People still don’t understand the importance of duct cleaning, and the few who understand still wonder if is worth spending money on. Most homeowners don’t really understand what air duct cleaning services are expected.
Duct cleaning is a requirement for all homes every once in a while, but not all homes require duct cleaning services. Here is what you need to know about air duct cleaning before you book an appointment with the professionals.
- What Is Duct Cleaning, And What Does It Involve
Air duct cleaning is a process that involves removing dirt and all the other contaminants that have found their way to the cooling and heating system. Cleaning the ducts also involves cleaning the heat exchangers, the condensation drip pans, and the heating and cooling coils.
The professional uses equipment such as air nozzles, brushes, and agitation devices to clean. To collect and remove the particles of dust and other contaminants, a strong vacuum system is used.
While cleaning, the HVAC system is subjected to negative pressure to reduce the chances of the dirt getting into the living area. In other words, cleaning involves the process of suction of dirt and contaminants, making them move in one direction.
Sometimes the technician may use some chemicals to kill microorganisms that might have found their way into the air ducts.
2. Why Get The Air Ducts Cleaned
The air ducts are like delivery paths of the air you breathe inside the house. There is air circulation between the HVAC system and your living room throughout the day at least 5 times.
The process of mechanical ventilation involves the air conditioner drawing the air from the outside, which gets in through the air ducts.
This process is repetitive, and the air from outside will likely have dust and contaminants. That is how the dust particles and other pollutants find their way into the air ducts and get stuck.
The dust in air ducts consists of components such as pollen, fur, bacteria, pollutants, and spores which lower the air quality inside the house.
Air duct cleaning services will help eliminate all the dust build-up in the air ducts and the HVAC system to help improve the air quality inside the home. This is important because it minimizes the chances of respiratory diseases.
3. How Long Does It Take To Get Air Ducts Cleaned?
The time taken in the duct cleaning process varies from home to home. Cleaning the HVAC varies based on factors such as house size, dust amount, the technicians working on it, and the number of HVAC systems.
It is impossible to state the exact time taken to clean air ducts, but an estimation can be done by considering the above factors.
4. How Often Should You Clean The Air Ducts?
Everyone loves breathing in some fresh air that is free of contaminants. If you always want quality air inside your home, you should consider air duct cleaning once every three years.
However, there are various exceptions to situations where you don’t need to have the ducts cleaned; instead, you should replace them.
The presence of vermin in the air ducts can result in health hazards. If you realize there are droppings in the air ducts, it’s a sign that rodents have access to the air ducts. You should have them cleaned and do the necessary repair to keep the rodents away.
Such instances include when you realize that there is excess dust build-up, such as visible dust coming into the living space. At all costs, you should not be able to see dust getting in through the supply registers, and the only effective solution to such a case is replacing the air ducts and not cleaning them.
5. Does Cleaning The Ducts Help Get Rid Of Bacteria And Mold
Vacuuming the ducts during cleaning is not enough to eliminate molds and bacteria. Disinfectants and biocides can help eliminate bacteria and other microorganisms but cannot clean up molds.
6. Is Duct Cleaning Messy?
Air duct cleaning involves removing dirt, so there is some aspect of messiness however, that can be controlled if the technicians are well organized.
