Air Conditioner Mold: FAQ

You are definitely not the only person with air conditioner mold and surely won’t be the last. Below you will find several questions and answers from mold experts we spoke.

QI live in the Bahamas and am having terrible health issues in my house from what I believe is mold in my AC. We have two units, one in the bedroom and one in the living areas. The living areas tested high for penicillium mold, the air conditioner smells awful, so bad that I can hardly stand to have it on. Myself and my kids are suffering with constant nasal and respiratory problems. The problem is no one seems to be able to locate any mold and I know that’s what it is. I’ve had the handler cleaned but maybe the guy just isn’t qualified to deal with this situation. I’m at the point where I want to replace everything including ducts if I have to. We have the soft ducts so I don’t think it’s possible to clean them. I’m told by several persons who inspected that there is no visible mold in the attic. What would you suggest we do? If we buy another unit will that just get contaminated too? Any advice you can give would be appreciated.

AThe high humidity in the Bahamas is the most like cause of the moldy ac units. In addition, air conditioning equipment and are ducts are fertile grounds for mold infestation growth because of the naturally wet environment inside the equipment and ducts. You should using your good sense of smell, good eyes, and a strong flashlight inspecting the inside of the attic to see if there are ANY roof leaks because a roof leak will result in hidden mold growth in your home’s ceilings, walls.

You should also check all of your plumbing for any possible plumbing leaks. Don’t replace your air conditioning system but instead find and fix the mold problem. Since you have mold-infested air conditioning, you will also have mold cross contamination everywhere inside your home because the ac unit air flow will be continually distributing airborne mold spores to land everywhere in your home and on its possessions.

QFound this website through several Google searches regarding mold. We discovered that our HVAC system’s drain pipe had been buried resulting in water backing up into the unit and causing mold. It is evident in the plenum that pushes the air out as well. Having 4 companies come out and talk to us, I am not having a great time figuring out our best course of action. Our biggest question is whether our unit should be replaced or not. It is 8.5 yrs old and runs fine. Any light you can shed would be appreciated. Thank you.

AYou should not have to replace the ac unit. But in order to save your heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system and to do mold cleaning and mold remediation in your entire house: find the best air duct cleaning company in your area and have that company completely clean out the air ducts of your HVAC system to get rid of all accumulated mold spores, mold growth, and accumulated dirt and dust (great mold food in the wet, mold-conductive HVAC environment).

QI recently start to work for an air conditioning company in Louisiana. Inside most units is what looks like black residue, or mold, is it mold and should I be certified to clean this? Should I be touching it with my hands? I’m not wearing any masks or anything either. Can u help? If it is mold, is my company responsible for the growth? I am starting to get sick and I need to know because my boss doesn’t care!!! If this is dangerous I have another job offer— can you please help?

AAir conditioners and air con equipment are mold factories that need thorough internal cleaning, along with duct cleaning, at least every three months to be health safe for use. You can safely presume that the black residue is mold. You should not be cleaning air con equipment and ducts without using a 3M brand breathing respirator with organic vapor filters, eye goggles, and other protective gear. Insist that your boss provide you with proper mold remediation safety gear and provide you with mold remediation training. Not protecting you against mold exposure is a violation of state and federal worker safety laws (e.g., U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and its Louisiana counterpart). If you boss won’t protect you, take that other job offer!!! Your health problems will get worse and worse if you don’t protect yourself from mold exposure.

QAttached are some pictures of the self mold tests that I did using do it yourself mold test kits. Our home is 11 years old and uses forced air. I have noticed that there is a mild musty smell coming out of the vents when the AC is being run, this is what lead me to conduct a test. Also we tend to have allergies which may be related. Can you please tell me what I need to do to eliminate this mold problem? We have little children and I am a bit disturbed by the positive results.

AThe bluish green mold colonies in your mold test kit pictures are the combination of Aspergillus and Penicillium mold, the second and third most unhealthy indoor mold species. Mold growing in your heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) system is a disaster in terms of your family health because the mold spores from the mold growing in your HVAC system are continually thrown into the air from the outward air flow from the HVAC registers. These airborne mold spores make your family sick and also mold cross contaminate your entire house. The best thing for you to do is call a mold removal professional and remove all mold in the air conditioner systems.