The story begins with an Environmental Protection Agency study a few years ago that found the air in some homes is 70-times more polluted than the air outside. That’s a staggering figure made even more staggering when you consider a National Safety Council study that shows we spend 90% of our time indoors and 65% of our time in our own homes.
Your air ducts — the supply and return — are the source of that pollution. Your professional air duct cleaner in Houston, TX urges you to have them cleaned as soon as possible.
Most homeowners have no idea what goes on inside their home’s air ducts. The fact is they can become littered with years of accumulated dirt, debris and allergens like pollen, dust, etc.
Understand why you need Air Duct Cleaning?
Your home breathes and your home’s air duct system is its heart and circulation system. To use a metaphor, it operates much like your heart and lungs. When the air-conditioning or heat is turned on, your home breathes. The heating and cooling system pumps air through the ducts and through your home like your heart pumps oxygen to parts of your body.
Heating and air conditioning ducts which are dark, damp and rich in “nutrients” provide an excellent breeding ground for mold, fungi and dust mites. These allergens can spread rapidly since the air ducts are used to heat and cool the house. Poor ventilation allowing fresh outside air indoors and dirty filters are also major contributors to unhealthy contaminates in the home. Mold and fungi can cause “discomfort”, infections and commonly trigger allergic reactions.
What’s Inside Your Duct?
There are pollutants in your air ducts. Starting simple, they’re pollen, dander, dirt, dust and — in some cases — pet hair or molds.
Mold is one of the most dangerous items to breathe in as it can actually grow inside an individual’s air ways and cause serious health concerns. Anyone that desires clean breathable air will need to have their ducts maintained on a regular basis.
The other pollutants found in air ducts aren’t so benign. They are household cleaners, insecticides and pesticides and paints. Some studies show much harsher toxins in air ducts. These would be polyurethane from mattresses, furniture and upholstery and components like formaldehyde, dioxin, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) and polybrominated biphenyl. Some even have Legionnaires Disease, strep and salmonella present.
Hence, these toxins end up in the air when your HVAC system turns on.
Your air ducts pick up dust, dirt, and dander — if you have them — pet hair. People living in your home, or visitors with breathing disorders or allergies notice that right off the bat.
You really don’t want to be breathing air with toxins like this present. So, it should be cleaned.
Importance of Air Duct Cleaning
- Good for Cleaner Environment
Air duct cleaning is a very important part of maintaining a home. The air you breathe may be invisible, but if you analyzed it you would be amazed. There are always dust and dirt particles floating around your home. With each breath you take, you may be inhaling some of them. Removing the buildup of dust, dirt, and other debris within your HVAC system will greatly improve the quality of air that you breathe.
While it is true that air duct cleaning alone does not cure health conditions like Asthma, allergies and other respiratory related conditions, vent cleaning does. However, it play an important role in prevention and treatment. By cleaning your HVAC system you will remove allergens like dust and mold from the duct work as well as residue from cigarette smoke.
- Good for HVAC System
Having your air duct cleaned is good for your heating and cooling unit. When there is an accumulation of foreign matter in the ducts and heating/cooling system, the system will not work as well, it will actually work harder to heat the rooms. This will cause strain on the system which can cause a break down. As well, working harder will cause an increase in your heating bills. A clean duct system will increase efficiency and lower your heating costs.
While the EPA does not have any recommendations for how often your air ducts should be cleaned, your furnace manufacturer does. Most furnace manufacturers recommend having your furnace cleaned and inspected annually, which begs the question;
If my furnace should be cleaned every year, what about my air ducts? It is recommended that you have your air ducts cleaned every one to three years.
The best time of the year to have this done is right before the heating season. You should also consider air duct cleaning if you have recently had remodeling done, there is water in your ducts, mold, or you have found out that you have had rodents in your system. It is important to personally replace your filters during the heating season.
When you have to have clean your Air Duct?
- Air duct cleaning is one of those home maintenance items that people very often neglect. Wanting to breathe fresh air should be enough, but if not, here are 10 reasons that you might want to consider having your air ducts professionally cleaned.
- If you have recently bought a brand new home. I am sure this sounds crazy, but if you have even had a woodworking project, you can now imagine what lies in your duct work. Sadly, they don’t normally clean your ducts for you after construction.
- If you have recently bought a resale home. Unless the home seller has provided you with documentation, you have no idea if your air ducts were ever cleaned. Why not get off to a great start with some health air in your home?
- If you have had water damage in your home. It’s sad to see all of the air duct cleaning scams where they tell the home owner there is mold in the ducts. That’s not to say it cannot or does not happen, but you generally see mold in drywall first and usually after a water damage issue. Any time you have had repairs for mold or water damage, you should have you air ducts cleaned and sanitized.
- If you constantly have to dust your home. Dust does not appear magically; it comes from the air ducts. Cleaning them will help keep dust off of your furniture; as will changing your air filter every month.
- If your air filters are very dirty. You should be changing your air filters every month on your HVAC system. When you do, if there seems to be an overabundance of dust, you may have lots of dust built up in your air ducts.
- If you have allergies (or seem to sneeze a lot.) If you have allergies, you will want to breathe the cleanest air possible while you are in your house. If you find that you sneeze a lot when you are in your own home, you might be allergic to dust or pet dander that has accumulated in your air ducts.
- After completing a remodeling project in your home. There is not a really efficient way to protect your system from the dust and airborne debris (drywall dust, sawdust, fiberglass, etc.) that occurs when remodeling takes place. The best way to ensure continued healthy air is to have the air ducts professionally cleaned.
- If your air returns and vents are dusty. It’s very common to see dust on air returns and air vents. It’s also a sign that you should have your air ducts professionally cleaned.
- If you see “dust bunnies” flying around in your home. If you turn on your heat or air condition and start to visibly see dust particles in the air, you REALLY need to get your air ducts cleaned as this is a sign of lots of dust in the system.
- If you are going to have your carpets steam cleaned. Why spend the money to have your carpets professionally cleaned if you are going to fill them back up with dust.
Always call a professional for Air Duct Cleaning
The HVAC system is comprised of many different components. It is important to understand what is involved when we speak of an HVAC system. There are of course the air ducts, the vents, and the registers. We see these components every day and can visually see when they become clogged or dirty. The components that we don’t give notice to, are the blower motor, the coils, the filters, the heat exchanger, and many other parts of the HVAC system.
It is important to understand that the air gets to all of these components. Along with the air, the debris that are in the air, are also circulating throughout the entire system. It is important to understand this because it is not just what we can see that needs to be cleaned, it’s the entire system.
So, it’s recommended to call the professionals, such as Clean Air Pro to get the job done correctly.
Moreover, you will find that they are experienced and have the proper equipment to do a thorough job. They will not only clean the entire system but use negative pressure to contain the debris. A clean system will improve your overall air quality and increase the lifespan of your entire HVAC system, giving you a peace of mind.
Conclusion
We live in a world where healthy living has become a way of life. We diet and exercise to make ourselves feel better. We have also taken on environmental issues to make our world a cleaner and safer place to live. Yet the most overlooked issue is the air that we breathe, including the source of air going through your Air Duct. Clean Air Pro provide air duct cleaning for residential, commercial, and industrial properties in Houston, TX. Simply, contact us to get the job done.
