If the air quality in your home is a concern, preventive air duct maintenance can go a long way toward keeping your indoor air quality at an acceptable level. Any allergy sufferers in your household will greatly benefit from clean, allergen-free air circulating through the home. As a homeowner, you can give the air ducts a partial inspection to decide whether a complete inspection and possible duct cleaning is necessary.
Steps to Preventative Air Duct Maintenance
- Inspecting Your Ductwork – When inspecting your air ducts to see whether a cleaning might be necessary, you will not be able to see all areas of the ductwork Look for streaks of dirt near the registers and remove the covers to check for an excessive buildup of dust and dirt. Look for mold on or near ducts, and note any evidence of insects or vermin nesting in ducts.
- Cleaning the air ducts – A vacuum can be used in the registers and accessible areas, but a professional will need to use an industrial grade vacuum and special equipment to reach the entire air duct system. Most homes, if they have reliable and well-maintained air filtration, will only need duct cleaning infrequently.
- Check for leaks – While the main issue with leaky ducts is conditioned air escaping, leaks in the air ducts can allow pollutants to enter the air ducts. Mastic sealant and metal-backed tape for use with air ducts is available at home improvement centers. Large cracks in the ducts may indicate that replacement is necessary and should be left to the professionals.
What to Expect From a Professional Ductwork Cleaning
- Special equipment – A cleaning done by qualified technicians will employ a powerful vacuum that will reach all parts of your ductwork system. This equipment sends the pollutants outside of your home. Any access holes that are necessary will be sealed properly when the job is complete.
- Safety issues – Materials containing asbestos will be disposed of safely according to government regulations. If mold is found, it will be removed safely and completely. Any work debris will be cleaned after the job is done, and the energy efficiency of your HVAC system may show improvement.
Please contact us at Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning about preventive air duct maintenance. We have been proudly serving the Fresno area for more than 40 years.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the greater Fresno, California area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).