Blog Post

4 Ways Your Air Ducts Could Be Warning You About Mold

Admin • May 24, 2021

The only thing worse than a mold infestation in your home is one that you do not know about. Mold loves to hide in dark, damp places, which coincidentally makes your ductwork a good candidate for a mold colony. Fortunately, your ducts will often warn you if mold has set up camp so you can take action before mold growth gets out of hand. Discover four warning signs of mold in your air ducts to look out for.


1. A Musty Odor During HVAC Use

Any contaminants present in your air ducts can circulate when you use your air conditioner or furnace. In the case of mold, air moving through your ducts can pick up mold spores. This often results in a musty odor noticeable throughout every room in your home when your HVAC system runs.

Mold in your ducts often originates on the evaporator coils or the drain pan that collects water beneath them. If the smell from your vents is too strong to tolerate until you can schedule a professional duct cleaning, you may be able to reduce the smell by cleaning these components with a commercial cleaner or diluted bleach.


2. Visible Mold Around Vent Registers

Sometimes, mold in your air ducts will reveal itself with a very obvious sign: mold growth around your vent registers. This occurs when mold spores from deeper in your ductwork land on the vent register and spread to the area around it.

Just as you can clean the coils and drain pan with diluted bleach, you can scrub your vent registers with a bleach solution to eliminate mold. If you have children or pets, consider mold on any vent registers near the floor to be an urgent issue. This is because some species of mold are toxic, such as black mold.


3. Unexplained Illness at Home

People allergic to mold are at greatest risk from airborne mold spores indoors, but anyone can be affected if spores are present in high enough concentration. Symptoms of mold exposure usually start with mild cold symptoms like coughing, sneezing, and irritation of the throat and sinuses. Long-term or acute exposure poses a risk of illnesses such as pneumonia and bronchitis.

While sinus and respiratory symptoms can have several different causes, the biggest clue that your symptoms are mold-related is when they are worse at home, but leaving home brings you relief. If you notice this pattern, consider calling a duct cleaning professional to restore your home to a comfortable and breathable state.


4. Moisture From Vent Registers

Even if you have no obvious signs of mold in your ducts, take note if you have any unexplained moisture coming from your vents. This includes moisture spraying or misting from your vents as well as condensation on and around the vent register. While moisture does not always mean that mold is already present, you should determine the source and solve the problem before mold can take root.

Frozen evaporator coils or a clogged drain pan are common culprits behind excess moisture in air ducts. Other possible causes include leaky ducts or inadequate duct insulation. A duct cleaning professional can inspect the ductwork behind your walls to ensure that the entire system is in good health.

Mold in your air ducts is not a problem you can ignore, but it is one you can easily solve once you have identified it. If you suspect mold, leaks, or other problems in your ductwork, call C J Services, Inc. , so we can help you get the most out of your heating and air conditioning. We look forward to helping you.

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