Al’s Plumbing, Heating & A/C in Plano, Texas provides maintenance & repairs for all brands of Central A/C, Gas & Electric Furnace, and Heat Pumps.  Additionally we sell and install new HVAC Systems from American Standard (same company as Trane), Ameristar (same company as American Standard) and Coleman HVAC (same company as York HVAC).

Al’s also provides full service plumbing maintenance, repairs and replacements for every plumbing component in your home.  Al’s sells and installs Rheem Professional Series gas & electric water heaters, and tankless water heaters.  Al’s is near your home in Plano, Allen, and Frisco.  We service all homes in southern Collin and Denton Counties with no travel charges.

Call Al’s today to discuss any concerns or problems you have with your HVAC System or Plumbing.  We will arrange an appointment at your convenience and offer 24/7 Emergency Service.

Musty A/C Odor? It Is Likely Mold

Does Your Central A/C smell Musty?  If it does, it likely has mold or mildew somewhere within the air-distribution lines.   When mold is present, the furnace blower spreads mold-spores everywhere which creates poor to unsafe indoor air-quality.

In DFW our summer humidity is quite high.  This lends itself to moisture forming inside the A/C air-distribution lines.  Just like a iced beverage, when humid air meets a cold surface, condensation appears.   Moisture cannot be prevented in the HVAC system in the summer. Mold can be prevented with proper cleaning of the air distribution system components.  In this article, you will read about where mold appears and why.

Mold Needs These Things To Thrive:

• Food — the dust traveling through your Heating, Ventilation and A/C (HVAC) equipment provides the food needed.
• Moisture — the cooling coil is wet when A/C is running.  This coil is what removes humidity from the air.
• Darkness — this coil is inside the furnace where it is likely completely dark.
• Warm temperature — warm air from the home moves over this cool.

1. Your A/C has a “cooling-coil” inside the furnace.  In time, all cooling-coils must be cleaned.

When the A/C runs, this coil gets quite cool.  The furnace blower moves warm & moist air over the coil to cool & dehumidify the air. The cooling coil is an ideal setting for mold growth, as all 4 things mold needs are present.

Cooling-coil cleaning.   The owner may be able to clean the coil, depending on access to it.  There are sprays to use on the coil to help clean it. Below is a YouTube video showing the process of cleaning a the cooling-coil without removing it.  As you will see, it’s not possible to do thorough cleaning, but it may be enough if the coil is not overly dirty.

Because many coils are difficult to get to for cleaning, they must be removed to be cleaned properly.  If removed, the refrigerant must be removed first, then added back once the coil is back in place.

TIP: The cooling-coil will be dirty on the side the air comes into it.  If the air is going “up” through the coil (which is typically the case) the underneath side is what’s dirty.  Looking at the coil from the top will lead you to believe it’s clean.

Image Source: YouTube Embedded Video

Checking the filter monthly & changing when needed is the best way to keep the air-distribution lines & cooling-coil cleaner.  The furnace filter removes some to most of the dust, but no filter is 100% effective.  With enough time, the cooling coil will need to be cleaned regardless of the quality of air filters used.

If a filter gets too dirty, it will buckle and let the air by-pass it.

Dirty and New Furnace Air Filter         Air Filter So Dirty It Buckled To Let Air Pass By

The best way to stop mold growth on the cooling coil is the addition of a UV Light close enough so the cooling-coil is illuminated by the light.

For it to be effective, the UV light must illuminate the coil.

UV lights kill mold at its source, providing an effective way to stop mold growth on the cooling-coil.

Al’s sells and installs UV lights for your A/C Cooling-Coil.

Call us today to schedule a UV Light installation to eliminate mold growth in your cooling coil.

TIP:  If you discover your A/C is running, but no air is coming out the ducts, it’s likely the cooling-coil is frozen.  To get your A/C cooling the house again, turn the thermostat “Fan” to “On” and the “System” Setting to “Off”.   If you begin feeling air coming from the ducts in 1/2 hour, the coil was frozen.  Continue with the temporary thermostat settings until the air flow from the ducts is back to normal. Then reset the thermostat Fan setting to “Auto” and the System setting to “Cool”.

NOTE: If the coil freezes once, it will freeze again until the problem is fixed.  A frozen coil can result from too little air flow or the A/C is low on refrigerant.  Call for an HVAC Technician to determine and correct the problem

2. Clogged Cooling-Coil Drain Line.

In “HVAC lingo”  this is called a “clogged condensate line” (same thing).  Over time, this line will clog with algae growth.  Once it’s clogged, the humidity / water removed by the A/C will overflow.

To clean the clogged line”

A. Place a wet-vac hose over the opening of the condensate line (outside the house) and surround the hose with cloth to provide a temporary seal.  This will suck the algae from the line.  NOTE:  There may be a drain for the condensate line inside the house near the furnace.

Here is a YouTube video showing how this is done: YouTube Video — clearing a clogged condensate line

B. A. There is typically a location to add liquid to the condensate line (inside the home near the furnace).  Pour a cup of white vinegar into the opening to help clean the line.

If A + B did not work, you will need an HVAC Technician to clean the line.

NOTE: Al’s cleans condensate lines to ensure proper drainage of the water generated by your A/C while removing humidity.   Call us today to schedule a condensate-line cleaning.

3. Dirty and Molded Ductwork.

Like the cooling coil, the ductwork also collects dust.  When the A/C is running, the ductwork becomes cool and moist, providing another ideal place for mold growth.

NOTE:Al’s Plumbing Heating and A/C provides duct-cleaning services.  Call for an appointment to get your ductwork cleaned today.

SUMMARY:  The primary reasons a central a/c smells musty are:

• Dirty and Molded Cooling-Coil
• Clogged Cooling-Coil Drain Line
• Dirty and Molded Ductwork

Your home could have any or all of these problems.  This article discussed each of these problems in detail, what the owner may be able do to fix them and what needs to be professionally cleaned to ensure safe air-quality inside the home.

Al’s Plumbing, Heating and A/C provides complete, full-service maintenance, repairs and replacements of any plumbing or HVAC component.  Call Al’s today to discuss your concerns with any plumbing or HVAC problem you have.  We can be there, at a time convenient for you, to fix any problem you have.

Al’s Plumbing, Heating & A/C in Plano, Texas provides maintenance & repairs for all brands of Central A/C, Gas & Electric Furnace, and Heat Pumps.  Additionally we sell and install new HVAC Systems from American Standard (same company as Trane), Ameristar (same company as American Standard) and Coleman HVAC (same company as York HVAC).

Al’s also provides full service plumbing maintenance, repairs and replacements for every plumbing component in your home.  Al’s sells and installs Rheem Professional Series gas & electric water heaters, and tankless water heaters.  Al’s is near your home in Allen, Frisco and McKinney.  We service all homes in southern Collin and Denton Counties with no travel charges.

Call Al’s today to discuss any concerns or problems you have with your HVAC System or Plumbing.  We will arrange an appointment at your convenience and offer 24/7 Emergency Service.