Charlie:
Jeff in Cypress writes in: My son lives in Cypress in a single-level home. He says he smells a strong mildew odor coming from a room inside the house, and there are no apparent water leaks in the wall, Tom, or the floor or the ceiling. What do you think it is?
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Tom:
Mildew somewhere. If you smell it, it’s there.
Charlie:
Mildew usually follows humidity. I’m wondering if …
Tom:
Well, yeah, it could be humidity. If it’s a room that’s not used much and the door stays closed, it could very well just be …
Charlie:
No air circulation.
Tom:
No air circulation. Somebody might have closed the register off in the air conditioner because they’re trying to save money, and it doesn’t work that way by the way. You have those kind of issues. It could be a leak somewhere that you’re not seeing, but I doubt it. I think it would probably show itself.
Charlie:
Manifest itself in a stain on the wall or something, yeah.
Tom:
But you know, I can’t tell the man what it is, but he has to research it and find out. A hygrometer that can measure relative humidity might be something he can put in there. If it’s over 60% relative humidity in that room, then you might think of a dehumidifier in there or check the airflow. I will say this, when your nose starts to smell things, it is actually a warning. Your body is telling you something is around.
Charlie:
Something is amiss. I would think you might want to just call maybe Absolute Comfort Air and check to see how that system is working, because maybe it’s leaving some …
Tom:
Well, you know that yearly check is so important, and we push it so much, and if an air conditioner is not dehumidifying properly, you will get mildew in closets, on shoes, things of that nature. So yeah, It could very well just need a good air conditioning checkup and refrigeration charge.