“Do I need to clean my duct system to get rid of the wet smell?”
We have been to some duct systems recently that have been underwater, or have had water in them. The problem, I have seen this problem a lot in HVAC, is people try to put band aids on the problem and don’t try to fix the problem. When I go to the doctor I want to be healed of the sickness, I don’t want medicine to mask over the symptoms. I want the cure, I don’t want the band aid. I want to stop bleeding, I don’t want to cover it up. We need to figure out why the water is getting in the duct to start with.
It is probably because the crawl space is getting moisture from the ground and it is getting wet that way and once that happens it needs to be replaced. Once you get insulation wet, there is no drying it. You can try to dry it, but it is not going to be completely the way it was. You need to go back with a new duct system, a sealed duct system, and you need to handle the problem of the ductwork getting wet. Seal the crawl space and then you need to replace that piece that is wet.
Wet insulation, first of all, stinks, and second of all, you don’t know what is in the insulation. You can’t completely dry it out and pretend like nothing even happened. I would solve the problem of the ductwork getting wet, replace it, and then I would seal it as well. There is no cleaning, there is no drying out.
Once you get water in the duct, let’s talk about why that is happening vs getting the duct dried out so we can clean it. We could do that but let’s fix the problem so we don’t have this situation again.
Your friend in comfort and energy savings,
Derek Cole
Derek Cole is the General Manager of One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning®, an independently owned and operated franchise based in Laurinburg, North Carolina since 1953. He has more than 15 years of experience in the HVAC industry and has created two You Tube broadcasts, The Comfort Experts and #AskDerekCole, filled with tips and tricks on saving energy and being comfortable. He was named the Top 40 under 40 in the HVAC industry by the News magazine and featured in Entrepreneur Magazine Franchise Player Spotlight. Derek has also been seen on CBS, FOX, NBC, ABC, Huffington Post, and Bloomberg Business sharing about One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning® and home comfort tips