Mold in your air ducts?

1/14/2015 (Permalink)

Mold in an air duct system in Tunkhannock, Pa.

You only need to do something about mold in your air conditioning system if there are obvious signs, such as visible mold or a strong mildew smell.  The typical places you want to check for mold include the air ducts, intake vents, cooling coils, and drip pans.

If you can’t see any signs of mold, but there is a definite odor, you should call a professional to inspect your system.  Mold in your air ducts or other parts of your air conditioning system should be dealt with immediately.  Failure to address this problem can encourage mold spores to be spread throughout your house as the system blows air across the mold and into the various parts of the house.  Do not run your air conditioning system, especially if mold is present in your air ducts or near the intake vent.

Causes of Mold in Your Heating and Air Conditioning System

The two major causes of mold in your air conditioning system are condensation and organic material.  Condensation occurs when parts of your air conditioning system get cold, especially when the surrounding air in the room is warm and humid.  For example, if your basement tends to be humid and the air ducts get cold while the air is blowing, the water vapor in the room can begin to condense on the air duct, creating a small amount of water.  If the humidity is low enough, the water will quickly evaporate once the a/c turns off.  If the humidity is too high, then the water will persist and that’s when you begin to have a mold problem.

Air conditioning systems tend to collect dust, both in the unit itself and within the air ducts.  Dust contains all kinds of organic material, such as pollen and dead skin cells, which is essentially food for mold.  Combined with a damp environment, this creates a great place for mold to grow.

SERVPRO of Carbondale/Clarks Summit/Old Forge is Northeastern Pennsylvania's premier speciality cleabning company. We specialize in air duct cleaning and take before and after pictures to ensure the mold issue has been removed. We offer free estimates and deodorization. Proudly serving all of Lackawanna, Luzerne, Wayne and Wyoming counties.