Can You Clean Mold in HVAC?

The short answer is yes and no. However, due to the nature of mold, it might be even costly to clean it than replace certain parts to achieve mold free environment.

Here's one of our project challenges that we recently faced. The air handler unit was a little old, but not old enough to retire. After having mold test company came to test the HVAC, we had a decision to make: either remediate the mold in the air handler or replace the air handler.

After contacting several HVAC cleaning companies and mold remediation company, we realize that cleaning the unit might actually cost more than replacing the unit. Additionally, our unit was older and it was likely that the insulation was degrading from the mold. So we decided to replace the air handler.

And that's best decision for us! Take a look at all the black molds that was INSIDE of the unit once we started pulling it out:

One more tip: you should inspect your HVAC systems, not just for mold, but for moisture. Look at the drain pans and ensure they are drained properly. A clogged pan might be the first step of recreating mold. And at least 1 or 2 times/year, definitely get an HVAC air ducts cleaning to make sure all the components work well.