While most homeowners are keen to protect their real estate investment by maintaining their properties in top-top condition, they are also keen to minimize their annual running costs by excluding any unnecessary maintenance tasks from their regular expenses. The question we are examining in this article is whether air duct cleaning is an essential maintenance task or one that it is safe to skip if you are interested in saving a little money. Modern homes with central air conditioning are designed to provide homeowners with a comfortable environment in which to live no matter what the outside weather conditions may be like but how important are the air ducts in a domestic HVAC system?
Should you Pay for Professional Air Duct Cleaning Services?
Industry associations recommend that homeowners have their air ducts cleaned every 3-5 years and some experts recommend more frequent cleaning – once a year in certain cases. However, do you really need to pay a team of professionals to clean your domestic air ducts or can you safely ignore this advice and cut your home maintenance costs in the process? Below, we list some points to consider when you are thinking about this question.
- Allergens and Irritants – Air ducts that are not cleaned for many years will be coated with dust on the inside. This dust will be blown around your house as warm or cool air is circulated through your central HVAC system, posing a potential health risk to you and other members of your family. While asthma sufferers and those with other respiratory issues are most at risk, even healthy individuals can suffer allergic reactions and develop breathing problems when exposed to air with high levels of particulate matter on a regular basis. With this in mind, it makes sense to take precautionary measures and have your air ducts cleaned every once in a while.
- HVAC Efficiency – As you can imagine, a domestic HVAC system with very dirty air ducts will have to work a lot harder to push the air around your home than a system with clean ducts. It is difficult to put a precise figure on the amount of money you stand to save by hiring local air duct cleaning specialists to work their magic in your home but you can be sure that your HVAC system will operate more efficiently once the ducts have been cleaned. Apart from lower energy bills, you can look forward to longer lasting HVAC components too. The less stress each component is put under on a daily basis, the longer its useful lifespan is likely to be.
- Maintaining a Consistent Indoor Air Temperature – An HVAC system that does not have to contend with an accumulation of pollutants in the duct system it utilizes to circulate air around your home will be able to maintain more stable air temperatures throughout the year. If you want to come home to a cool environment in the summer months and a warm home in the winter, air duct and vent cleaning is definitely an important maintenance task that you should not neglect.
- Domestic Hygiene – Dirty air ducts can harbor harmful bacteria as well as pollutants, which is obviously undesirable in a family home. If you like to keep your home as hygienic as possible at all times, ensuring that your central HVAC ducts are spotless on the inside will help you to achieve this aim. Many types of bacteria thrive in damp, dirty conditions – conditions which are commonly found in neglected HVAC air ducts in homes across the state.
What Can You Do to Help?
While we do not advise trying to clean your own air ducts unless you are an experienced HVAC maintenance professional, there are a number of steps you can take to reduce the level of pollutants in the air that circulates around your home. In addition to providing your family with cleaner air to breathe, these steps will slow the accumulation of dust and debris in your air ducts.
- Vacuum Your Carpets Regularly – Carpets and rugs can hold a surprising amount of dust and this dust, when disturbed, will circulate around your home. To minimize the amount of dust in your carpet and rug fibers, we recommend vacuuming at least once a week. A vacuum cleaner fitted with a HEPA filter will help to prevent the dust particles from escaping back into the air.
- Vacuum Drapes and Curtains – Dust and pet dander can accumulate on drapes and curtains as well as in your carpets, which is why it is a good idea to vacuum then on a regular basis too. Depending on the material from which they were made, you may also wish to launder them every now and then. The cleaner the fabrics in your home are, the less often you will need to pay for air duct and vent cleaning services.
- Change HVAC Air Filters – Make sure you replace the air filters in your HVAC equipment as per the manufacturers’ recommendations. Dirty air filters will not remove pollutants from the air very effectively and will make your HVAC system work harder too.
In conclusion, while there are certain steps you can take to slow down the accumulation of dirt and dust in your ducts, it is still important to have them cleaned regularly. If you would like to find out how much it will cost to have your air ducts cleaned by our experienced technicians or you are interested in our vent cleaning service, please do not hesitate to call us at any time.