HVAC Ducts and Mold
As you make your best effort to keep your indoor air clean and fresh, you need to be aware of the various allergens, pollutants and particles that can be in the air. Many of those are not visible to the naked eye yet can wreak havoc on homes and health. One of those is mold, but there are various ways you can keep mold under control.
One strategy that can help to address mold is air duct cleaning. That involves having all of the HVAC ducts thoroughly cleaned by a qualified professional, and according to the Environmenal Protection Agency (EPA), duct cleaning should especially be considered if there is visible mold in the home’s heating and cooling system. A professional should inspect the ducts to assess how much mold growth there is, because they can see areas of the ducts that a layperson cannot. If any insulation in or around the air ducts is moldy, it cannot be properly and adequately cleaned and should therefore be removed, discarded and replaced with new materials.
If you go to the trouble to have the air ducts cleaned but do not address the source of the mold in the home, mold will simply develop all over again in the HVAC system. You have to address the root cause to achieve a resolution to the mold problem. Remember that an essential way to control and remove any mold problems in a home is through keeping moisture such as water damage and humidity under control. It is essential that you thoroughly dry and clean up any water damage in your home within 24 to 48 hours after the water enters the home. In some houses, the mold problem is so advanced that a professional remediation company has to do the necessary work in the home to remove the mold.
In addition to duct cleaning and eliminating any sources of mold growth, another effective way to keep mold and mold spores under control in a home is by using high-quality furnace filters. Filters are labeled as being various MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value ) ratings based on how much they filter from the air, and numerous MERV types effectively remove mold.
The following are some of the MERV types that are available in furnace filters.
MERV Ratings
MERV8: This filter level removes a variety of allergens from the air. Although not as powerful as higher-end HVAC filters, it is certainly more effective than low-grade filters. It removes pollen, household dust, and pet dander from indoor air. Our company’s MERV8 filter is the MERV8, Dust filter.
MERV11: This filter level is somewhat more powerful than the MERV8 filter. That is, it filters more from indoor air. Some of the particles and substances it filters out are pollen, dust, pet dander, mold spores, car fumes, and smog. Our company’s MERV11 filter is the MERV11, Allergy filter.
MERV13: This filter level is able to clean the air even more thoroughly than the MERV8 and MERV11, because it filters out a greater number of allergens and particles. Those include pollen, pet dander, dust, dust mites, bacteria, viruses, mold spores, various types of smoke including tobacco smoke, smog, car fumes, and more. Our company’s MERV13 filter is the MERV13, Health filter.
Aprilaire 410 air filters offer a specialized level of filtering and functionality. When you use these filters, you notice cleaner air as allergens like dust mite debris, dust, dust, mold spores and pet dander are eliminated from indoor air.
In addition to installing a quality Aprilaire 410 air filter for home, consider getting the ducts in the HVAC system professionally cleaned, and take a thorough approach to improving indoor air quality and addressing issues like mold. You will likely notice fresher air and improved sense of well-being in the process.
