Mold loves a moist environment and a humidifier with a reservoir that has stagnant water meets that requirement.
Mold in furnace humidifier.
It can also live on the absorbent pad inside the humidifier.
The water naturally.
Mold can grow on the interior walls.
The humidifier adds moisture to the air through the furnace ductwork.
If mold growth goes unchecked the furnace can blow mold spores into your home.
And if you are not aware it only takes as little as 24 hours for mold to develop.
Mold can grow on the absorbent padding inside the humidifier or on the interior walls.
Then mold starts to grow there.
They re also easier to maintain but they do.
With humidity that hight and the warm temperatures that natural condition is more likely to produce mold than your 70 degree house in the winter.
Things needed rubber gloves sponge scrubber or cleaning brush hydrogen peroxide clean cloth chlorine bleach filtered or distilled water.
If you do not switch on your humidifier for some time and water remains undisturbed in the tank mold will eventually grow and rapidly reproduce.
Every time your furnace runs it blows mold spores and their musty smell into your home which can not only lead to health issues for your family but can also lead to mold growth in other areas of your home.
The drain tubes from the humidifier and the ac have mold built up inside.
Plus you will find just increasing your humidity to like 35 40 with your whole house humidifier makes it very comfortable.
I replace the hose last summer.
Flow through humidifiers expose the warm air from your furnace to a constant trickle of water.
Turn down the humidistat to make sure the system does not enter a heat cycle while you are servicing it.
This causes a foul musty smell to come from your heat vents.
At that level mold is unlikely an issue.
The moldy ducts scenario is more likely if you have uninsulated ducts or a lot of your ductwork resides in an unconditioned area like your attic.
Because the interior of a furnace humidifier is a moist environment it is at risk for mold growth.
It s cold in your attic so moisture accumulates on the ducts when your humidifier is running.
Annually follow this maintenance procedure to check for scale buildup and eliminate it.
Steam humidifers produce either a warm or cool mist and therefore produce the most moisture.
The moisture gets distributed throughout the house and condenses on the walls and windows.
Wherever there is excessive moisture content mold growth is bound to take place.
Mold as you well know can really do a number on indoor air quality.