How To Tell if You Have Moldy Air Ducts

4/12/2019 (Permalink)

If you smell a strong musty odor in your home you may have a mold problem.

The tell-tale musty odor that greets your nose when you walk through the front door of your business in Germantown, CT, may not be a welcome smell, but it can be an informative one. You may need more investigation to tell where the smell is coming from specifically so that you know whether you need wall replacement or HVAC cleaning. There are several ways to tell where your mold problem lies.

Smell Testing

A general unpleasant odor doesn't tell you much, but you can usually discern if you have moldy air ducts by following these steps:

• Turn HVAC system off.
  
• Wait 20 minutes.
  
• Turn system back on.
  
• Compare intensity of smell when unit is off and on.

This may not be the most scientific method of checking for mold, but it can help you narrow the search for the offending fungus.

Vision Testing

Paying attention during routine HVAC cleaning can help identify potential problem areas. If you see condensation or pooling water around coils or drip pans, you can get the leak fixed before mold growth begins. It will also be pretty clear if mold has already developed in these areas. Look for fuzzy or slimy patches, and take pictures to document the problem for the specialists that come to fix it.

Professional Testing

The most accurate test of mold growth is a professional test from mold mitigation experts. These tests are superior to the ones you can purchase in the hardware store, because they can be used to determine not only that mold is present but how concentrated and what type of mold it is. Technicians usually test before remediation to see where the problem is located. Then, after removing damaged materials and cleaning vents, they will likely test again to make sure that the issue has been resolved.

Pinpointing the exact location of your mold problem is essential to getting rid of it. Once discovered, a thorough HVAC cleaning by certified professionals can help get rid of the odor in your building.