A home’s air ducts are important for the health and safety of a home, but they’re often overlooked since they lie hidden beneath flooring or behind walls. However, dirty ductwork can cause problems for residents, as well as the heating and cooling system. Here are a few reasons why it’s important to keep your home air ducts clean.
Dirty Air Ducts Compromise Indoor Air Quality
Dust, pollen and mold spores that collect in ductwork will contaminate your indoor air, and you and your family will breathe in these contaminants. Many respiratory allergies can be traced to poor indoor air quality.
Dirty Ducts Affect the HVAC System’s Efficiency
Dust and debris within the ducts clog the air filter and coat various components, reducing necessary airflow and making the heating and cooling system work harder.
How to Keep Home Air Ducts Clean
- Change air filters regularly. Air filters trap dust and other particles that would otherwise find a way into your ductwork.
- Clean around registers and vents. Use a vacuum cleaner with attachments to clean in and around vents and registers. Most are easy to remove using a screwdriver, and you should be able to reach inside ductwork with the vacuum or other tools to clean a portion of the duct.
- Schedule professional duct cleaning. During a professional cleaning, your service person will use special tools and cleaners to clean all parts of the ductwork. While this usually only needs to be done every couple of years if you don’t have pets, it’s an important step to maintaining your ductwork and HVAC system. Despite your best attempts at keeping a clean home and cleaning the reachable areas of air ducts, you won’t be able to offer the thorough cleaning that professionals can achieve.
- Make sure ducts are properly sealed. Gaps or cracks in ductwork allow dust and other debris to filter into the ducts.
- Control dust in the home. A dusty home leads to dusty ductwork. Dust your home frequently using dusting cloths and products designed to trap dust, rather than spread it around.
For more information about home air ducts, please contact us at Arpi’s Industries.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Calgary, Alberta about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Credit/Copyright Attribution: “Serenethos/Shutterstock”
