Duct Services: How Often Should You Get Your Ducts Cleaned?
Your air ducts are an important part of your whole HVAC system, making sure that cool air gets pumped efficiently throughout your home. Because it’s constantly circulating air all year long, sometimes your ducts may get a build-up of mold or dust – leading to dirty air ducts.
If your vents and cooling system are getting grimy, you might consider getting your air ducts cleaned to improve indoor air quality and reduce debris. As Middle Tennessee’s top HVAC experts, we’re here to talk about duct cleaning and why duct services are important for maintaining your air conditioning system.
How Often to Schedule Air Duct Cleaning
According to the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA), you should schedule an air duct cleaning every 3 to 5 years for maximum efficiency and cleanliness. However, duct cleaning services aren’t necessary on a schedule – in fact, studies from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found that duct cleaning doesn’t help air quality or efficiency except in certain situations.
We’re going to be going over the specific times that cleaning your heating and cooling system ducts can help protect your family members and increase system performance.
When Do I Need to Have My HVAC System Air Ducts Cleaned?
Typically, any kind of household dust and debris will either be caught by your air filter, or the particles in the air ducts adheres to the duct surfaces without entering the open home. But, there are three situations when proper cleaning is necessary to keep your living space healthy and improve airflow.
Three Reasons to Call a Duct Cleaning Company
Specific problems with your air conditioning, air vents, air filters, and dirty ducts can cause you to need a duct cleaner. The three things that the EPA recommends the services of duct cleaning companies for are:
- Visible Mold Growth: When there’s visible evidence of mold within the duct work, you need to have your vents cleaned. Even a light amount of mildew can cause health problems or allergic reactions for those adversely affected by mold. This is usually a sign that there’s an issue with moisture or the metal ducts, so you’ll want a visual inspection of your entire system along with the cleaning process. Mold growth can cause a musty odor from the blower fan, vents, cooling coils, or condensate drain pans.
- Insect & Rodent Activity: Having a nest of rodents or insects inside of your air ducts poses a problem for your home – both with hygiene and energy efficiency. If vermin have gotten into your system, you have an opening that needs to be repaired or replaced.
- Particulate Matter: If you have airborne particles coming from your supply registers, then you have more dust levels, pet dander, and other debris in your air conditioner than normal. A professional cleaning can get rid of any musty smell, problems with your system’s efficiency, and dangerous allergens from clogged ducts. Your air handling unit will thank you for keeping your ductwork properly maintained (and you’ll save energy, too!).
Beyond Cleaning Services
While you may not need frequent cleaning for health benefits (like what the NADCA says), a regular inspection of heating and cooling systems is important for other reasons.
A professional HVAC service provider should regularly inspect your system for tears, wet insulation, and other duct problems. If your air ducts are damaged, old, or poorly insulated, it can take a toll on your system by causing it to work harder for worse results. Your ducts are a vital part of your system, and if they aren’t properly installed or maintained, it can cause you to have more repairs (and worse cooling) if you aren’t careful.
Is It the Right Time to Have Your Ducts Inspected?
Need duct work? Then it’s the Right Time to talk to the professionals! Speak to our professional HVAC team in Middle Tennessee to find out how we can keep your AC and metal duct system in tip-top shape. It’s never the wrong time to call Right Time!
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