Indoor air quality is an important concern for many businesses and homeowners. Understandably so, as we spend most of our time indoors.
A common issue that often contributes to poor air quality is air duct contamination, such as mold and bacteria accumulation.

Let’s look at five steps to detect air duct contamination:

1) Feel The Intake Plenum

When a vacuum truck system is not installed, suction pulls the contaminated air directly into the plenum chamber.

The most effective way to detect contamination is by touching the intake plenum. If you can feel debris (i.e., dust, dirt, cobwebs), the air is likely traveling through the plenum and contaminating your indoor air.

2) Look For Discoloration & Mold

Signs of mold growth can indicate poor indoor air quality.
One way to detect this for yourself during a walk-through is to look at the floor grates/vents under the air ducts. You’ll want to check for discoloration and mold on the floor around vents, along with inside corners of ceiling spaces. Also, look at insulation as it may be wet or soiled from moisture building up in those areas. The best idea is to call an air duct cleaning service like Ediss Mold Remediation Company.

3) Listen For Fan Noise

A possible sign of air duct contamination is loud fan noise (i.e., squeal or grinding). It could mean that the belt drive system has come loose and needs to be tightened.

4) Detect Musty Odor

Another telltale sign of air duct contamination is detecting a musty odor. Like mold and mildew, this is caused by the accumulation of debris and bacteria in your air ducts over time. If there’s any question regarding mold growth or other contaminants, we recommend calling our air duct cleaning professional to take a look.

5) Check The Air Filter

Replacing a dirty air filter is often the first step homeowners, and business owners take to improve their indoor air quality. But even if you’re replacing a new air filter, pay attention to signs of wear and tear as it can be an indicator that contamination has built up in your AC unit.

Any contamination in your system is to hold your old air filter up to bright light. If you can see the light through it, there’s been some sort of penetration in the filtering material, and it should be replaced for cleaner indoor air quality.

When inspecting your AC vent system, consider these five steps to detect contamination. If you didn’t pinpoint the source of poor air quality, your professional air vent cleaning service would assess the unit and proper maintenance.

Ediss Mold Remediation & Restoration

Ediss Mold Remediation & Restoration is a full-service restoration company specializing in water damage cleanup, fire damage restoration, ac duct cleaning, mold remediation, and more.

Our team is a dedicated mold remediation company that holds to the highest standards of excellence in customer service, safety, professionalism & integrity. Give us a call at 305-904-1936 for service.