Have you noticed little clouds of dust puffing out from your ducts every time you turn on your heat or air conditioning? Can you see dust or pet hair trapped in your vents? Is there dust coating surfaces in your home? These are likely indications that your home's duct system might be due for an air duct cleaning.
Inside your HVAC system, dust collects on surfaces, vents, motors, and coils. Flakes of dead skin, hair, pet dander and other contaminants latch onto the dust, and creates a dense, matted environment where bacteria, mold, mites, and allergens can flourish. Air filters remove most of these from the air, but not all of them. That's why it's important to occasionally check the condition of your ducts to see if they need cleaning.
How to Check If You Need Duct Cleaning
1. Open one of your vent covers and look down inside to see if you see any dirt, debris, or matted dust.
2. Examine your return air registers for buildup. Look especially for thick, fuzzy coatings of dust.
3. Pull the air filter out. If it is clogged with dust, you can assume air flow is being choked off. This allows more dust to settle and build up in the ductwork.
4. Open up the furnace compartment. Examine the blower fan and furnace controls and motor for signs of dust. The more dust you see, the bigger the problem you likely have.
5. Look at the air conditioning coil. (You may need to remove a panel.) If the coil is dusty or has dust clinging to the housing walls, it’s an indication that the air filter hasn't been working properly.
So What’s The Problem?
There are many problems caused by dirty ducts, ranging from increased energy costs to health issues.
Build up restricts your HVAC system's heating and cooling abilities. In the winter, dirt-clogged heat exchangers cannot warm up the air as efficiently. In the summer, dirt-clogged condenser coils are unable to cool the air well. Both increase the HVAC systems running time, requiring it to use more energy to heat and cool your home.
Dirt and dust restrict air flow. Even if your system is doing a good job of heating and cooling the air, if the blower fan or motor can't run because of dirt and build up, then the system can't properly circulate the air throughout your home, causing it to run longer, use more energy, and undergo more wear and tear.
Dust contains fine dirt, dead skin, dander, microorganisms, pollen, mold, fungi, and even rodent feces, which all spread quicker in a home with dirty ducts. No matter how diligently you clean your home, particulates quickly flow from room to room to cover surfaces.
Experts advise having your air ducts cleaned every 2 to 3 years to prevent maintenance and health problems. However, homes with pets or people with allergies should have their air ducts cleaned more frequently than the recommended average.
Need to schedule your next duct cleaning in Aurora IL? Call today for a free, no obligation quote over the phone!
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