Considering An Air Duct Cleaning? 10 Ways To Know If It’s Time.

You’re looking at your air ducts and thinking that something doesn’t look quite right.

After looking a little closer, you can see that mold is growing on the outside! This is a sign that you need an air duct cleaning.

Have you considered what else might help you know when you need to get those air ducts cleaned? It is easy to forget, but important for us to remember.

If you’d like to learn more about how to figure out when you need your air ducts cleaned, what air duct cleaning entails, and how much it costs, keep reading.

What is Air Duct Cleaning?

Indoor air pollution is a problem that affects many people without them even knowing it. It is a growing issue and is a concern for the health of people within the building or home.

Duct cleaning generally will refer to cleaning the heating and cooling systems within a forced air system. This would include heating exchangers, heating and cooling coils, supply and return air ducts, fan motors, fan housing, condensate drip pans, grills and diffusers, and the unit housing.

Whenever ducts are cleaned, all parts of the system must be cleaned. Otherwise, the cleaning will not be as beneficial as it could be and may even be a waste of time or money. The whole system can easily become contaminated once again if one part is still contaminated.

All of the components in an air duct can easily be dirtied by air particles, dust, pollen, or moisture.

Is Air Duct Cleaning Beneficial?

The truth is that your air ducts don’t need need to be cleaned constantly. They likely can go quite a long time with no problems at all.

If your unit is contaminated in any way, air duct cleaning is essential. It may compromise your health.

Here are some of the reasons to get air duct cleaning in your home:

• Improvement in air quality
• The lifespan of mechanical systems expands
• Save money on energy bills
• Increase the quality of the machine

If you notice any of these types of issues, air duct cleaning is important to get done as soon as possible. It will help you feel better, improve the air in your home smell better, and may make your time at home a little more enjoyable.

The fact that the air quality in your home can become 2 to 5 times more polluted than outdoor air is surprising to many people. By reducing the number of airborne pollutants and contaminants within the home, the air quality can be immensely improved.

10 Signs That Air Ducts Need Cleaned

Do you think your air ducts need to be cleaned? If any of the following seem like your situation, it is important to call a professional to clean your air ducts right away!

1. Mold on the Inside or Outside

   When you see mold on the outside, inside, or around the air duct, it means that they need to be cleaned. This can be a health hazard!

   Any suspected mold growth needs to be tested to ensure it is mold and not something else. In addition, certain types of mold are more dangerous than others. Exposure to certain molds will cause people in your home with health problems to have exacerbated symptoms and severely impact air quality.

2. Moving to a New Home

   Moving into a new home is exciting, isn’t it? It is important to remember that with a new home comes all of the old bones and foundations. The previous owners may not have cared for their air ducts properly, and they should be examined upon arrival.

   Even if you were told the air ducts were professionally cleaned before you moved in, do you know if they cleaned each part of the unit? How thorough were they? When it comes to your health and happiness at home, it isn’t worth the risk.

3. Owning Pets

   People that own pets usually love their pets as part of the family. The fact is, however, that pet dander can be a considerable problem for air ducts. Pet owners may need to have their air ducts cleaned more frequently due to this dander and hair that can get into the air systems.

   It helps to improve the overall air quality and will improve the lives of anyone that has allergies that make it difficult to breathe in harmful conditions. Living with pets in the home can be messy, but it doesn’t have to impact your air quality so negatively.

4. Allergies are Worse

   So many people have allergies! If you are trying to figure out what is causing your allergies to be so much worse now than before, it may be your air ducts. If you have had tests run and tried to determine a cause, it may be in the air.

   Professional cleanings ensure that there is not any excess debris or dust within the air ducts, and this means less debris or dust circulating in the air.

5. Remodeling a Home

   Whenever someone remodels their home, debris typically gets all over the place. Even if you are careful, it can still get pretty messy. When this happens, it can easily get into your ductwork and decrease the overall air quality.

6. Dust and Debris

   If you can see dust or debris outside of the air duct, it probably means there is a lot more on the inside of the ducts. Think of it this way… what you are seeing on the outside of the system is likely a buildup that doesn’t have anything to stick on the inside anymore.

   Whenever the air conditioning or heating system turns on, the air is going to push that dust throughout the home. This means you will be breathing it in and every day it will build and build.

7. Vermin or Animal Infestation

   You may find that insects or rodents are living within the ductwork. If this is the case, they need to be removed and the ducts need to be cleaned right away.

   Rodents can leave behind excrement that can contribute to medical illness. Also, no one wants to think about the idea of remnants of these creatures living within their walls and home.

8. Air Filters

   When we are using our air conditioners constantly in the summer, the air filter will trap all of the dust, pet dander, pollen, and other problematic things. The issue arises when the air filter is full and can no longer do this.

   If you haven’t been changing your air filters regularly or as necessary, it probably means they need to be replaced, but the whole system needs to be cleaned as well.

9. Inconsistent Airflow

   You might find that you walk into one room and can feel the air moving through it, but in another room, you feel nothing at all. This may be because your rooms don’t all have the same amount of airflow.

   If you are noticing various levels of airflow, it is likely due to a dirty air duct. Vents that are open all the way should be able to give you consistent airflow all the time, especially when air is running high.

10. Strange Noises Coming Out

    If you start to hear noises that weren’t there before, you know that something is wrong. Sometimes our machines make machines that we get used to, but when you are hearing abnormal noises, it generally means something is wrong.

    Your ductwork should not be making a ton of noise at all. If something is out of sorts, talking with a professional is a great choice to make to see if your ducts need to be cleaned or repaired.

Are You Ready to Get Your Ducts Cleaned?

Once you know it is time for an air duct cleaning; you likely are prepared to do it yourself. Don’t move so fast!

Although it is admirable you want to take on such a project yourself; it is much better to have a professional take care of the situation.

Not only are they more prepared to do the job correctly, but they also have the experience necessary to notice when something is wrong or when something extra needs to be done. You may not have the expertise to handle the situation if something is worse than it initially seemed!

When you are ready to have your air ducts cleaned, don’t hesitate to reach out and contact us. We would love to help you with your cleaning job and also with answering any questions you may have.