coil begins to melt releasing the gas. If you are not there right at that second trying to inhale the stuff it just gets burned up by the rest of the fire/flames.Freon is 100% safe to homeowners. Source: 15 yrs exp. How much would it cost to fix a cracked display on a Samsung UN55KS8500FXZA curved tv? need someone to hang dance mirrors What would the charge be to jack up a small garage 16' x 16' square and replace 3 4" x 6" beams? Small wall heater that needs to be replaced .

Have a quoted a price of $3600 with or without damper. how can i get rid of sour milk smell that spilled under the back seat and across the floor of my automobile ? Las vegas i need a smoke detector battery changed on a high ceilingDetecting water leaks coming from outside of roomAround outside walls of server room / data center and under raised floor best is to keep a 30-50cm / 10-20" from outer wall Flooding Sensor Probe* with 6m/20ft water sensitive cableWhat Should I Do About the AC Drip? Good Questions: What Should I Do About the AC Drip? I have a four-year-old Frigidaire 15,000 BTU window A/C. Shortly after I had it installed (by technicians from my place of purchase on the UWS) in 2002, my neighbor from two floors down saw me on the street and pulled me aside. "Caren," she said, in sort of a dramatic stage whisper. "There's something wrong with your air conditioner." I looked at her, surprised. "It drips!" she said. I looked at her to see if she was kidding.

"If you look at the bottom of it, there's a hole, and there's water coming out of the hole! It's dripping onto my air conditioner!"Email questions and pics with QUESTIONS in subject line to:editor(at)apartmenttherapy(dot)com)Link To All Good Questions My feeling at that moment was one of pity, not because my neighbor's A/C was being hit with condensate from my unit, but because she genuinely didn't seem to understand that air conditioners rely on processes of compression and condensation in order to work. I explained to her that the hole was there by design, and that (at least to my knowledge) all window A/C units drip. It was as if she simply didn't hear me. To this day, she and her husband maintain that my air conditioner is "broken" and that it is "leaking" onto theirs. After the initial complaint, I dutifully called the appliance store where I purchased the unit and explained the "problem." They laughed and assured me that, yes, my conditioner was supposed to drip. They added that because it was such a powerful unit, it was apt to drip quite a lot.

I repeated my question to those in my circle of friends who were likely to have an informed opinion on the matter: architects, contractors, engineers. They all told me the same thing. Your neighbor needs to get real." The following year, after another dramatic encounter on the street where my neighbor informed me that my air conditioner was "broken," I went out and purchased a large Rubbermaid® pitched drainboard for her. I took it down to her apartment and told her that I thought I had found the solution. "All you have to do is secure this to your unit, and water from my A/C will be deflected from yours." I really thought that we had reached the end of this particular little drama. And indeed I didn't hear from her from the rest of the summer. The next summer I ran into her on the elevator and asked her how the drainboard was working out. "Oh, it blew off," she said dismissively. I considered buying her a new one and helping her and her husband secure it to their A/C, but then thought better of it.

After all, virtually everyone I knew whose air conditioners were hit by condensate from above simply put foam rubber (or even old towels) on the top of their units and called it a day. My neighbors were adults, I thought to myself; they could come up with a solution. I had done my best, and now it was up to them. This summer, the drama has reached a new level of intensity. One day my neighbor rang my doorbell. "The air conditioner repairmen just left," she said. She informed me that their five-year-old A/C had to be replaced, because the "leakage" from my unit had caused theirs to rust. I'm sincerely sorry that they have to replace their air conditioner, but something about their story just doesn't ring true for me. For one thing, they leave their unit out all year round, where it is exposed to the elements. Furthermore, the rains we've gotten this season put more moisture in and around their A/C than the condensate from mine ever has.From the Stop-Drop website: This patent pending product is comprised of a 24" square piece of 3/4" foam bonded to a 24" square piece of .10 mil magnetic sheeting which adheres to the top of a window mounted air conditioner, or any other metallic surface.

no more towels, cardboard or carpet remnants tied around the air conditioner, no more foam siliconed to the top never again to be removed. Its features include ease of application and removal and safety. "STOP DROP" has an HF-1 rating from underwriters laboratories, which means that it is flame retardant and more importantly, self extinguishing. It exceeds NYC building code requirements. It fits most air conditioners and is cut easily with a scissors. Unlike jerry rigged solutions, "STOP DROP" is not a breeding ground for bacteria and larvae, and it does not flop around in the wind.My first impulse was to rush over to Gracious Home and get one for them. But then I thought better of it. "They're adults," I said to myself; "they need to be a little more proactive about this; I'll print out the information for them and they can go out and get a Stop-Drop themselves." So I printed out the info and pinned it up on the lobby bulletin board for everyone to see; I thought that others might find the information useful, too.

A few days after that, my neighbor came up to my apartment with a little section of hose and the number of a local handyman. She suggested that I attach the hose to my A/C to divert the drip. I had already thought about doing something like that, but there are a couple of reasons why I don't like that solution: (1) My unit is securely bolted into the window and attached to a horizontal mounting rail to comply with Local Law 11, and the process of dismounting it and attaching the hose would be rather involved and time-consuming (and I estimate would cost me close to $200 for labor); (2) It strikes me as a clumsy workaround: the water will simply drip somewhere else, and cause problems somewhere else. So I went over to Gracious Home, purchased a Stop-Drop for my neighbors, and left it outside their door with a note saying that I would be happy to help them install it. In response, I got a surprisingly angry note from them: YOU WOULD THINK, BY YOUR LETTER, THAT IT WAS OUR A/C LEAKING.

OUR FIVE YEAR OLD AIR CONDITIONER HAS TO BE JUNKED BECAUSE IT IS COMPLETELY RUSTED INSIDE. TWO PROFESSIONAL A/C REPAIRMEN STATED THIS TO US 2 WEEKS AGO. HOWEVER, WE WILL USE YOUR STOP-DROP PAD AS WE CAN SEE YOU ARE REFUSING TO FIX THE PROBLEM (WE WILL JERRY RIG OUR A/C EVEN THOUGH IT IS YOUR A/C CAUSING THE PROBLEM). I ASSURE YOU IF IT WAS OUR A/C LEAKING ON OUR NEIGHBORS, WE WOULD GET IT FIXED NOT TRANSFER THE PROBLEM TO OUR NEIGHBOR. Yes, the note was in all caps. I found it upsetting, because I honestly feel that I have made a good-faith effort to find solutions to this. So I brought it to the attention of the co-op board. Because I myself am on the board, however, the other members felt that it would be a conflict of interest for the board to get involved, and suggested that the matter be forwarded to the management company for mediation. In an email to me, our managing agent said that she thought I should: (A) attach the hose OR get my A/C serviced, and (B) apologize to my neighbors for my unit's "leakage" into theirs.

I feel as though I've landed in the twilight zone. On one side, we have basic laws of physics/thermodynamics, and an air conditioner that is functioning properly. On the other side, we have people people who have not maintained their air conditioner, have taken no measures to protect it from the elements, and who are now furious about things like compression, condensation and gravity.I thought that I would ask you and your readers to weigh in on this, because undoubtedly many New Yorkers have found themselves in similar circumstances, on both sides. Thanks for your very thoughtful and well worded question to which we are sure there will be many responses. In our opinion, it does seem as if you have difficult neighbors, but we can understand their frustration in the shared space outside your windows. We think that diverting the dripping ultimately makes more sense for everyone as it simply gets the water out of the line of the windows. We do understand, however, that this is a bigger job for you.