Moisture in Your Home's Air Ducts Can Lead to Mold
12/16/2010 17:48
Unless you have your air ducts cleaned and inspected periodically mold can be in your air ducts for several years without knowing it. It is almost impossible not to read about all of the negative side effects mold can cause on people and pets. It's in the media continuously. Perhaps the most difficult thing concerning mold induced disorders is that they are quite often tough to diagnose, sometimes taking years. This means loads of doctor and lab visits and high bills. If the cause of the ailment is actually mold and the source of the mold is the person's own home it is not surprising their issues don't improve.
When people discover that it was mold in their air duct that caused them to get sick they are typically troubled to determine how the mold got there in the first place. Mold involves moisture and many people are unable to figure out how moisture got in there. They enlist plumbers to look for leaking pipes. They hire a roofer to test for roof leaks. Often to no avail. This is not only irritating but also expensive. Then they are left with the worries that they have only removed the mold without fixing the cause of the mold so it could quite possibly be back at any time but it may be many years before they knew.
What people may not recognize is that moisture is is part of a properly functioning air conditioner. Air conditioners take moisture out of the air and it is this evaporation that cools the air. Air conditioners are designed to remove moisture in a safe manner. Some do it better than others and these systems can deteriorate over time.
Somewhere on the outside of your home there is a house that drains the moisture removed from the air by your air conditioner. When it is humid out more moisture must be removed from the air so more water will be coming out the tube. If there is noticeably less water coming out it may be an indication that your air conditioner is not functioning correctly. Either it is not removing sufficient moisture from the air or the system that removes the water is not functioning properly. In either instance it is smart to consult with an air conditioning professional.
Condensation in your heating and cooling system is also normal and is generated when the temperature of air within the system is less than the dew point temperature of the air surrounding the component. Incorrectly installed systems, improperly serviced systems and defective systems can cause more condensation which can lead to mold.
Understanding how air conditioners function can go a long way in realizing that moisture is to be expected in your system. And moisture is present there is the the chance of mold and mildew growth. Mold in your air vents can cause serious health problems and by the time you find out there is mold in your air ducts it is sometimes too late because your family could have already been exposed to unhealthy levels of mold.
The best way to inhibit mold from developing in your HVAC system is frequent cleaning and inspection by a professional air duct cleaning contractor.
When people discover that it was mold in their air duct that caused them to get sick they are typically troubled to determine how the mold got there in the first place. Mold involves moisture and many people are unable to figure out how moisture got in there. They enlist plumbers to look for leaking pipes. They hire a roofer to test for roof leaks. Often to no avail. This is not only irritating but also expensive. Then they are left with the worries that they have only removed the mold without fixing the cause of the mold so it could quite possibly be back at any time but it may be many years before they knew.
What people may not recognize is that moisture is is part of a properly functioning air conditioner. Air conditioners take moisture out of the air and it is this evaporation that cools the air. Air conditioners are designed to remove moisture in a safe manner. Some do it better than others and these systems can deteriorate over time.
Somewhere on the outside of your home there is a house that drains the moisture removed from the air by your air conditioner. When it is humid out more moisture must be removed from the air so more water will be coming out the tube. If there is noticeably less water coming out it may be an indication that your air conditioner is not functioning correctly. Either it is not removing sufficient moisture from the air or the system that removes the water is not functioning properly. In either instance it is smart to consult with an air conditioning professional.
Condensation in your heating and cooling system is also normal and is generated when the temperature of air within the system is less than the dew point temperature of the air surrounding the component. Incorrectly installed systems, improperly serviced systems and defective systems can cause more condensation which can lead to mold.
Understanding how air conditioners function can go a long way in realizing that moisture is to be expected in your system. And moisture is present there is the the chance of mold and mildew growth. Mold in your air vents can cause serious health problems and by the time you find out there is mold in your air ducts it is sometimes too late because your family could have already been exposed to unhealthy levels of mold.
The best way to inhibit mold from developing in your HVAC system is frequent cleaning and inspection by a professional air duct cleaning contractor.