Plenty of Pueblo houses cool with a swamp cooler in summer and heat with a gas furnace in winter, and both move air through ducts that can hold on to moisture. Jim and Karen find where mold has settled in that system and treat it without opening the ducts in most homes.
A musty smell that shows up when the cooler or furnace kicks on is a common reason people call Jim and Karen about HVAC mold removal in Pueblo, CO.
Summer air here is dry, which is why so many houses cool with an evaporative cooler. The cooler works by adding water to the air it blows inside. Some of that moisture settles in the duct runs and behind the registers, where it can sit long enough for mold to grow.
Jim and Karen don't repair coolers or replace ductwork. Once whoever services your cooler or HVAC system has fixed the source of the water, they treat the mold. If a section of duct is too far gone, they'll tell you and point you to someone who handles that.
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“They were a life saver for us. We found we had a mold problem and their process allowed us to get rid of it and it was quick and affordable. They were so helpful and caring. They turned a nightmare situation into something very manageable and now our home is safe for our family. Thank you!”
“Jim and Karen are fantastic they did an outstanding job and explained the process to me the entire time. They were early for my appointment and very detailed. I strongly recommend them for any of your mold issues you may have”
“They traveled out of town for us great customer service. Very knowledgeable and insightful”
“Pure Maintenance of Pueblo was very professional, communicated well and achieved great results for us at our home. Mold was discovered during the inspection process, and we checked with two companies to obtain pricing. The Pure Maintenance process was far less evasive and cost-effective, and was completed in a professional and timely manner. We had two different independent labs test the results, after the treatment, and both came back free of mold. We could not be happier and I highly recommend Pure Maintenance of Pueblo for any mold concerns. Their technology is cutting edge, effective, achieves great results and they are wonderful to deal with. I could not recommend them higher!”
“We are very happy with the way Jim & Karen kept us informed and explained exactly what was happening. They were professional & easy to work with! We would highly recommend them. David Nora”
“We had extremely high levels of mold in a home, and Pure Maintenance came out to assess and treat the property. They were amazing to work with—very communicative, professional, and thorough throughout the entire process. I would highly recommend Pure Maintenance to anyone and would absolutely use them again in the future.”
In the Census region that takes in Colorado, about 7% of homes cool mainly with an evaporative cooler, against 0.8% nationally (U.S. Energy Information Administration). Colorado State University Extension calls them well suited to Colorado and says they typically need more maintenance than air conditioners.
Pueblo averages about 72 days a year at 90°F or hotter, and Black Hills Energy still gives coolers credit in its 2026 Colorado Ready Home program. They will be on Pueblo roofs for a long while yet, so it pays to know where their water goes.
The Department of Energy's guide to evaporative cooling says direct coolers "increase rather than decrease the humidity in the air." That damp air travels the ducts and leaves through the registers.
DOE warns that roof-mounted coolers "can lead to leaks in the roof," and they usually feed a duct that runs through the attic. Water that gets in around the unit often shows up as a stain on the ceiling below.
DOE says to empty the drain pan whenever the cooler will sit idle for more than a few days. A pan that holds water through a cool spell sits right under the pads the fan pulls air through.
A cooler pushes outside air in, so the house needs a way to let it out. DOE calls for about 2 square feet of open window or ceiling vent for each 1,000 CFM the cooler moves. Without that, damp air can hang in closets and back rooms.
Pueblo Water's winter tips say to shut off the cooler's supply line, then disconnect and drain it. DOE adds a cleaned pan and a winter cover. The first fall freeze here comes around 9 October on average.
Coolers lose their punch once July and August storms raise the humidity, and a Pueblo heating company wrote in 2025 that more local owners are switching to central air. Where the cooler and the air conditioner share ducts, damp dust from cooler season is still in the runs when the chilled air arrives.
Mold in an HVAC system tends to grow where damp air slows down and dust collects, which in most houses means a handful of predictable spots.
Inspected by Jim & Karen
About 78% of homes in the city of Pueblo heat with gas, often through a furnace that pushes air along a network of ducts. Nearly three in four homes in the city were built before 1980, and older houses often have long duct runs with plenty of seams and bends.
When cooler air or summer condensation keeps the dust in those runs damp, these are the places Jim and Karen check first:
HVAC mold can involve up to three trades. Here's how the work splits, so you know who to call for each part.
Four steps, and the second one belongs to whoever services your cooler or HVAC system.
They look at the registers, the cooler duct and the air handler to find where the water is getting in. Air samples go to an independent lab.
Your cooler or HVAC contractor fixes whatever is letting water in. Once the moisture source is dealt with, Jim and Karen treat the mold.
VaPURE moves through the ducts the way air does and into the rooms they serve, and an antimicrobial protectant goes on after it. The home has to be empty during the VaPURE treatment, with people, pets, and plants out. Most families are back the same day.
A second set of air samples goes to the same independent lab, and you get the written report. We guarantee indoor mold levels will be lower than outdoor levels after treatment, or we retreat at no additional cost.
No. Jim and Karen treat mold inside the ducts with VaPURE and leave the ductwork where it is. If a section is too damaged, such as soaked duct board or a crushed flex run, they'll tell you and point you to someone who handles that.
The pads, pan, float and water line belong to whoever services your cooler. Jim and Karen treat mold in the ducts and rooms the cooler feeds once the water problem has been fixed.
If mold is still growing in the ducts, the system can carry spores back into the rooms each time it runs. That's why Jim and Karen treat the duct system and the rooms it serves in the same visit.
The active component of our sterilant is on the EPA's Safer Chemical Ingredients List. Shortly after treatment it breaks down into acetic acid (the acid in white vinegar), oxygen and water.
The first step is a free phone consultation. Tell us when the odor appears and what kind of cooler you run, and we'll say whether an inspection makes sense. Treating the ducts often sits inside a wider plan for mold remediation in Pueblo, because spores from the ducts settle in the rooms they serve.
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