Air Duct Mold Removal in Los Angeles, CA

What air duct mold removal actually involves in Los Angeles homes

Marine layer damp reaches a long way inland here. Uninsulated metal plenums sweat in attics and crawlspaces. Rust shows up at the seams first. Coastal and westside homes see this most. Growth follows the moisture, not the dust.

Material decides the method. Bare galvanized trunk can be brushed, HEPA vacuumed and wiped. Fiberglass ductboard plenums from the 1970s through the 1990s cannot. The mold sits in the fiber mat, below the surface. Scrubbing shreds it and releases more. Flex duct is the same story once the insulation gets wet. That run gets replaced, not cleaned.

We look for the water source before anything else. Common ones: an attic air handler secondary pan that overflowed, a flex boot detached at the ceiling, or a cold supply boot condensing against drywall. Fix that or it returns next cooling season.

You can check some of this yourself. Pull one register screw and look inside the boot. Squeeze the flex jacket for dampness. Check the pan under the air handler.

One caution on 1950s and 60s sheet metal. Gray or black tape at the joints may contain asbestos. That gets tested before anyone disturbs it.