How Do You Know If Your Air Ducts Need To Be Cleaned?

Your ducts are an important structure for your HVAC system. It provides ventilation for the hot or cold air produced by your system in different rooms of your home and reaches the desired temperature.

Most people don’t think of the ducts of their HVAC system until something terrible (and costly) goes wrong. This is a big mistake because a little preventative air duct maintenance can go a long way to running your system efficiently and maintaining air quality within your home or business.

If your ducts are clogged or leaking, this can cause your system to lose its efficiency. So how do you know if your air ducts need to be cleaned?

Visible Signs That Air Duct Cleaning is Instantly Required.

Unexplained Peaks in Your Energy Bill 

Your heating and cooling expenses should be constant from year to year. However, if you see an increase in cost or find that the price increases every year, then something is wrong. There may be a problem with the duct system in your home. 

In some cases, this is because the ducts have become so dirty that they can no longer flow air freely into your home. And it forces your system to work harder, increasing the bill.

Symptoms of Rodent or Insect Infection 

If you see, hear, or smell the presence of rodents or insects in your tubes, it’s time to clean them. Rodent parasites permanently saturate fibrous duct with urine, feces, and other unhealthy contaminants.

Over time, the smell from droppings and other debris can also become highly unpleasant and unhealthy. In addition to their fur, shells, and husks, it causes disease and many other problems.  Debris from this invasion also damages your HVAC system, reducing its effectiveness.

Unpleasant Odor in Your House

So how do you know if your air ducts need to be cleaned? When something in your home smells and you’ve checked every possible place but you don’t find anything wrong. The culprit may be inside your air duct system.

You can try to test by approaching one or more air registers and sniffing them. Another way is to get an HVAC specialist to look inside your ducts to check for dirt, mold, or mildew that can give off the same odor.

Dirt or Dust Around The Vents

If you see dirt and debris around the vents, there is a good chance that the obstructions in the ducts have increased. There can be numerous pollutants flowing from the system. This can exacerbate allergy problems and other respiratory illnesses, which is another sign in itself.

Difficulty Breathing 

If someone in your household has allergies, asthma, or other breathing problems, this could be a sign. The air circulates through your home several times a day. If there is too much dirt and turbulence in your ducts, it can have a big effect on indoor air quality.

Visible Mold Growth

While dirt, dust, and other contaminants can harm your health, mold is a completely separate and more difficult crisis. Mold can worsen allergies and breathing problems. Worse yet, it grows rapidly. Whether you see mold near the vents or see them growing around your air conditioner, the action is essential. Be quick to preserve the air quality in your home.

Protect yourself with dehumidifiers or a programmable thermostat from unnecessary humidity in your home.

Good Thing That You Stay in Ellicott City and Surrounding Areas

Your Air Specialist can provide deep cleaning that the average homeowner cannot do alone. Our air conditioner maintenance technicians have specialized tools and training to help them access even the most difficult places. Call us on (443) 686-9222 to remove almost all sketches and contaminants from the ductwork.