If you have a central heating and air conditioning system in your home, you also have air ducts. The ductwork generally doesn't need much maintenance, but occasionally it will need to be cleaned out. Here are some things to know about cleaning the air ducts.
Why Ducts Need to Be Cleaned
When you turn on your air conditioner or heater, the air goes through the air ducts and out the vents. This allows you to start experiencing hot or cold air in your home. Unfortunately, these ducts can also get dirt, dust and debris buildup, which can come out the vents and affect your home's air quality. If this happens, you will need to have the air ducts cleaned, not just to give you clean air when using the HVAC system, but also to keep the ducts themselves in good condition. Over time, you might also experience mildew or water damage to the ducts, which also requires cleaning them.
Signs to Clean Your Air Ducts
Air duct cleaning doesn't need to be done very often, so it is sometimes hard to determine when to clean them out. However, there are some signs you can keep an eye out for. For example, if your energy bills are higher, it might be because the system needs to work harder to get proper air through the ducts, which is often due to buildup in the ducts. You may also see dust coming out of the vents when you run the air conditioner or heater, which is another big sign of needing to have them cleaned. Some other signs include having bad odours when running the HVAC system, hearing rodents walking around in the ductwork, or having older ducts that haven't been cleaned in a while.
Cleaning Them Yourself VS Hiring a Professional
When you have determined that your air ducts need to be cleaned, you will then need to decide how to clean them. In some cases, you can clean them on your own, but there are some situations where hiring a professional is recommended. For example, if you have rodents in your ducts or you have severe mould in the ducts, you are better off hiring a professional. It is also a good idea to hire a professional duct cleaner if they are difficult for you to access easily. On the other hand, basic duct cleaning with ducts that are easy to get to and don't contain mould can often be done on your own.
For more information, contact a company like West Air Conditioning.
Share14 April 2016
It is important to let people know how much energy they are using with normal tasks around the school so they can make some sensible decisions about how they use appliances. We want to make sure that everyone at the school understands the focus on our usage and the effect that we can have on the environment, as well as the larger decision that the school is making such as motion-sensitive lights and replacing our energy-hogging older devices with new lower power using appliances. This blog talks about how to improve the energy efficiency of schools and will be useful for school administrators.