Mold on Supply Registers

Wayco Wayne_2

2 customers call me complaining of mold on their supply outlets grills of their A/C systems. I know nothing. My initial guess would be the equipment is oversized and not removing enough moisture, but I don't really know. Does anyone have some experience or input on the subject??? WW

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ed wallace

mold

maybe the supply has insulation installed on the inside or the duct is made of fiberboard?

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Mike T., Swampeast MO

Extremely high efficiency condensing units? If so, they do not remove as much humidity as others. Knowledgeable contractors in my area (extremely humid and warm) GREATLY discourage such.

Poor return air control? Leaky return ducts sucking in humid basement air? Insufficient number and poor placement of returns allowing only the coolest, most moisture-laden air to return to the system?

bob young

mold

BE extremely careful when it concerns MOLD. if you disturb it you can be liable to a lawsuit. word is mold is going to bigger than asbestos court cases.

Steve Ebels_3

Speaking of mold

What on earth do they think is happening to those wet houses along the Gulf Coast in the 85-100* heat they've been experiencing there? Those homes are probably toxic from just the mold let alone all the other methyl/ethyl bad stuff let lose by Katrina.

jerry scharf_3

condemned

Steve,

I heard one early report that put an estimate of 160,000 houses needing to be condemned for flood damage. Then you have the others that will need everything but the framing pulled. I imagine they agre going to be selling a whole lot of dehumidifiers.

jerry

jerry scharf_3

Odd that it's two different houses

WW,

This is the nasty side of air conditioning. Are these new installs (this year) or are they older ones? Do you think this is a build-up from the summer season or a recent development? What's the weather been like? Mold is always a bit of a detective job.

First thing I would do is open the DX coil and see if there's mold growing in there. Make sure the pan is draining properly and completely. Look around for any sign of mold growth. Second thing I would do is pull every single register and look at both sides very carefully. Look back into the ducts as best you can. If you don't have a long gooseneck LED flashlight and inspection mirror, get them.

UVC lamps won't kill spores, but they will suppress active growth in the coil and drain pan. You could also try running the fan for a couple minutes after the condenser has turned off. It gives the ducts some time to to spread the moisture around rather than concentrating it in the ducts.

Now the fun part. Can you take a macro picture of the mold, blow up a section and post it/send it to me? Different molds present differnt amounts of risk, and I can take a first shot at telling you what's growing. I would probably swab the active growth onto a culture plate and take 1-2 tape samples then send them off to a lab for analysis. That would probably cost $30.

jerry


jerry

Wayco Wayne_2

Both systems are about 5 years old

I havent looked into it yet. I have my plate full getting peoples heating systems ready to heat before the cold weather hits. Thank you all for the input. WW

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