Mold in home
 

We hired a company called FRESH AIR SOLUTIONS to do a vent cleaning. He opened main vent, found mold and showed my husband. He said they do treat mold, wound run around $2,000. Normally I would be skeptical however he was Not pushy. He said go to Lowes, get a mold test kit, let it sit for a week under vent and see what grows. You can then mail it in to get results and call us back to treat if u like. We believe the previous owners rarely ran their AC therefore causing mold. Advice, experiences, comments, PLEASE

I would get at least 2 more opinions. And call the company that installed your HVAC. Maybe even call Chuck Farrell. He seems to be well thought of in The Villages. Good Luck!!!

What does HVAC stand for??

This is a great company. Air Quality Assessors of Florida. Christina Swisher is the one to talk to 850-545-2954, she will answer your questions.

Heating Venting Air Conditioning :ho:

Who is he? U have a number?

He is a respected hvac servicer. 352-753-9497

Generally, I don't think routine vent cleaning is a good idea, especially for flexible ducts, because they are easily damaged. But, mold is a problem. I would be skeptical of someone who gives you a fixed price to remove mold, because I think it is very difficult to determine the extent of the problem. I would get a few opinions. I don't know what you mean by the "main vent". Is that inside your supply fan unit (furnace) in the garage, or inside the house? If it is just inside the fan unit, it should be relatively easy to fix. In fact, if you have mold inside the unit, it may be cheaper to replace the entire unit if it is old. Also, mold damage inside your house may be covered by your homeowners insurance. Fresh Air Solutions has a 2 of 5 rating on Yelp with 28 reviews. Lots of complaints. They also offer Groupon discounts, which would turn me off to them. Good luck.

Check to see if your homeowners insurance covers mold...if in fact you have it!

Oh. Tk u. I mean the return vent inside home. Called AC co to come in morning. will see what they say

Just to clarify, the newer houses in The Villages have a return vent in every room, so I don't think you would call any of them the main vent. Older houses may only have one or two return vents.

$2000... How much to install new ductwork?

Hearing ventilation air conditioning

excellent reply, thx for sharing info

Let us know what they say...I'm following. Thank you

SunKool installed our A/C unit when the house was built in 2005. Many years later they found mold inside the big hood in the garage that is between the unit and the vent system. They installed a special light that kills the mold throughout the hood and vents throughout the house. The light was about $350 and has to be replaced after several years, but it seems to have worked well. I googled it before going with that and all the reviews were good.

I checked Yelp and could not find the company?

When you call a company that specializes in mold, you will have it, unless there is water or a lot of humidity in the house (I meant a lot like over a month without the AC running in summer) they will find mold. Get other opinions, if you do have mold get it out.

Mold
 

Good idea to get a kit from hardware store, it’s cheap and you will be satisfied. There is a lot of crooks in The Villages

I had a similar problem, but I started with a home mold detection kit from Amazon. I think it cost me about $30.00, and was very easy. I collected and sent six samples by mail and got the results back by email about ten days later. The results said that I did have mold in the vents, but there was no "black mold" or any other immediate health threat, although the results did say that this common mold could cause some health issues and should be removed. Only then, after I had some knowledge, did I contact a mold abatement company. They came in, did a very professional job, and in one day had removed all mold and treated the entire house (by fogging through the A/C system) to prevent future mold. I believe it was the same company, but I'm not sure. My receipts aren't close by so I can't check. As I remember, the abatement cost me around $1,200 (in 2018).

I agree, we have the light too and it seems to be working. Not that expensive.

Something else important
 

Be sure to have your roof vent cleaned...helps to avoid a fire.

When I had my A/C serviced the technician did find some mold. He cleaned out the mold and installed a blue light (assume uv) and said it will never come back. This light cost $326.00 well worth it.

I’m in the process of trying to purchase a home. The inspector yesterday found quite a bit of mold around the A/CUnit in the garage next to the firewall. Can anybody recommend a good mold inspection company?

Most of what you "know" about mold in your home is likely based on media hysteria and information. Black mold is not some evil growth from Hades and for the overwhelming number of people is nothing more than a cosmetic issue. Unless you have significant asthma with known mold allergy or some other pre-existing lung issue we all live in a sea of mold all the time with no problem. An entire industry has been built around cleaning mold to save your life. And I suspect those companies that pander to your fear actually believe in what they are doing.

Instead I suggest you read the medical literature for evidence, or lack of evidence, of the evil of mold spores.
Mold and Human Health: a Reality Check | SpringerLink might be a good place to start.
And here Mold Causes and Effects “in a Material World” - ScienceDirect

And what does the CDC say now 20 years after all the panic about mold in drywall; no proven problem Facts about Stachybotrys chartarum (aka "black mold") | CDC

And what does the CDC say about mold in the home; CDC - Mold - General Information - Basic Facts

Mold is in your carpets, furniture, ducts, bathroom, everywhere. And the key is to reduce humidity and it does not thrive.

Keep in mind that just because your Aunt Susan had a bad sinus infection and there was mold in her duct does not prove cause and effect. That's why they do epidemiological studies and those studies show that for healthy people mold is a non-issue medically.

every home airconditioning unit can a residual black
non harmful mold build up at the filter air handler which is easily remediated either by spraying clorox on it and flushing your exaust drainage pipe once a month
or you can have a company like pioneer air conditioning come out to look at it and get some free advice. They are honest and will get you going in the right direction.
at least thats what I would.

by the way depending on how old your unit is... you can buy a complete 3.5 ton air conditioning system installed for
3500.00 just a thought...

Before you spend a lot of money to have the mold in your house removed I would suggest you speak to you doctor and find out if you really need to remove it. The majority of homes have mold in them. If your home is older or if there has ever been a roof leak or leaky pipe you probably have mold whether you know it or not. The problem with mold is that some people are allergic to it. For these people mold is a real problem, but if you are not allergic to mold, it is not dangerous. We are exposed to mold all the time in our daily lives and most of us have no issue with it. If you do not have an allergic reactions to mold, things like head aches or constant cold like symptoms are several bad reactions you can have, you probably can save your money and leave the mold alone.

I am not telling you what to do. You must do what is best for your own health and peace of mind as well as your wallet. But before you waste a lot of money, I do suggest you speak to a medical expert that can explain the real, not perceived danger, of having mold in your house.

Turns out we dont have mold in the house but I disagree with what to do if we did. I personally would NEVER risk it in my home. Would have removed immediately. Why risk your health. Not worth it

What was it?

Same thing happened to our neighbor;someone told them the had mold & same cost & also told to go to Lowes etc...He asked me what I thought; I told him to call Munn's who does their annual maintenance to inspect;they did and they didn't have any mold...good luck

I would be interested to learn how a light , installed at the a/c unit , generates light that travels through the ducts and kills all the mold.

:) I just Googled it. Millions of results. The 1st. one answered your question. :ho:

I'd like to know that as well.

Hi., where did you purchase light? Is it easy to install. Thanks

Typically, this light is installed by an HVAC technician. It is about a 12 inch long light tube that slides into a hole in the side of the furnace unit. It is designed to prevent mold from growing inside the unit, which can occur because of the dampness from the condensate water dripping from the evaporator coil. It is usually not a DIY project. I have never seen additional lights installed inside the ductwork, and I don't think it would be practical to try to prevent or kill mold in the entire ductwork system.

Thanks crazy go on next door website here in the villages a homeowner posted the name of a company for $ 300- 2 hours of proper cleaning !

Vendors here love to give you false information and overcharge you.