The air ducts in your home are what channel AC or warm air from your HVAC unit to each room in the house. The ducts run from the central unit to the vent registers, blowing clean, conditioned air throughout the home to keep your house a comfortable temperature. However, the air coming out your vents is only clean if the inside of your HVAC unit and your ducts are clean. Having your air ducts cleaned is an essential part of ensuring that your home has good air quality and that your HVAC is running efficiently.
Why Air Ducts Need Cleaning Over Time
In a perfect HVAC system, a really good filter at the air intake would prevent 100% of dust and debris from entering your AC or heater, and then only clean air would flow through your ducts. But no system is perfect. Filters get dirty, air leaks in from other sources, and your ducts might be damaged which can allow in dust from between the walls.
Over time, the dust that makes it into your HVAC system can really build up, and it builds up on the inside walls of your air ducts. Take a peak behind just one of your vents. If you see a fuzzy carpet, that means dust is re-releasing into your home with every new gust of AC or heated air. This happens in every home, no matter how often you change the filter, so to have clean air you will need your air ducts cleaned every few years.
What Happens If You Don’t Clean Your Ducts
If you don’t clean your air ducts for several years. the signs will start to show. These are the top four problems most likely to occur when your air ducts get dusty:
- An unusually dusty home that is hard to keep clean
- Unseasonal allergies that trigger any time
- Sour moldy smells and allergy symptoms
- Hot and cold spots in the house
- Losing HVAC energy efficiency
How Often Should You Have Your Air Ducts Cleaned
Air ducts should be cleaned about every 2-3 years depending on your filter-changing habits and how much dust your family/region produces. Households with pets or with sensitive allergies should have ducts cleaned more often, while households with a very efficient HVAC filter and recently inspected/repaired ducts may be able to go longer before a duct cleaning is needed.
Does Your Home (or Business) Need Air Duct Cleaning?
Give Coastal Mechanical Contractors a call about duct cleaning for your home or business, we have the tools and training necessary to get the job done right.