Need-to-know on Air Duct Cleaning

Importance of Air Duct Cleaning

Ventilation systems are important to keep good indoor air quality and save energy. Often forgotten about, the air duct system collects dust and particles the filter might not. Leaving those particles can create health concerns and reduce the effectiveness of the system. Although expensive, duct cleaning needs to be done by a professional is beneficial to the home.

Everything You Need to Know About Duct Cleaning

Health concerns: HVAC systems have been shown to collect different contaminants that can be potentially bad for our health, such as mold, asbestos, or bacteria. Health concerns from poor air quality in the home can result in long-term or short-term health issues. Clean your air duct system before your health becomes threatened.

Save energy: Clean systems have been shown to work more efficient and save energy. By removing the contaminates and dust from the system, the air has an easier time flowing through the system creating less work for the system itself.

How to clean: Cleaning the system is not a job to do on your own and can be costly to hire a professional. Call your local HVAC company to schedule an appointment to get your duct system cleaned. The typical cleaning procedure consists of the following

Hand-held vacuuming: Although you might think you can clean the ducts on your own with the hand-held vacuum at home, a professional should be hired because dust pockets can be left inside and a high-efficiency air filter is used on the vacuum.
Mechanical Brush: A rotating brush is fed through the system sucking up the dust and particles.
Air Sweep: This method uses a compressed-air hose to loosen the debris and a vacuum to remove it.

When to clean: There is no set time on when your air ducts but recommend every three to five years. Other reasons to clean your ductwork would be if..

A poof of dust comes out of the vent
You move into a new home
After building a new home
You are remodeling
After fire or smoke damage

Air duct systems accumulate dust and dirt that settle on the surface with the need to be cleaned periodically to ensure healthy indoor air quality and keep your systems running efficiently. Air flow, air quality and energy bills are common results after a home has cleaned their air duct system. Although the service is expensive, cleaning your system to prevent future problems is something you shouldn’t skip.