If no one in your home has allergies or unexplained symptoms or illnesses and if, after a visual inspection of the inside of the ducts, you see no sign that the air ducts are contaminated with large deposits of dust or mold (no musty smell or visible mold growth), have them cleaned. Cleaning the air ducts is a bit of a misnomer. In reality, the entire air conditioning system must be cleaned. If all components of the system are not cleaned, the entire system can be re-contaminated, diminishing the advantages of cleaning. You may think that regular cleaning of air ducts is a great way to guarantee cost-effective heating and cooling and to avoid unnecessary repairs.
Just as important to inspect before cleaning the ducts is to determine if asbestos is present, which is a problem in older installations. However, there are a number of widespread misconceptions about duct cleaning that need to be clarified before considering whether duct cleaning is really the best option for keeping your HVAC in top condition. You don't want to start removing the furniture and tidying up the mess after the duct cleaning professionals arrive. Just like you wouldn't clean only half of the floor in your living room, you wouldn't clean part of your air conditioning system either. It would not alter the design of the ducts, increase airflow in the duct system, or rebalance the duct system.
To properly address airflow issues, it is necessary to perform a test with a ventilation hood by a professional to measure the volume of air passing through the air conditioning system and to perform a full inspection of the ducts. Although ducts are usually round, they can have all kinds of shapes depending on how the ducts are directed through the house to properly disperse and return the air conditioner. Given the nature of the ducts in your home, technicians will need to leave the doors open during the cleaning process, so keep that in mind. Consider adding or improving your air purification system once odors are eliminated to help keep the air in your home healthy and clean. Performing these simple tasks before duct cleaners arrive will help ensure that professionals can clean ducts thoroughly and quickly.
Source removal begins with the use of one or more agitation devices designed to release contaminants from the surfaces of the heating and air conditioning system. Then, it is best to thoroughly clean the oven and inner coils to make sure that all particles have been removed. Taking simple maintenance measures that you can carry out on your own not only saves you money in terms of ongoing air conditioning operational efficiency, but it also avoids costly future repairs and the need for regular duct cleaning. If the cleaning is done in your company's office, ask employees to clean everything in that area a day before. The EPA takes a similar stance on this issue and recommends cleaning only contaminated ducts and HVAC units.
