Why You Should Clean Your Ducts

Why You Should Clean Your Air Ducts

Air duct cleaning in New Port Richey, FL is a process of clearing out dust and other contaminants inside the air ducts of your home. These conduits are passages used to bring air inside your home while pulling air from inside for exhaust. HVAC and air conditioning systems frequently make use of them.

As a general rule of thumb, if you can see dust in your ducts, then they need cleaning. Even if you can’t, you should still have an annual inspection by an industry professional to determine your cleaning and maintenance needs.

Are you thinking “There are professionals who do duct cleaning near me. Why would I need them though?” Here are three good answers:

Cleaner Living

When you have your air ducts cleaned by professionals, you cut down on how much dust that would be otherwise continually circulating around your living area. It would land on your flooring, your bedding, and your furniture. In fact, it would be just about everywhere.

Cleaning can get rid of unpleasant odors and smells that wind up hanging around in air ducts and the dust inside them. Even things that might seem okay at first, like your pets, household cleaners, and food preparation, aren’t going to smell great a week later. Add in things like tobacco use, mold, and paint fumes, and you’ve got a recipe for nasal disaster every time your air conditioning is running.

Easy breathing is more than just getting rid of bad smells. Getting rid of dust, allergens and mold means everyone will breathe easier. That helps out anyone with respiratory ailments or allergies, and it might just prevent them too. There’s no need for coughing, sneezing, wheezing, and congestion.

Air ducts don’t just have dust. They also have micro-organisms and other hazardous contaminants. These are things like pet dander, pollen, mildew, bacteria, and mold spores. If you have a typical home, it’s got six rooms. Everyday living generates as much as 40 pounds of dust each year, and you’re breathing it in and out every day. A normal HVAC system pulls all these contaminants in and recycles them five, six or even seven times a day. If you run your AC as much as many others in New Port Richey do, then you might even by cycling them more often than that.

Even if everyone is breathing okay, minimizing the dust and contaminants just makes it easier to keep your home clean. Spend less time vacuuming, wiping and dusting. Do what you want instead. Regular cleaning your air duct can reduce the chances of costly AC repair in Orlando and New Port Richey, FL.

Save Your Money

When there is an excessive buildup of anything in your ducts, then your HVAC system has to work a lot harder than it was meant to. This hits you in the wallet in more ways than one. When the AC runs harder than necessary, it’s wasting electricity. You wind up facing higher utility costs now. Also, the system will shorten its lifespan, meaning it breaks down faster and you get hit with repair and replacement bills sooner than would be otherwise necessary.

Anywhere from a quarter to half of all energy used in cooling can be wasted putting up with obstacles like dust. On the other hand, cleaning even a third of an inch of your system’s dust can cut down your power bill by 20 percent.

If you’re cleaning less, as mentioned before, you have more free time. Free up some cash to put to use during your extra hours. You live in New Port Richey; there’s certainly plenty to do around the area.

Safety Matters

If the health reasons weren’t scary enough, debris gathered up in ductwork can turn into a fire hazard. Dry materials only need a spark to ignite, and the next thing you know, your whole home is burning down.

Before you let this become a recurring nightmare, just get your ducts cleaned. That’s all that you need to do to really prevent this. If your home has appliances or heating units that run on propane or other combustible fuels, then you need to make sure they don’t have any extra material in the ducts to soak into and turn into a fire hazard.

Make sure your air duct cleaning includes dryer duct cleanup. A clogged dryer duct is a very dangerous situation. Be sure you have a lint catcher free of rips, and clean it every time you use the dryer. Clean it weekly.

If you have garments that don’t dry as fast as they used to, then you might have a ventilation issue that needs addressing sooner rather than later.

When Should You Have Air Ducts Cleaning Done

If you’ve recently replaced the HVAC system of your home, then it’s a good time to get your ductwork cleaned. Also, if you just moved into a new home, then you should have it inspected and cleaned. In fact, anytime you get your upholstery, draperies or carpeting cleaned professionally, then you might want to consider duct cleanup as a complementary service. That should prevent any freed odors or lingering cleaning and treatment chemicals from being absorbed by your system’s dirt, dust and debris since you had it removed.

You can reduce the chance of AC replacement in Orlando, FL, by doing regular cleaning of your air ducts.

Symptoms Indicating Clogged Ducts

Certain signs can point towards dirty ducts that need professional cleaning, other than just visual dirtiness. Use these as a guide towards necessary cleanings, since you can’t always see inside your ductwork easily.

For starters, consider your air filters. Depending on your home and usage, you might need to change these filters every month or every quarter, just to maintain system efficiency. If you find yourself needing to change them out faster than that, you might need a cleaning.

Secondly, insufficient airflow is a common indicator of clogged ducts. This makes your system run harder than it should have to. If you can feel weaker airflow coming out of vents than you once had, get an inspection.

Third, pest droppings inside your air ducts are a surefire sign it’s time to get a cleaning. Whether it’s insects or rodents, definitely get your system checked out and cleaned thoroughly.

If you have any of these things going on or just concerns in general, then it’s time to tell yourself “I need duct cleaning near me to improve my home.”

What Professionals Clean

When you call someone in to clean your ducts, you should have some idea of what to expect. You know that you need thorough cleaning in order to prevent contaminant spread throughout the system. So, make sure that your professional gets the job done right. That means not only cleaning out air ducts but also the air registers, grilles, diffusers, heat exchangers, drip/drain pans and HVAC coils. The fan also needs to be cleaned, including the motor and housing.

In Conclusion

Duct cleaning benefits you by keeping dust and other irritants out of your air ducts. Dust and other airborne debris accumulate in the air ducts. As the items to collect in the ducts, they become humid and slightly adhesive. As this adhesive builds up in the ducts, it can cause damage to the insulation, airflow, and even reduce the life span of your heating and cooling system. By regularly cleaning your ducts with a dust mister or sweeper, you can greatly improve your indoor air quality. The sweeper will also help move the dust and debris throughout your home, which will prevent it from building up in corners, behind appliances, and in other areas where it is not wanted.

The benefits of regular cleaning are numerous and significant. If your heating, cooling and air conditioning unit do not have its ducts inspected, then you are allowing harmful bacteria to grow, which can make you, your family, and your pets sick. Your air quality leaves an impact on your health, as well. Dust and mold can cause breathing problems, allergies, and even death in some cases. Regular heating and AC maintenance in New Port Richey, FL will leave your family feeling more comfortable and cleaner in your home.