Most of us have seen and smelled mold at least once in our lifetimes. The earthy off-putting aromas are typically associated with old unkept facilities. However, did you know even new constructions can have mold growth?
Mold requires seven things to grow: spores, food, darkness, warmth, oxygen, time, and moisture. All of which are present in today’s modern structures, including homes. (1) Heating Ventilation Air Conditioning (HVAC) systems are used to not only condition the temperature of the air but at the same time remove moisture from the air. When moisture is not sufficiently removed from the air, it can build up on surfaces in the home as condensation, and the ingredients for mold growth are united.
How do HVAC systems contribute to mold growth?
Improper size: If the air conditioner is too large for the space it serves, it can short cycle leading to not cycling through the air changes. If the air conditioners are too small, the system is overworked, and cannot cool the air down enough to remove the moisture. Sizing is critical to moisture removal.
Improper installation: Conditioned air is delivered to the space by ducts. If the ducts are not properly insulated, any warm unconditioned air that comes in contact with the cool duct surface will condense moisture and potentially cause water damage and mold growth.
Improper maintenance: Air conditioners cool air by blowing the warm wet air over coils of cold refrigerant. If the cooling coil is fouled, then the right amount of heat and moisture cannot be removed from the air. Other components such as condensing units can also become damaged causing underperformance of the cooling system. Multiple other factors such as low refrigerant and age can fall under maintenance.
Improper control: Most thermostats have two settings when it comes to cooling: auto and fan on. Auto engages the refrigerant to cool and remove moisture from the air. Fan on simply circulates
Negative pressure: Modern homes are note designed to “breath” like they did before air conditioning. However, leaks are always present. When the air conditioning fan is not blowing and an exhaust fan, such as in a bathroom, runs instead, negative pressure inside the home is created.
Moisture can come from many areas of a home. Although generally when the HVAC system is the root cause, one ore more of the above items are to blame.
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