While thoroughly cleaning your home, you may notice a few concerning details. Regular cleaning is when we’re supposed to notice squeaky hinges, leaky faucets, and other little details that require attention. However, one issue that often forms a mystery is why there is black stuff on your air conditioner vents. The vents in each room should be blowing clean, freshly cooled, or heated air through the home. So why does it look like your vents are covered in black speckles or growing black fuzz?
AC vents are typically just slightly damp in the summer when cooled metal creates condensate from moisture in the air. Dust particles, will then stick to the vents and the damp ductwork inside, forming a slowly growing fuzz. Normally this dust appears gray, but sometimes, you may notice black particles building up on your vents.
Problem #1: Soot from Candles or Fireplace Logs
Dark-colored dust and soot are the most likely cause of buildupblack stuff on AC vents throughout your home. Soot is a very fine, black flaky substance thatand is producedcomes when you burn many different types of organic materialoff of anything that burns. For example, burning candles or incense sticks create a steady supply of tiny black soot particles that float into the air and wind up cycling through your HVAC with the rest of the dust. If you have a fireplace, having a toasty fire also releases black soot particles into the air.
If you haven’t been burning anything, you may also have a source of very dark-colored dust. A black fuzzy blanket or navy blue carpet can create black dust, and gaps in your hidden ductwork can let dark-colored dirt into the system.
Solution: Use a Better Quality and Higher Grade Air Filter
Why are you seeing black soot on your vents when your air should be clean? The answer is simple: your air filter is not up to the job. Either your air filter is full, and dust particles are getting through, or – equally likely – your air filter does not have a high enough filtration rate, and the soot from smoke particles is not being blocked.
Home HVAC filters range from a MERV rating of 1-20, where MERV 8 is a standard home rating, capable of blocking dust and most mold spores. However, to stop soot and smoke, you’ll need filters of MERV 13 or higher and regularly changed.
Problem #2: Mold Growth on Your Vents
Mold spores are everywhere, all the time. They are a natural part of earth’s air, and every home has a few. Mold growth, however, happens when spores find a moist surface to land on and prosper. The condensate-damp vent covers in your home can sometimes make a perfect home for mold, and the spores find their purchase by flowing through your ducts and HVAC system or wafting up from each room’s living space.
Once mold spores take hold, a mold colony can start to grow in fuzzy ridges over your air conditioner vents, making the vents look like they have black speckles or fuzz. Mold can be black, or so dark green or brown as to appear black, and also comes in other shades and colors. However, mold growth is almost always darker than the soft gray lint that is normal dust on a vent.
How do you know it’s mold?
- Musty smell like sour laundry that won’t go away
- Unexpected allergy symptoms inside the house
- Unexplained or persistent headaches in the house
Solution: Hire a duct cleaning specialist from Steamatic who specialize in mold remediationHire mold a remediation specialist and duct cleaning service
Mold remediation is a special home service designed to remove mold colonies from your home and restore damaged structures or personal items that were once infested. Mold remediation for your air conditioner vents may also require extensive duct cleaning to remove all colonies and cleanse damp areas where mold has grown. Mold remediation services can not only remove mold from your vents and structures but can also rescue carpets and furniture that have been mold-damaged.
Duct cleaning involves a detailed removal of built-up dust and mold from your entire HVAC duct system. Home AC ducts build up a carpet of dust over time, which can become home to a growing mold colony. Duct cleaning services can completely refresh your home’s air system and air quality and restart the clock on dust buildup in your ducts again. SteamaticWe can also detect places where your ducts are damaged or gapped, letting in outside dust or spores. Combined with a mold remediation specialist, you can be sure your home will be safe from mold spores when the ducts are clean.
Professional Duct Cleaning & Mold Remediation Services Grand Forks & Fargo
Steamatic in Grand Forks and Fargo can help you take care of those black speckles and the deeper meaning of cleanliness behind them. If you have mold growing on your vents, we can help you remove the mold, clean your ducts, and even rescue furniture and carpets that may have been near the colonized vents. Contact us today to book a consultation with one of our mold remediation specialists.
