Mold spores are all around us. We can never truly escape them. But we can make it hard for them to grow when they land. To do that, we need to keep our living areas free from excessive moisture, especially high humidity.
But in Tampa, Florida, that is no easy feat. After all, the weather is hot and muggy nearly all year round.
The truth is, air conditioning itself does not cause mold. It’s condensation that does. Whenever hot and humid air touches something icy cold, water droplets form. You can see this happen on your ice-cold beverage when you take it out of the refrigerator on a hot day.
Moisture is the factor that contributes to mold growth. When the inside of a home suffers from high humidity, chances are, it will also experience mold problems.
How Can Air Conditioning Cause Mold?
Condensation occurs naturally on the evaporator coils of your indoor unit, but the unit is designed to lead that water outside. However, if your house is humid, any part of your central AC system that becomes very cold can produce enough condensation to promote mold growth.
Since an air conditioner is supposed to dehumidify the air, if it is running properly, the air shouldn’t have enough moisture to cause a mold concern. But an ill-running or improperly sized unit can set up the right conditions for it.
When sizing a unit, the square footage isn’t the only focus. A professional air conditioning expert calculates how much heat travels inside via sunlight as well as other factors.
Through various formulae, they identify exactly how powerful your AC should be to perfectly balance humidity and temperature inside your home. If these calculations were not done, or weren’t done right, you can find yourself living with mold.
Your Home’s Condition
Sometimes the humidity in your home is not your AC’s fault. Muggy outdoor air can leak indoors from your old or poorly installed:
- Insulation
- Windows
- Doors
- Roof
If you notice that your AC is running continually and your air is humid, get in touch with Action Air Conditioning. We can assess if your air conditioner was sized too small or not. Uninsulated ductwork can also be a contributor to insufficient cooling and excessive humidity. This can especially be the case if the ductwork runs through a hot attic.
Other Options
Sometimes an air conditioner needs help. Since mold will happily grow when the relative humidity is more than 60%, the objective is to bring humidity levels below that point.
Air conditioning professionals can install a dehumidifier. That draws additional moisture out of the air and reduces the relative humidity level indoors, especially around the indoor AC unit.
In addition, an ultraviolet light can also be installed inside your unit to kill mold before it can circulate through your home.
Did your Air Conditioning Cause Mold in Tampa Bay?
If you reside in the Tampa Bay region, and you are looking for a company that can provide you with effective mold solutions, Action Air Conditioning is your best choice. We not only offer one of the most extensive showrooms in the area, but also some of the most knowledgeable and experienced technicians in the business.
Contact Action Air Conditioning as soon as possible if you have mold growing in your air conditioner’s vents, air ducts, or ventilation system. We will evaluate your air conditioner and help you to optimize the temperature and humidity in your space.
Contact us today for your free estimate.