There are several situations which help determine the best time for duct cleaning. Other duct cleaning companies will tell you every year or two, but that is a rather vague answer. In our experience, the best time for duct cleaning depends on many factors. Here are some guidelines in determining when to have your air ducts cleaned.
Are you expecting? if so, you REALLY need to consider duct cleaning. Even if your air ducts were cleaned just 2 years ago, why leave anything to chance? An infants lungs are so small that
any airborne contaminants could quickly make your little one sick. But don’t stop at duct cleaning, consider carpet and upholstery cleaning as well as a thorough top-to-bottom house cleaning.
Duct cleaning could make sense If you have a problem with moisture in your duct work. Moisture may result in mold growth in the air ducts. First it is important to solve the problem. Next, clean and disinfect the entire duct work system where the mold growth has occurred, and have the rest of the ducting system cleaned as well. In some instances, you may be better of to simply replace the affected duct areas. It may also be more cost effective to replace the contaminated ducts.
If you are moving into a newly constructed or newly renovated house, duct cleaning should be on your list. Drywall dust, fibreglass pieces, and sawdust and other construction debris can restrict air flow.
Duct cleaning will also remove lunch wrappers, soda cans and other garbage which may have fallen or been swept into the air ducts. For similar reasons, duct cleaning is always advisable for older homes after any renovations have been completed.
If you are having trouble with furnace airflow, duct cleaning could uncover significant blockages. You should have the ducts cleaned before you pursue other more expensive solutions like duct work replacement or air duct rerouting to solve an airflow problem. Furnace cleaning and air conditioning component cleaning (e.g. furnace fan blower, air conditioning coil, humidifier, furnace heat exchanger, etc.) has also been shown to make a huge difference in air flow.
Although the hidden components within your heating and cooling system are oftentimes the dirtiest, if you can see your vents are dirty, imagine how dirty the rest of the duct work system is. If you look in the cold air return air registers and see an accumulation of dust and debris in the air ducts, you may want to have it removed. Research has shown that cold air return air ducts, which are relatively big and have slow moving air, are generally far dirtier than the supply ducts.
Households with hairy pets (or young children) may find it necessary to inspect their return air ducts more frequently. Pet hair and pet dander, toys, food items and yes, even fecal matter seem to all find their way into the air ducts. If you have pets or children, you may want to plan on more frequent duct cleaning.
If any of the situations listed above have helped you determine you might be ready for duct cleaning please contact us and schedule a duct cleaning appointment at your convenience, using our online form.
