Your home's air duct system is how your HVAC system moves hot and cold air to various rooms in your home throughout the year. Over time, dust, dirt and other types of debris can quickly accumulate in your air ducts, reducing the effectiveness of your HVAC systems and the overall comfort levels within your home. Understanding the warning signs associated with a dirty air duct system can help you get your air ducts cleaned before they seriously disrupt your home heating and cooling systems.
Reduced Air Flow
The most obvious sign that your air ducts are overdue for a cleaning is if you notice that there is very little or even no air that is flowing out of your vents – especially if this holds true throughout multiple rooms and levels within your home. You should contact a HVAC professional to inspect your unit: as long as your fan is still running properly, the issue lies with debris that has begun to block your air ducts.
Decreased Air Quality
If you notice that the air within your home is noticeably dusty, and you find yourself cleaning off surfaces within your home every few days without fail, your air ducts may be choked full of dust. If this is the case, dust and whatever else is within your vents will be blown everywhere every single time your air conditioner fan or furnace blower kicks into gear. Beyond being aesthetically unpleasing and requiring a great deal of time and effort to clean up, dust and other allergens in the air can aggravate respiratory conditions like asthma, which can quickly turn your dirty ducts into a health concern.
Mold Growth
Speaking of health concerns, mold can grow in your home's ductwork if condensation is allowed to build up within your ducts. If you notice a foul earthy smell coming from your vents every time your HVAC system kicks into gear, or if you can visibly see dark patches of mold within your ductwork, you will have to clean out your ducts. To proactively prevent future mold growth, you will want to insulate your ductwork to prevent a temperature difference between the interior and exterior of the duct causing condensation to form. Ductwork insulation also has the added benefit of reducing the amount of temperature that is lost as air is blown throughout your home, which can help save you money on your monthly energy bills moving forward.
Share7 February 2018
After struggling for months to deal with a personal injury, my home was left in shambles. It seemed like no matter what I did I just couldn't keep things clean enough, so I started looking for a way to get a helping hand. I was able to find an excellent cleaning service that really took their job seriously, and they worked hard to make sure that I had everything I needed. Within a few appointments, my home was like new, and I knew that I owed it all to them. This blog is here to help anyone who might be wondering about cleaning services to take care of what they need to.