Mold can grow in any dark and damp area of your home, including the ducts of your cooling and heating system. The ideal environment for fungus, HVAC ducts can send mold spores flying throughout your home, decreasing your indoor air quality and triggering allergies, skin irritation, and other health concerns. To help you avoid mold during the wet season, here’s a guide to how it can develop in AC units and how to prevent it.

How Does Mold Grow in HVAC Units?

Mold spores tend to pop up inside ventilation systems where both dust and moisture are present. Moisture can form due to condensation on the walls of your ductwork or in your system’s evaporator coils. Since these air ducts are dark and isolated, they provide the perfect spot for those spores to form and then grow before you even notice. 

Does the Weather Affect This?

Mold can be especially prevalent during the spring, when the humidity outside starts increasing. Every time you open the doors or windows of your home, some of that humidity comes inside and gets circulated through your ventilation system. This can speed up existing mold growth.

How to Prevent Mold in Your Cooling & Heating System

If you have mold in your ventilation system, you must have it removed by a duct cleaning or mold remediation specialist to prevent respiratory issues.

To address the underlying moisture that led to the fungus in the first place, consider upgrading your unit to a ductless mini-split, which eliminates the ducts that harbor mold. This type of system has indoor units that contain the coils and refrigerants necessary to produce cool air without ductwork.

If you’re interested in upgrading to a ductless cooling and heating system to prevent future mold, call Advanced Mechanical Services in Ridgefield, NJ. With over 20 years of experience, they provide residential and commercial customers in the Tri-State area with high-efficiency HVAC solutions, such as ductless mini-splits and multi-zone heating & cooling units. This Mitsubishi Electric Diamond Contractor™ can install and maintain equipment to keep your home comfortable throughout the year. Learn more about ductless AC systems online, or call (201) 886-2900 to earn up to $500 towards a ductless Mitsubishi Electric® unit.