Mold thrives in dark, moist environments. The inner chambers of your air conditioning equipment see these conditions regularly, creating the potential for mold to grow and spread within the cooling system. To avoid HVAC system damage, mold spreading into your home, and health problems among home occupants, find out how to prevent mold in air conditioner units by using choice indoor air quality equipment.
Why Mold Grows in Air Conditioners
Mold spores are naturally found in outdoor air, and these spores can make their way into your home’s indoor air supply through open doors and windows as well as air leaks. For these spores to reproduce, they need access to moisture and a food source. As the airborne spores circulate through the HVAC system to your air conditioning unit, they often find a prime environment for their growth within this equipment.
There are areas within your air conditioner’s indoor cabinet that are naturally moist. The evaporator coils cool indoor air by absorbing heat, and this process also causes moisture in the air to condense into water droplets. As water forms on the coils, it should normally flow down into the unit’s drip pan and drain away from the system via its condensate drain line. When there is damage to the drip pan or clogs within the condensate drain line, moisture can remain stuck within your air conditioner unit, which increases the amount of humidity found in this area of the system.
As air passes through this part of the cooling system, it also brings other airborne contaminants along with the mold spores. Dust, pollen, and other organic matter can come to rest on the coils and nearby areas instead of recirculating back into the home. This buildup becomes a food source for the mold spores to multiply in this moist housing.
How to Prevent Mold Growth in Air Conditioner Units
When mold is found inside air conditioners, professional remediation is needed to remove the growth for your health and safety. A professional HVAC technician is also able to identify malfunctions contributing to this growth within the cooling system and perform repairs to prevent prime conditions from reoccurring, as well as providing solutions for preventing mold in air conditioner units.
You can avoid this hazard by preventing mold from growing to begin with. As moisture and food sources for mold growth are common within the indoor air supply, specific indoor air quality solutions can treat these issues to limit resources available for mold development in the air conditioner.
Dehumidifiers
Whole house dehumidifiers work to extract moisture from the home’s air before air circulates into the cooling unit. This device cools air to cause moisture to condense and exit the air supply, thus drier air moves through for cooling, which limits the amount of moisture that could come to rest inside air conditioning chambers.
This indoor air quality solution is great for preventing mold in HVAC equipment, as moisture is a key need for mold to grow. Attached to the return duct, the home’s entire indoor air volume passes through the dehumidifier for treatment so humidity issues are controlled across your entire living space.
Media Air Cleaners
The HVAC system’s filter isn’t designed to keep particles out of the system because they can damage the components and reduce energy efficiency if they settle within. Most filters used in HVAC systems simply aren’t capable of capturing many of the microscopic particles that can exist in the home’s air supply, which serve as food sources for mold growth if they make their way into the evaporator coil area.
Media air cleaners use a strong filter to trap airborne particles and remove them from the air supply before they reach the inner chambers of the air conditioner. When it comes to preventing mold in air conditioner units, media air cleaners assist by restricting and eliminating available food sources for mold reproduction.
Ultraviolet Light Air Purifiers
UV air purifiers are a type of indoor air quality device that are installed within air conditioning units to address mold spores circulating through the system as well as other pathogens. This type of device emits ultraviolet energy which neutralizes mold spores on contact. The spores are effectively killed and are no longer capable of reproduction, though the particles do remain in the air. Using UV air purifiers is a method to prevent mold growth in air conditioner systems by treating mold itself.
Tackle Mold Issues with Estes Services
The NATE-certified HVAC technicians at Estes Services know how to prevent mold in air conditioner systems using effective indoor air quality products. Protect the areas throughout your home and your family when you contact us today to schedule an estimate for the installation of new indoor air quality products.
