While not all mold is dangerous, some can cause health problems such as itching eyes, sneezing, coughing and even more serious reactions, which include asthma attacks and lung damage. Mold dangers are not something to be ignored no matter how little or how serious they may be. Still, many people will ignore them while others may not even realize they have them in their home. In fact, a recent study showed that at least 50 percent of homes are inflicted by mold.
And it makes no difference whether you barely have time to dust or you’re a neat freak. Molds don’t care where they live just as long as there is moisture in the home. Mold doesn’t even have to be visible to be a problem. It can be found on floors, walls, ceilings, carpets, fabrics, furniture, insulation and ductwork. You can even find mold in the crawl space.
However, air ducts are the worst because fungus spores circulate in the system through the air and settle into the dust on various parts of the system. Then when the central air or heat is turned on, those spores distribute throughout the house.
So the best solution in order to prevent a fungus invasion is to find out whether mold is actually growing inside of your central heating system. You can do this yourself if you know your way around your system or you could hire a professional to come in and do a mold inspection of the unit.
The professional mold inspector should then access the unit’s coil; its lining and the blower, and then take a sample of the dust from the surface of these components. He or she will then examine the sample at a lab and determine whether or not there is any fungus growing in the dust.
If you do decide to hire a professional, the cost of the inspection can range anywhere from as little as $200 to as high as $1,000 and sometimes more, depending on the complexity. And if they don’t find a problem in the unit, but you still believe there may be a problem, you should consider having them inspect your entire home for mold.
If there is an active fungus found in the central air and heating system, the next step is for you to hire a certified and licensed professional mold remediation company. The company should then clean your entire central air and heating system in a thorough manner. They should remove any dust and fungus in the blower cabinet and air-conditioning coil housing as well as clean the interior surfaces of the ductwork using a HEPA vacuum.
If the fungus problem was found elsewhere in the home, then you may want to consider temporary housing until the work is done unless the mold in your home is minimal. It’s never safe to be around active fungal spores and because of various mold dangers, most companies will advise you and your family on the precautions necessary in order to assure the safety of everyone’s health, including their workers.