Through the Looking Glass - Sliding Door Safety

How safe is your property?  You can be in a great neighborhood or a high-security building, but the real threat is one that can’t be seen until it’s almost too late - mold.

If you have a beachfront property, you’ve probably suited it with sliding glass doors for a scenic view and perfect sunlight.  In the hot and humid coastal environment, it doesn’t take long for the weather proofing on our doors to wear down or for the frames surrounding them to warp subtly.

The First Signs

You may notice your door isn’t closing properly, your weather stripping is dry and cracked, or there’s sunlight peeking through the frame.  When this happens, your property is constantly infiltrated by an influx of microbes, carried by their ideal environment of warm, moist air.  Your AC system is forced to cope with this air, causing an internal sweat that basically waters the micro-organisms within.

Mold may appear around the AC registers in your walls and ceiling.  Once it’s reached this point, you can be certain that the mold has already grown throughout the system. 

It’s All Connected

If your AC system has mold - this includes the blower and filters - it will spread quickly to your duct work and vice versa.  This means that if you replace a moldy AC unit with a completely new one but you don’t replace or thoroughly clean the duct work inside and out, the new AC system will also be laden with mold within a few months.

Your property is your fortress.  You must fortify it accordingly.  Be vigilant about properly cleaning your air systems and attending to any source of air leaking from the outside, no matter how small and inconsequential it may seem.

Your glass doors offer a beautiful view, but they are also vulnerable to weather damage. When the outside seeps in, your AC has to work overtime to control the air inside.