Indoor air pollution · Guide to indoor air quality · Printable version. While duct cleaning operations may insist that duct cleaning is essential to your health, the evidence does not support their claims. Companies that perform duct cleaning often advertise health benefits or suggest that duct cleaning will lower your energy bills by improving the efficiency of your system. Some ads even use language such as “Studies have shown.
but there is no data to support these claims. Even if your ducts are dirty, cleaning them probably won't provide any measurable benefit. In fact, the little independent research done on duct cleaning indicates that the process removes so much dust that it creates a bigger problem than it solves. So how often should you clean the air ducts? Simply put, only as often as there is a serious problem, such as the presence of mold in the air ducts, which can cause mold spores to enter the living areas of your home.
This can trigger allergic-type symptoms, such as a runny nose, sore throat, watery eyes, and other breathing problems. If you notice a musty or musty smell every time the oven or air conditioner is running, call a professional HVAC or duct cleaning company. Mold grows in damp or damp areas, so if there is mold in the ducts, in addition to cleaning them, you will have to find the source of the moisture, perhaps a leaking pipe, and repair it. The upgrade included replacing the exposed 12″ diameter air ducts in the basement with 6″ ducts and a cold air return system from the two (only two) air returns on the first floor.
It is important to note that dirty air ducts are just one of many possible sources of particulate matter that are present in homes. If you have allergies or other health problems, put in an electronic air purifier, clean the ducts, and run the fan as much as you can afford. Untrained technicians or fraudsters who lack the proper vacuum equipment to safely clean ducts can dislodge dust previously adhered to the inside of ducts and release it into your home. This is because much of the dirt from the air ducts adheres to the surfaces of the ducts and does not necessarily enter the living space.
Duct cleaning service providers can tell you that they need to apply a chemical biocide inside the ducts as a means to kill bacteria (germs) and fungi (mold) and prevent future biological growth. If you see evidence of significant visible mold growth on ducts or mechanical components of the HVAC system that come into contact with air. Duct cleaning is not considered a necessary part of the annual maintenance of your heating and cooling system, which consists of regular cleaning of drain pans and heating and cooling coils, regular filter changes and annual inspections of heating equipment. Air ducts are the tubes that connect your home's heating, ventilation and air conditioning (also known as HVAC) system to the ventilation grilles.
You want good air quality for you and your family, so it seems to make sense to clean the ducts in your home. That said, the EPA recommends cleaning air ducts if there is visible mold growth or if evidence points to insect or rodent infestation. It seems like a logical maintenance activity, but cleaning the air ducts in your home's HVAC system may not be a good idea as it seems intuitively. Dirty air ducts force the heating and cooling system to work more intensively, spending more energy on less efficient operation.
The system was designed to move a certain volume of air through a specific duct size, when that duct size starts to shrink with dust accumulation, your system has to work harder to move that air, so you will end up with a loss of efficiency and eventually breakdowns or failures. I recommend hiring a duct cleaning team that has researched to be honest, background checked, drug tested, insured and highly recommended by its docks in the area. It also charges the air particles it comes into contact with and causes them to stick together, making it easier for the air filter to remove enlarged particles. .
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