Steaming car vents

[Chicago550]

What`s everyone`s take on this to remove odors from the hvac system. I have a McCullough steamer and was thinking of steaming then vents individually




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Poorboy]

First Welcome to Autopia

I would be very careful using steam in vents ... they are often made of material that may not be be waterproof or resistant to extreme temperatures ..

[ShaneB]

IMO it`s ineffective and may do more harm than good. Steam is great to deodorize and disinfect, however that`s only because of the heat. Hold your hand about 12 inches away from your nozzle. Is it super hot? Nope. So by steaming vents you`re effectively just filling them up with water vapor. Not going to accomplish anything really. Could potentially create a mold problem as well.

If if you really want to disinfect and deodoriz a cars vents, pickup an ozone generator and let that run inside the car for an hour with the fan on max and make sure its recirculating the air

[Chicago550]

Excellent points thank you


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Accumulator]

Glad to see steaming the vents is *not* being advocated. It has been a few times in the past.

Chicago550- Welcome to Autopia!

I don`t steam the vents because of the potential "where does all the steam, which`ll turn into water, and dislodged stuff go?" issue.

To remove odors from the HVAC I use the aerosol products that`re made for that, usually the one from Wurth. They have stuff in them to kill off the micro-organisms/etc. that`re causing the bad odors.

If the ductwork/vents actually need thoroughly cleaned out that`s a different job; the ducts in some vehicles come apart/go back together easily while some others are best left to Pros.

[The Driver]

1Z Klima clean is what you`re looking for, wurth makes a similar product.

[Chicago550]

I used Wurth and didn`t like the lemon scent I was left with


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mobiledynamics]

It`s Always a great idea, fwiw, to just turn off the AC and leave the air running, if you a mile close to home...
Not that we do this in practice. Kinda get`s rid of the residual moisture.

I`ve done cleaning in AC vents, drip trays, etc - around the house , and naked to the Blind Eye, but you guys would be grossed out but what grows in wet cold stagnent areas.....

[Accumulator]

I used Wurth and didn`t like the lemon scent I was left with

Ah, but did it do the job with regard to killing off any nasty odors?

I can understand somebody not liking how the [INSERT brand name] version smells, fortunately there are a few choices to choose from. IIRC there`s a can from ValuGard sitting on my shelf waiting for the need to arise...

[Chicago550]

Yes... got rid of the mildew odor


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Chicago550]

Was hoping if I just did a little steam and ran the heat on high afterwards it would get rid of some of that wurth lemon scent


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JSFM35X]

I have steamed vents before with no ill effects and not great results either. I have had great results with a spray type product designed to kill smells in car AC systems. Spray let sit 1/2 hr and run air on high. I also suggest changing or examining the filter after heating season just so it`s fresh for the AC season. Either blow it out or replace.

[mobiledynamics]

I have steamed vents before with no ill effects and not great results either. I have had great results with a spray type product designed to kill smells in car AC systems. Spray let sit 1/2 hr and run air on high. I also suggest changing or examining the filter after heating season just so it`s fresh for the AC season. Either blow it out or replace.

Replace . Go with charcoal filter if they make if for your make/model.
Blowing it out with forced air changes the structure in any air filter. This is from my understanding when it`s ill advised to do it on the Hepa filters on XYZ

[Chicago550]

Replaced both filters and they are oem charcoal and that helped a lot .... just wanna get rid of that residual wurth smell, the mildew must smell is 100% gone


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Accumulator]

Chicago550- Wonder if somebody`s Odor Eliminator product would do the job. Once again, I use the stuff from ValuGard. At least you took care of the mildew so it`s not constantly getting worse.