Anyone have mold issues? Advice needed.

If it were me, I would cut out just a small amount of the sheetrock near the outlet and stick my snake cam (endoscope that connects to your smartphone with a USB cable) into the wall to see how extensive the mold is. Plus I would use my $42 Klein Tools ET140 Pinless Moisture Meter to run all along the sheetrock to find moisture behind the sheetrock. In the event the mold was caused by a very small leak (like a small leak in a cinderblock basement wall) you could take out enough sheetrock to repair it with hydraulic cement and drylok paint and then figure out on the outside wall how water is getting down the foundation wall (clogged gutter underground downspout pipe, ground sloping into that wall, etc) and then take care of that problem. I.e jet out a clogged underground gutter downspout pipe, build up some fill dirt/ clay to slope the ground away from the outside wall, etc. You might even need to build a french drain system along an outside wall. If the job seems to daunting for you, you can hire a mold reconciliation company like ServPro or Service Master to locate and take care of the mold and hire a contractor to help resolve the source issue.

It could also be a clogged HVAC condensation line or that PVC line is leaking before it exits the house. In that case, you could blow a clog out with a shop vac, etc or fix a leaking PVC connection. If you suspect the HVAC condensation line is clogged, watch some YouTube videos for different ways to address that.

If your HVAC drain pan has water in it, it could be from a clogged condensation line, or if you have a pump such as a Little Giant pump, it could have an issue like needing replacement or something simple like replacing a $5 check valve. There are YouTube videos on that as well. Or just hire an HVAC technician if you can't find the source of a leak that you suspect from your HVAC system.

If you don't have a snake cam, you can always cut out a larger section of sheet rock. I would try to figure out the problem myself, but that's just me. You can wear protective gear for the mold while you are investigating/killing it, or if you were like me I'm not afraid of it and I just find and fix the problem. I had black mold all on my sheetrock behind a refrigerator on a house we purchased. The refrigerator had a leak in the coils and was spraying a very fine stream on the wall and caused the mold. I got rid of that refrigerator and sprayed bleach on the mold. Then I cut out and replaced the Sheetrock.

In summary, the mold could be caused by a host of issues. Just decide if you want to locate the source and extent of the mold yourself, by cutting sheetrock, using a snake cam with USB connection to your phone, or using a moisture meter which is a great tool to have. Or give ServPro or Service Master a call to find and take care of the mold. Then once you know the source do the work yourself to resolve the source of moisture creating the mold or hire the appropriate contractor.

Mold remediation isn't rocket science. Contain the affected are with plastic sheeting and spray anti-microbial solution on contaminated areas before removing unsalvageable building materials. It's also a good idea to remove drywall while it is still wet with solution as it suppresses dust and limits cross-contamination of clean areas. Use encapsulating paint on wood studs and sill plates before replacing drywall.

There's no sense in starting any of this though, until you determine the cause of the mold.

Yes. There is definitely moisture. Old house combined with an A/C unit that I believe to be installed poorly or at least not like it should be. Attic heat backs in through the vents and into the A/C closet. Not sure if lack of insulation or just a bad installation job.

Inside the A/C closet is wet and there is mildew/mold. The drywall inside is unpainted, so I don't want fo risk it being in the drywall. The builder/installer used a piece of pressboard underneath so it feels soaked.

Someone mentioned the drainpan, it definitely drains, but I think it might be uneven and holding water at the backend.

If the plenum, ducts or registers are not properly sealed, cool air from the supply will mix with warm air in the attic space and cause condensation.

Some pics of what I can see without opening up a wall. Including the ducting sweating. It takes a 90° turn out of the unit and goes to a plenum in the attic/soffit.







The wall to the left of the unit is shared with the outlet and light switch in the adjoining room.

Just wondering --- That duct pic with all the water drops on it, if you touch the duct, is it fairly cold? Is there an air leak in that duct that could be blowing out cold air?

If the duct is cold, it could be that the insulation on the inside of the duct has come off and causing the duct to "sweat".