Is Air Duct Cleaning Really Necessary?
The air ducts in your home are like a highway for the air produced by the furnace and air conditioner. They are designed to ensure that every room in your house gets heated or cooled evenly. Therefore, if your air ducts are dirty, there is a good chance that every room in your home is going to be contaminated with polluted air. Cleaning them on a regular basis can improve indoor air quality and offer a number of other potential benefits.
Make the Most of Your Efforts Elsewhere
It’s typically a good idea to have your furnace and AC cleaned at least once a year. It can also be helpful to clean the condenser unit outside of your house as well in an effort to improve indoor air quality. You may also dust, vacuum or take other steps to keep your house clean. However, those actions may be meaningless if you don’t clean the air ducts. Instead, your indoor air quality will suffer because particles in the ducts will simply replace those that were swept or vacuumed away.
If you want an easy, effective and timely method of improving indoor air quality, you will schedule a duct cleaning every few years. This can complement furnace, AC and vent cleanings as well as any other steps that you take to maximize the quality of the air you breathe at home.
Debris Can Add Significant Weight to a Duct
Another reason why you want to have air ducts cleaned on a regular basis is that debris gets heavier as it accumulates. Over the course of several years, it has the potential to get heavy enough to cause a duct to sag or pull away from others around it.
As a duct sags or pulls away, it creates a gap that air can escape through. This can lead to uneven heating or cooling throughout your house, and it can also result in higher energy bills as it will take more effort to keep your home at a consistent temperature.
Debris Can Restrict Airflow
Allowing dust, pollen or other debris to accumulate in a duct will also reduce the amount of space that air has to get through. Therefore, even if it isn’t sagging or pulling, there is still a chance that you’ll get uneven airflow.
This is because there is less air getting through at any given time, which could also result in increased heating and cooling costs. Of course, you may also notice issues even if your duct is in perfect condition if an air vent is clogged or an air filter has not been changed recently.
Why Dirty Ducts Could Lead to Pest Issues
Dirty ducts can result in pest or rodent issues because the debris inside of them can actually be an appealing food source. Furthermore, it may serve as insulation that makes an already inviting environment even more appealing. A dirty or damaged duct may also be warmer than other areas of your home as well as retain moisture that can be used by insects or mice that want to make your home theirs, too.
How Often Should Ducts Be Cleaned?
You’ll likely hear that your ducts should be cleaned every three to five years. However, the truth is that you can do them as often as necessary to meet your needs. Typically, if you have allergies, asthma or sensitive skin, you should aim to have ducts cleaned at least every three years or less. However, if you don’t have allergies and your home’s indoor air quality seems OK, it may be possible to go more than five years between cleanings.
The team at C & C Heating & Air Conditioning in Detroit can perform duct cleaning services in a timely, affordable and friendly manner. We can also repair damaged ducts to ensure that they work at peak efficiency at all times. Finally, we can do additional indoor air quality tests to determine if there are any other issues that need to be addressed beyond a duct cleaning.
Have Ducts Checked Regularly
Perhaps the easiest way to know if your ducts need to be cleaned is to have them checked every year or two. A professional can tell you if there are any major issues that you should be worried about, including a buildup of material. If there is any damage that needs to be repaired, you’ll know about that sooner rather than later. This can help protect the long-term health of your ducts as well as the health and safety of those who live in your house.
Don’t Overlook Mold or Mildew Issues
Dirt, dust and pollen can wreak havoc on your ducts and cause issues throughout your home. However, mold and mildew can also cause significant damage if not eradicated quickly. This is because mold can spread just as easily as other contaminants and into areas that you might not think to check for it.
For instance, mold that is currently in a duct could make its way into interior walls or insulation located behind drywall. To get rid of it, you may need to cut into drywall or take other drastic and expensive actions. Failing to get rid of mold or mildew may also result in serious health issues for yourself, your family members or your pets.
How Dirty Ducts Impact Your Furnace
There are multiple heating system issues that could arise if your ducts are not cleaned on a regular basis. First, it will work harder than it has to work to get air to all parts of the house. This is a problem because it could shorten its life span through overuse. Additionally, you may also have to deal with motors or other parts that burn out or break because they are forced to operate for too many hours a day. It’s also possible that dirty air that cycles through your home will make its way back to the basement or wherever your furnace happens to be. This could result in a heating system covered with dirt, dust or other grime that weighs it down.
Clues That Your Ducts Need to Be Cleaned
There are a number of signs that you might want to have your home’s ducts cleaned regardless of how long it’s been since the last service. For instance, if air vents seem to be clogged, they could be clogged with material coming from the ducts. Your ducts may also need to be cleaned if you’ve deep cleaned the rest of the house and indoor air quality is still poor.
Odd smells when the furnace or AC is on could also be an indication that the ducts need to be cleaned. A mildew smell could be an indication that mold is present while a particularly pungent odor could be a sign of a pest infestation in the ducts.
If you are in need of duct cleaning or general indoor air quality services, call the team at C & C Heating & Air Conditioning today! We can also help with furnace repair or installation, air conditioning repair or installing a new smart thermostat in your home. Finally, we’ll be more than happy to go into detail about ductless systems and install them in your home in Detroit.
