What’s Involved in Air Duct Cleaning?

When you remove all the contaminants from the air duct system in your home, you can reduce the effects of mold and dust greatly. Healthy, clean, circulating air is important for good indoor air quality and for people who are sensitive to the contaminants, particularly during allergy season. It’s not uncommon for an individual to experience instant relief after they have cleaned out their HVACs air ducts.

Air duct cleaning is when various cooling and heating components of forced air units are cleaned including the grilles, heat exchangers, supply and return air ducts, condensate drip pans, cooling and heating coils, fan housing and fan motor, registers and air handling unit housing.

The National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) states that if your air ducts look like they are dirty, chances are they are. It’s a good idea to have a certified HVAC professional come in to inspect a dirty HVAC system.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) doesn’t recommend that you clean your air ducts regularly. They recommend you clean them only when they need cleaning. However, the EPA does suggest that if you have a fuel burning stove, furnace or fireplace, you should have it inspected and serviced to ensure it is functioning properly to protect you from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Methods of Air Duct Cleaning
There are a number of methods you can use to clean your air ducts. Generally, you would call in a professional service provider who will use special tools for dislodging debris and dirt from your ducts and then use a high-powered vacuum cleaner to vacuum them out.

Additionally, they might suggest the use of chemical biocides which work by killing microbiological contaminants inside your systems components and ductwork. Other chemical treatments such as sealants may be used also to cover or encapsulate your air ducts inside surfaces as well as the equipment housings. These chemicals are supposed to help prevent dirt particle or fibers from being released from your ducts and control the growth of mold.

There are a number of other factors in addition to normal dirt and dust build-up in your air ducts that would require HVAC air duct cleaning. These include:

Family members with asthma or allergies
Pets
Damage to your HVAC system, home or water damage
Cigar or cigarette smoke
Remodeling projects or home renovation

Young children, asthma or allergy sufferers, and the elderly are typically more susceptible to contaminants and indoor air quality that is poor and having your air ducts cleaned can help.

You can also install a whole house fan to improve your home’s ventilation and reduce or eliminate moisture and mold build up. This along with keeping your air ducts clean can really increase your home’s indoor air quality.