My house has a couple of thru-wall A/C units. I discovered last week that one was leaking down the outside of the wall. Today, I pried off all the trim and removed the AC and I see that the drywall had been slightly wet (it’s pretty dry now as I haven’t run the AC in a week) as well as the siding and the framing surrounding the AC.
I just bought a new high efficiancy AC to replace the old one. If I’ve removed the source of moisture, will the wood and drywall dry completely out and any possible mold go away? Or will mold continue to grow even in the absence of moisture? I really don’t want to rip off the siding but I’m kinda concerned about what might be behind the walls.
Mold will not grow if it is dry but personally I would not take the chance. You have to account for conditions of high humidity, leaks or rain.
Since you have not seen any mold, you might be in luck. I’m surprised your drywall isn’t damaged from the moisture. If there is anyway to get behind the drywall, open up some space and let it dry.
I would let it dry fully and hope for the best. Your nose will be the best judge.
You could use an anti fungal spray. Get it everywhere because mold is invisible. Mold is fibrous and extends in an invisible web.
Good luck!
I was advised to use a 10% bleach solution to kill off mold. It worked for me.
How did you treat the mold after you were killed off?
Sorry, my connection is flaking out.
Everything I’ve found on the web cautions that bleach will only temporarily mask mold and not cure it.
Well, I got impatient with having a huge hole in my wall so yesterday I reframed the opening and placed the AC. Today I foamed around it and replaced most of the trim. So I sort of lost my opportunity.
The AC had been dripping down the outside of the house but the bottom framing members were slightly wet and the drywall shows signs of having bubbled slightly just around the wall opening. I didn’t see any mold but I was concerned that it had probably been repeatedly wetted in the past. Although, it’s only been run a few times this year as it’s been unseasonably cool this summer. I didn’t open things up enough to check out the insulation either. I guess I’ll just keep my fingers crossed.
BTW, I’m thinking these higher efficiency ACs trade off cooling power for energy savings. This new unit doesn’t get nearly as cold as the old one…