A duct cleaning is a necessary part of AC maintenance, but exactly what can you hope to gain from cleaning the ducts in your home? More respiratory clarity, greater efficiency, and mold spore reduction are all purported gains from having your ducts cleaned.
How Do Ducts Get Dirty?
You might think that because your ducts are safe behind the walls of your home, there is no reason to have your ducts cleaned. If only this were true. Dust mites, mold spores, insect carcasses, insect droppings, and other contaminants can fall through the vents in your home and then accumulate in your ducts. When your heating and cooling systems kick on, the air moving through the ducts can spew dust and allergens all over your home.
Lung Health
If you have allergies or asthma, allergen-filled air can lead to an allergy attack. You don't want the contaminants lurking in your ducts to make your home feel like a battlefield. Thus, you should have your ducts inspected at least after the spring season when pollens are common in the air, and then have your ducts cleaned when necessary.
System Efficiency
Air moves best down smooth surfaces. Any gunk that builds up inside your ducts can create a rough surface, and as the air moving down your ducts hits the rough surface, eddies can form. These eddies create friction that can slow down air speed so that your AC unit takes longer to pump cool air into your home. Friction from eddies is not a big deal if your ducts are only mildly dirty, but if they are severely dirty, you should notice a decrease in cooling and heating costs after you have your ducts cleaned.
Mold Mitigation
Mold spores can gather in your ducts, and as long as your ducts stay dry, the mold will lay dormant. However, if you have any sort of flooding event that introduces water into your ducts, mold can take root in whatever grime it finds in your ducts and begin to grow. Without you realizing it, this mold in your ducts can then spew spores all over your home. Thus, whenever you get water in your ducts, you should have them cleaned, just to be safe.
Duct cleaning is not necessarily something that you should put on your yearly maintenance routine. Instead, you should have your ducts cleaned from time to time and then have them cleaned as recommended. Consider duct cleaning by Homeplus Duct Cleaning or another company.
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