According to the EPA, HVAC systems contribute to indoor pollution. This is not news for anyone who has spent years dealing with musty odors, dust, and allergies (all signs of dirty air ducts).
If you live in Senoia, GA, as it gets colder outside, you keep the house closed up more than during warmer months. Add turning on the furnace and dirty air ducts to the mix and you have a recipe for indoor air problems.
While you might feel tempted to take matters into your own hands and clean the air ducts on your own, that’s not a great idea.
Professional air duct cleaning is a better option. Read on to learn more about why having air ducts cleaned is something you should include on your winter prep to-do list.
Are You Even Ready for Air Duct Cleaning?
Let’s say you’ve decided to go ahead and tackle this winter cleaning task yourself. Before you can start the cleaning process, there are a few critical steps to take, including:
- Check for asbestos if you live in a pre-1980s home; asbestos can increase cancer risk
- Look for evidence of mold; if you find any, stop the project and call a mold specialist
- Turn off the HVAC system to prevent debris from entering your living spaces
- Cover the supply vents with plastic for the same reason
- Have a bag ready for dust and debris disposal
The last three steps don’t sound too intimidating, but getting the first two wrong could result in significant health problems for you and your household. Professional air duct cleaning services know how to mitigate risks associated with asbestos and mold.
How HVAC Ducts Work: Demystifying Ductwork
To understand why professional duct cleaning is the better option, you’ll want to understand how ducts work in your home.
Think of air ducts as the hidden highways for air circulation. They’re part of a give-and-take system of supply and return ducts tucked into ceilings and behind walls.
Supply Ducts
Supply ducts transport conditioned air (cool in the summer, warm in the winter) from your HVAC system.
Return Ducts
Return ducts play a different role. They act as air collectors. Return ducts suck the used air from your rooms and push it back to the HVAC system for reconditioning.
What’s the big deal about having clean air ducts?
Furnace filters trap dust, pet hair, and other debris circulating in the air. Filters can’t catch everything. What the filter doesn’t trap accumulates around the return vents and inside the return ducts.
If you’re not sure what’s inside your ducts, request a ductwork inspection when you schedule your next AC and heating tune-up.
When Air Ducts Need Cleaning: Signs It’s Time
Since your air ducts stay hidden behind an access panel, how do you know they’re dirty? Watch for these signs that your air ducts may need cleaning:
- Visible dust and debris buildup on vents
- Reduced airflow from vents because of clogs or blockages
- Increased allergies or respiratory issues
- Unpleasant musty odors coming from vents
- Recent renovations and construction work in your home
- Visible mold inside the air ducts
- Droppings left behind after a pest infestation
Regardless of the season, if you notice one or more of these tell-tale signs that you have dirty air ducts, please don’t put off cleaning them. Savvy homeowners in Senoia, GA, request duct cleaning when they schedule heating and cooling maintenance.
Why Clean Air Ducts Before Winter?
Incorporating duct cleaning into your pre-winter home maintenance routine is crucial for several reasons. Throughout the year, dust, debris, and contaminants can accumulate within your HVAC ducts. This creates a breeding ground for allergens and reduces the system’s efficiency.
When you turn on your heating system during the colder months, these particles can circulate through the air, leading to poor indoor air quality. By cleaning the ducts before winter, you ensure that your home is warmer and healthier, minimizing the risk of respiratory problems and allergies for you and your family.
Furthermore, clean ducts contribute to HVAC system efficiency. As debris builds up in the ductwork, your heating system has to work harder to push air through, resulting in increased energy consumption.
DIY Duct Cleaning Pros and Cons
For air duct cleaning, you have two options: tackle it yourself or hire a professional. Each approach has its advantages, precautions, and limitations. In this section, we’ll cover DIY pros and cons.
Precautions
Aggressive cleaning can stir up airborne particles and contaminants. If you’re not well-prepared to deal with this, you could breathe in some nasty pollutants.
Excessive air duct cleaning may cause wear and tear on ductwork.
Advantages
DIY duct cleaning can be a cost-effective choice if you have the time to invest. If you’re a curious homeowner, it’s one way to learn more about HVAC maintenance.
Limitations
DIY may not be as effective as professional cleaning if you have heavy debris buildup. You could spend money on tools you won’t use often.
Next, we’ll look at professional duct cleaning to see where the differences lie.
Hiring a Professional Makes a Difference
The average homeowner can probably do a basic air duct cleaning. That’s assuming they have a shop vacuum and a dryer vent cleaning brush.
Precautions
There aren’t many things to worry about if you hire a reliable duct cleaning service. Professionals bring the tools and the expertise to get the job done the right way.
Advantages
Because they use specialized tools and cleaning solutions, professionals can get the ducts clean enough to significantly reduce allergens and pollutants that affect respiratory health. Often, they find other HVAC issues that go unnoticed by DIY enthusiasts.
Limitations
As with any home improvement service, effectiveness depends on the experience of the hired company. Also, not all air duct cleaning companies handle mold and asbestos removal.
Schedule Professional Air Duct Cleaning Today
There’s never a wrong time to clean the components of your HVAC system. We recommend that you schedule professional air duct cleaning as part of your pre-winter home maintenance program.
Progressive Heating, Air and Plumbing has helped hundreds of Senoiva, GA homeowners take care of their HVAC and plumbing systems. We’ve been serving clients for 30 years here in the Metro Atlanta area.
Reach out and schedule duct cleaning, HVAC maintenance, or request furnace repair. We’re here to help you get through winter!