[Sept. 5, 2003]

Q. How do we know whether it is necessary to replace the ducts and the air handler because of mould contamination in my home? 

A. You need to know how seriously and where your home [including all of your heating/cooling equipment and ducts] is mould contaminated. Your first step to solve the problem is to mould test the air of each room, basement, crawl space, attic, and the outward air flow from each heating/cooling duct register for the possible presence of elevated levels of airborne mould spores, in comparison to an outdoor mould control test. Elevated mould levels signify a possible serious mould infestation problem and health threat. To use our do it yourself mould test kits, visit: Mold Mart To hire one of our Certified Mould Inspectors, visit: Mould Profession To know how to do mould remediation safely and effectively, please visit: Mould Removal Before mould cleaning or replacing the the heating/cooling equipment and ducts, they should be first sealed [using plastic to tightly cover all return air registers and supply registers to stop any further mould contamination of the heating/cooling system. Then you would first complete mould remediation of all other areas of your house, including your personal property and clothing which should be mould decontaminated outside of the house in the clean room you can build pursuant to the instructions in our book mould Health Book [ Mould Removal ]. Then you would use containment walls to seal off the mould remediated areas from the work that needs to be done on heating/cooling equipment/ducts. If the ducts are made of sheet metal [with NO insulation INSIDE the ducts], the sheet metal interiors can be effectively cleaned and disinfected with mould fungicides. If the ducts contain insulation INSIDE or are something like corrugated pipes, throw those ducts away and replace with new ducts. You can kill mould growth in about 70% of the surface areas inside heating/cooling equipment and air handlers with either fungicide misting or foaming [both of which are among dozens of useful mould-fighting skills  taught in our Online Mold Training and Certification. For mould school information, please contact mould training director Phillip Fry at envirodangers@yahoo.com.

[June 17, 2003]
Q. I live in San Antonio, TX.  At certain times of the year, our air conditioning system seems to generate black mould-like growth on some of the vents or diffusers. The system is old - was installed in 1968. We leave the central fan on continuously to keep the air filtering and to reduce particulates in the air. Sometimes we all feel tired and develop sinus problems. Do we need a new AC system? Or can we change the method of operation to reduce mould problems?