what about mold? (Tampa: real estate, apartment, condos)

[deebin]

Not being raised in a subtropical area, my knowledge about mold is scarce.
What do I need to know about this issue if I move to Tampa?

My aunt retired to the Tampa area over 30 years ago. Whenever I got into her car and she turned on the air conditioner, I would smell mold. Same with her friends car. They said they didn't smell anything....guess they got used to it after so long.
She would usually come up North for 6 weeks during the summer. She left her air conditioner running during that time. If not, she said that her condo would be overrun my mold.

How much of a concern and an issue is mold?

[Occifer]

I don't know that a condo would be "overrun by mold" if it was left for six weeks without air conditioning, however a hot and humid environment is when mold grows the best. It is suggested to keep the air conditioner running at a temperature under 80 degrees in order to help prevent mold growth. The air conditioning also has a dehumidifying effect, which also helps to prevent mold. It's also important to fix and dry any sort of water leak inside of a house (especially if it's on carpet or wood) in order to prevent mold from forming.

The most important thing when it comes to mold that you need to worry about is if you buy real estate, making sure that the house you are buying doesn't have mold problems. Make sure that you get a good home inspection and that any mold issues are addressed.

[otter1803]

How much under 80 degrees should you keep your a/c to be safe from mold? Is 79 safe or should it really be more like 71-72? I'm just curious because I'm going to being a grad student pinching pennies and not wanting to run the a/c more than i have to.

[Mike1306]

Lowering the temperature too much can make things worse. It can cause condensation inside and moisture is what helps mold grow.

Just think about if you ever found something moldy in the fridge. Obviously the very cold temp did not stop the growth of mold.

I keep my AC at 82 and have never had a mold problem. An AC set at 80 during the summer will have a lower relative humidity than a house set at 77, at 76 it is higher and at 71 even higher. High relative humidity can be a breeding ground for mold.

The keys to keeping mold away is to clean up any moisture as soon as you see it. Keep your AC fan on "auto" not "on". Change your filters regularly. Make sure to use the exhaust fan in the bathroom if you have one.

[matt_sfl]

Originally Posted by Mike Peterson

Lowering the temperature too much can make things worse. It can cause condensation inside and moisture is what helps mold grow.

Just think about if you ever found something moldy in the fridge. Obviously the very cold temp did not stop the growth of mold.

I keep my AC at 82 and have never had a mold problem. An AC set at 80 during the summer will have a lower relative humidity than a house set at 77, at 76 it is higher and at 71 even higher. High relative humidity can be a breeding ground for mold.

The keys to keeping mold away is to clean up any moisture as soon as you see it. Keep your AC fan on "auto" not "on". Change your filters regularly. Make sure to use the exhaust fan in the bathroom if you have one.

I'm not an AC guy, but I thought the dehumidifying effect was mostly due the evaporator part attracting the water out of the air, and into the drip pan. And the more you run it, the more it does this. Also doesn't the condensation happen outside the glass? A girl was writing letters on the glass outside work today as it was so humid out.

[cheerbaby112]

I currently live in an apartment and me and my fiancee are going to NY to visit my family and look for a house. We will be gone for 18 days...I was wondering if I should just turn my AC off (Too save money) or will my apartment overheat and cause some kind of mold issue?

[Mike1306]

Originally Posted by matt_sfl

I'm not an AC guy, but I thought the dehumidifying effect was mostly due the evaporator part attracting the water out of the air, and into the drip pan. And the more you run it, the more it does this. Also doesn't the condensation happen outside the glass? A girl was writing letters on the glass outside work today as it was so humid out.

Yes, the AC running does pull the moisture out but the AC set too low will increase the moisture content in the home from condensation. This is why having the correct sized unit is very important. Some people will go with an oversized unit which will cool the house very quickly but then will not be on long enough to remove enough moisture. The right sized unit will be on long enough to effectively remove the moisture but once again set too low will increase the moisture due to condensation.

If it is much cooler inside than outside and there is moisture in the air you will get condensation inside.

[Tim Tim Tim]

A/C at 82? holy crap.

We keep ours at 75 and dont have mold problems

most people who I see with mold issues have old ass houses that they dont take care of. If you leave air ducts for 50 years and never clean them then of course theyll get moldy.

[Mike1306]

Originally Posted by Tim Tim Tim

A/C at 82? holy crap.

We keep ours at 75 and dont have mold problems

most people who I see with mold issues have old ass houses that they dont take care of. If you leave air ducts for 50 years and never clean them then of course theyll get moldy.

Some people move to Florida because they like warm weather. Why would I move to a warm weather climate and set the a/c to make it feel as if I was in a cool weather climate?

[bnepler]

I worked on nearly 800 condos in the Tampa area and the only ones that ended up with mold were the ones without the ac on in the summer. Best to keep it around 78 to 80 degrees.