The following is an excerpt on duct cleaning and mold. You should consider
having the air ducts in your home cleaned if:
There is substantial visible mold growth inside hard surface (e.g., sheet metal)
ducts or on other components of your heating and cooling system. There are several
important points to understand concerning mold detection in heating and cooling
systems:
- Many sections of your heating and cooling system may not be accessible for a visible
inspection, so ask the service provider to show you any mold they say exists.
- You should be aware that although a substance may look like mold, a positive determination
of whether it is mold or not can be made only by an expert and may require laboratory
analysis for final confirmation. For about $50, some microbiology laboratories
can tell you whether a sample sent to them on a clear strip of sticky household
tape is mold or simply a substance that resembles it.
- If you have insulated air ducts and the insulation gets wet or moldy it cannot be
effectively cleaned and should be removed and replaced.
- If the conditions causing the mold growth in the first place are not corrected,
mold growth will recur.