Air duct cleaning in Phoenix and the surrounding area permits us to see many different scenarios inside the HVAC system. One of the most common concerns our potential customers, has to do with mold. Customers are certain they have mold in their air ducts because they see a difference in their health. They want to know if we can get rid of the mold. The answer to their question is “yes” and “no.”
Microscopic mold spores float around in the air all the time. Unless your home is sealed 100 percent, you can’t stop these spores. But here’s the good news, those floating mold spores are not dangerous to your health unless they colonize.
I think it is important to understand how mold spores actually enter your house and how it changes into a colonized form, which becomes harmful to your health.
Here is how mold gets into your house
Like I said, mold spores are invisible to the naked eye. You need a microscope to see them. So how do they get in your house to start with? Houses today are constructed in a way where they are “tighter” or better sealed to produce more efficient and economical heating and cooling.
Houses need to have fresh air enter and circulate throughout to give the occupants healthy air to breathe. A designed fresh air intake vent line is built into the HVAC system, which draws fresh air in to the system. Mold spores can enter that way and they enter every time the doors or windows are opened.
While mold spores circulate throughout the house, they pose no problem unless they are in a colonized state. So how do mold spores get into a colonized state? Let’s find out.
Here’s how mold colonizes (grows) in the HVAC system
Through our air duct cleaning in Phoenix and the surrounding area, three things are required for mold to colonize: (1) mold spores, (2) dust and (3) humidity or moisture. Without one of these, no mold grows. However, with all three of these, mold not only forms but it becomes a health issue. There are two common places in the HVAC system where mold colonizes (grows). Let’s look at them.
The A-coil is the part of the HVAC system that allows freon to flow through it when the air conditioner operates. As freon flows through it, it gets very cold. As the air blows through the A-coil, like air blowing through the radiator of a car, the air is cooled by the coldness of the freon. That air then goes through the vent lines and into the rooms of the house.
As that air goes in through the supply vents, it forces warm air out of the rooms through the cold air return vent lines, where a blower forces it back through the A-coil to be cooled again. This process continues as long as the unit is running, which is controlled by the thermostat.
Anyway, as the warm air
passes through the A-coil, condensation can form because of the warm, humid air passing over the freon radiator tubes. There is a drip pan under the A-coil to catch this condensation. If there is dust in that drip pan then mold can form because we already know we have mold spores and air and now we just added dust.
You might be familiar with the tube that runs from the drip pan to a floor drain located close to the HVAV unit. Sometimes it can get plugged and if it does, you can get standing water in the drip pan. When this happens, there’s a good chance mold can form. This tube needs to be maintained to ensure it allows the condensation to drain out of the drip pan. Where else can mold form?
As I said earlier, cold air comes out of the supply vent lines and into the rooms of the house. At the end of the vent lines is a vent cover called a grille. If the air in the room is extremely warm, the air coming out of the vent line is extremely cold and the vent cover (grille) has dust on it, mold can grow. This is the other common place besides the drip pan.
The vent grille needs to be removed and cleaned and then clean off the mold around the opening of the vent line. It is very uncommon for the mold to form very far into the vent line. Typically, it is only around the vent grille.
So how do we get rid of the mold
Some people will say to use bleach but I don’t like to do that. I don’t believe bleach is a good thing to breathe and it can also “bleach” things if spilled. I prefer to use a natural product. Here at Supreme Vent Cleaning, we use Micro Balance EC3 Mold Solution Concentrate – All Natural, Botanical. You can purchase through Amazon. It’s very effective at removing mold spores and bacteria. It also gets rid of musty smells.
Summary
Mold spores are everywhere and they are not dangerous until they colonize. The two places where this typically happens in an HVAC system is the A-coil and the supply vent line Grilles. Make sure to keep the drip pan tube free of obstruction and use an “all-natural” mold killer to remove mold and musty smells.
Supreme Vent Cleaning performs air duct cleaning in Phoenix and the surrounding area can take care of cleaning your air ducts to keep the dust away. With proper maintenance to your HVAC system and our cleaning, we can prevent mold.