Air ducts can collect dirt and spread it through your home each time that you turn on your air conditioner. The AC can blow dust, dirt, and pollen into your ducts, creating a dirty, dusty, and moldy problem. At Safe House, we recommend regular duct cleaning to remove all the filth and help improve your indoor air quality while extending the useful life of your cooling system.

The air duct system has a vital impact on your health, especially, to your respiratory, which is the part of your bodily system that is directly affected. Your air duct system needs constant maintenance to keep it clean and to keep out pollutants, bacteria, and allergens. So, when do you need to clean your air duct system? The recommended frequency is about once every seven years. Here are three simple, but reasonable reasons.

Improving the Efficiency of Your Air Conditioner

Dust, dirt, pollen, and even pest droppings can reduce the energy efficiency of your air conditioning unit, as the air in your home is cleaned, cooled, and recirculated by the AC system. It is the air recirculation factor that is imperative for energy efficiency because the air that has already been cooled does not need as much cooling. Should there is a lot of filth in your air ducts and indoor air, however, it can clog your air filter. 

When your air filter becomes clogged, your AC unit has to work harder to pull enough air into the system, resulting in low airflow through your vents and high energy bills. Getting your air ducts cleaned can help prevent air filter clogs and help reduce the risk of excessive wear and tear on your AC.

Removing Allergens and Improving Your Indoor Air Quality

During winter, your air duct system accumulates dust, debris, and other harmful substances. You do not have to wait for the long winter season to end before you schedule a clean-up. It is best if you could arrange a professional who will do the cleaning as winter comes. And even during winter, it is still advisable to schedule cleaning.

Extending The Lifespan of Your AC

Having your air ducts cleaned and your air conditioner regularly repaired and maintained by the Air Pros team can extend its useful life. When you have your air ducts cleaned every one to two years, you are preventing clogging issues that can cause the unit to work harder, use more electricity, and wear out faster. Combining air duct cleaning with our regular inspections and repairs helps ensure that all the components of your central air conditioner are in good working order. In addition, we can replace any excessively worn parts before they damage your AC.

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Mold can be one of the most harmful substances inside your home or office, and it is notoriously effective at developing in all kinds of places as long as the right variables are in place – all that mold needs in order to grow are the right temperature, moisture level and a source of food.

One of the most dangerous places that mold can develop is in your ductwork, because your ventilation system is what supplies you with fresh air to breathe as you’re enjoying time with loved ones or working hard on that next project at the office.

Mold infestation usually comes with a musty odor. If there is mold in your HVAC system, you should be able to smell the strange musty odor in multiple adjacent rooms. If the mold problem is quite severe, you should be able to spot the growth around the ducts, in the vents and the other parts of the ductwork. The spores are too small for spotting without specialized equipment, and you will not see any other overt signs until the infestation is rampant. In most cases, people have to rely on their sense of smell to detect the presence of this stealthy intruder in their homes.

Here are a few definitive signs of mold growth within home HVAC systems:

1. A strong mildew-like or musty smell throughout the house or at least in a few adjacent rooms.
2. Your nose, throat, and eyes feel irritated when you switch on the air conditioning or step inside an air-conditioned room.
3. You are experiencing allergic symptoms including a runny nose, rashes, and watering eyes.
4. You or your family is suffering from unexplainable headaches that go away when you step outside.
5. You feel nausea, fatigue, and dizziness only when you are home.
6. You can see the mold growing within the intake vents and around the air ducts and drip pans.

Mold is not just icky or gross. It elicits allergic reactions in most people. It can lead to unwarranted asthma attacks in children and the elderly. The effects are usually immediate. However, there are records of people suffering from rashes, inexplicable breathing troubles and irritation in the eyes. The adverse impacts on health are so expansive that experts are still carrying out studies to find out the various effects of mold on human health.

Mold is one of the leading concerns among all homeowners and the EPA. It is notorious for emanating spores that can cause severe allergic reactions. Neglecting persistent allergies can also lead to anaphylaxis. In fact, the EPA and professional HVAC maintenance services consider mold to be a health hazard since it can also release particulates and VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) in the indoor air.

Air duct cleaning, when done the right way, is proven to be effective at removing mold from your ventilation system and therefore making your living and working environment a lot healthier.

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The idea of killing off the germs in your home just by shining a light into your air ducts admittedly sounds a little too good to be true, but HVAC UV lights really can improve your home’s air quality. In fact, these lights have been used for decades in hospitals and other facilities where sanitation is critical.

Ultraviolet (UV) lights for HVAC systems are commonly known as ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) systems. They target a very specific type of air contaminant, namely microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, and mold spores. You might be familiar with the way hanging laundry out in the sunshine helps kill any germs or mold clinging to it. UV lights work in essentially the same way.

UV light’s ability to kill pathogens in water and air was scientifically proven early in the 20th century. These systems have been used in hospitals as far back as the 1930s to reduce the spread of diseases such as measles and tuberculosis.

You’ll need to choose which of the two types of available are right for your needs:

• Air Sterilization – This system is specifically designed to kill microbes in your air. It’s usually installed in the return air duct and turns on only when the heating or cooling system is running. Because it purifies all the air passing through, it also reduces the risk of microbial buildup on your HVAC components, such as your evaporator coil, air ducts, air filter, and drain pan.
• Coil Sterilization – This is the most common type. It’s installed near the air conditioner’s indoor evaporator coil and shines constantly to prevent mold and bacteria from building up on or around the coil. Less mold and microbes on your coil means less in your air.

 Our professional technicians here at Safe House Air Duct Cleaning will be able to advise you on which type of system will do the best job of purifying your home’s air.

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