Air ducts play a crucial role in your home’s heating and cooling system, helping to distribute warm or cool air throughout your space. However, as air moves through these ducts, it can pick up dust and debris, which can build up over time. This buildup can affect your home in several ways, leading to higher energy bills and a less comfortable living environment.
Experts recommend that air ducts be professionally cleaned every three to five years to maintain cleanliness and indoor air quality. Here are some common reasons why your ducts can get dirty and how it can impact the quality of air you breathe at home.
Decreased Heating and Cooling Performance
Many people are unaware that dirty air ducts can hamper a central HVAC system’s ability to heat and cool effectively. When cleaning ducts, air can flow through them easily since they encounter little resistance. A significant build-up of dust and debris inside a ductwork system somewhat blocks off the airflow and leads to the air encountering more resistance.
Static pressure is the technical term for the amount of airflow resistance in a ductwork system, and higher than normal static pressure always leads to decreased HVAC performance. The increased resistance makes it more difficult for the system’s blower to circulate air through the ducts. If the system’s return ductwork is overly dirty, the blower cannot draw in the correct air volume needed for the system to perform effectively.
When the supply ductwork is too dirty, less air blows out of the registers and vents. In either case, the system won’t heat and cool as quickly and effectively as it should.
Another issue is that dirty ducts can clog some of the vents and registers, resulting in much less air blowing out of them. This can directly impact your comfort since it often leads to a room never getting quite as hot as it should in the winter or staying too hot in the summer.
One concern when an HVAC system isn’t performing that well is that it suffers from increased wear and tear because it has to run for more hours a day. That means there is an increased chance of the system developing issues that may cause it to break down or lead to it performing even more poorly. An even bigger concern is that the increased wear and tear has the potential to shorten the system’s lifespan.
Higher Energy Bills
Another issue when an HVAC system isn’t performing at its peak and has to run longer is that it uses more energy. Heating and cooling are generally the two biggest contributors to a home’s energy bills. That means keeping a home fully warm in winter and cool during the summer is always reasonably expensive. Nonetheless, it is even more costly if your HVAC system isn’t operating as effectively as it should.
Dustier Indoor Environment
When your air ducts are dirty, your home becomes much dustier. That’s because some of the dust inside the ducts gets stirred up by the air flowing through them, and the air then carries some of the dust to blow out of your vents. If you notice your home is dustier than usual, it’s time to schedule a duct cleaning service.
Increased Chance of Pest Infestations
Pests like cockroaches, mice, and rats are often drawn to dirty environments and will sometimes nest inside dirty air ducts. This is less common when your AC is running in the summer since they typically avoid overly cold places, but it’s pretty standard in the winter when your heating is frequently running.
This is another reason why having your ducts professionally cleaned every few years is helpful: Pests are far less likely to nest and live in clean ducts.
Reduced Indoor Air Quality
Dirty ductwork is also a concern for a home’s indoor air quality. It causes the HVAC system to blow much more dust, pollen, pet dander, and other allergens around the house. This is primarily a concern for allergy sufferers or anyone with respiratory issues like asthma or COPD.
An even bigger problem regarding indoor air quality and overall health is if you have pests inside your dirty ducts. Pests often carry pathogens like the Hanta virus that can spread around your house, potentially resulting in someone getting seriously ill. If they live in your ducts, you’ll also end up with bits of dead cockroaches blowing around your home, which can create issues for anyone with allergies.
Another problem with rodents is that they can die inside your ducts, resulting in foul odors coming out of your vents.
More Frequent Air Filter Changes
You typically only need to replace the air filter in a central HVAC system every 60 to 90 days. However, if your return duct system is filled with dust and debris, the air filter could clog and need to be replaced in as little as a month. Dirty ducts can also decrease an HVAC system’s performance since a clogged filter reduces the amount of air coming into the system and, thus, the amount of hot or cool air the system is putting out.
Having to replace the air filter more often than you usually should will also slightly impact your finances, as you will have to buy additional replacement filters.
How a Professional Duct Cleaning Service Works
Duct cleaning isn’t complicated, but it requires specialized equipment, including an industrial-strength vacuum and sometimes a special spinning brush attached to a long handle. The brush is used to scrub the inside of the ducts and loosen up all the debris. The vacuum is usually connected by cutting a hole in the duct or attaching it to a vent. The initial step in the process is to seal all supply and return vents completely.
The main reason this is necessary is that the entire duct system needs to be sealed for the vacuum to create the amount of negative pressure it needs to suck everything out of the ducts. The other reason is that it prevents dust from returning from the vents to ensure the process doesn’t create an endless cycle. In some cases, the company may also use a camera to inspect the duct system and check for issues like pests, mold growth, and air leaks.
Green Dot Heating & Air has provided reliable home comfort with heating and cooling, indoor air quality, and electrical services in Wilmington, NC, and the surrounding areas for over twenty years. Our experience and unbeatable customer service make us the top choice for all your home service needs. Whether you’re dealing with ductwork issues or poor indoor quality or need AC or furnace maintenance, repair, or installation services, you can count on us to do the work quickly and correctly. We also offer heat pumps, generators, EV chargers, smart thermostats, ductless mini-splits, and much more.
Contact us today to schedule a service call and learn why we’re the area’s most trusted home comfort service.
