Return Air Duct Smells Musty

Ductwork is warm and damp the perfect home for mold.

Return air duct smells musty.

Musty smells are caused due to several factors and can be eliminated with the help of professional cleaning services. If you notice a musty or moldy smell that goes away when you are not using your air conditioning or heating if they share ducts that can narrow the cause down to mold in your hvac system. One of the duct runs has a slight musty smell coming from it. This can not only cause the evaporator coil to get dirty but can also cause mold to grow in the ductwork itself.

There are a number of reasons why musty smells might be coming from your air ducts system. I have a single story ranch house built on a concrete slab with concrete under floor ducts for the heating system. But the most common cause of a musty smell in ductwork is the presence of mold in your hvac system. Moisture is the building block for mold and mildew growth which can cause a musty smell from your air conditioners.

One that has a musty odor. The smell has. Summer also means humidity and mold is one of the most common reasons why your air vent smells musty. This dirt and mold goes 1 of 2 places.

An hvac company that can offer mold removal and duct cleaning services can give your home healthier air that is free from strange musty smells harmful spores and persistent allergens. But if air ducts leak disconnect in a dirty non living area like your attic or crawl space they draw in the surrounding air which is usually filled with dirt dust and mold spores. It goes to your evaporator coil which makes it dirty see problem 1. Musty smells may cause headaches or aggravate health issues such as asthma or allergies.

Again a near bathroom or even kitchen return duct is more likely a problem here because of moisture being returned into the system and feeding the mold. Mold may grow inside return air ducts and air flowing through the ducts will carry the musty odor to your rooms. Since most ductwork is located in dirty non living areas like attics or crawl spaces it s easy for dust and mold spores to enter your ductwork. Indoor air quality the key to a healthy life.

An unusual or musty odor is often the first sign of mold in air ducts or in air vents. If the smell is throughout the home and equal in all areas you most likely have a problem in one of your return ducts that feeds air from your home back through the heating system to be reheated. No matter how clean you keep your air ducts spores will begin to grow once the temperature reaches above 65 degrees fahrenheit in a humid environment. It stays in your ductwork forms mold mildew then causes your air to smell bad.

Cleaning the ducts will eliminate the smell but it is important to remove the odor permanently by finding the source of the mold or mildew.