Keeping your HVAC ducts cleaned can make your system run better and help you avoid allergy or asthma triggers.
Is your home making you sick? If you have allergies or asthma it may not occur to you that your HVAC ducts may be part of the problem. If you don't have your duct system cleaned annually,
it can build up dust, dirt, and pollen, and may even become infested with insects or rodents unbeknownst to you. Everything in your duct system has the potential of being circulated back into your home by you or your family.
You probably do everything right to maintain your homes cleanliness to help guard against asthma or allergy attacks. For example, you probably change your HVAC air filters annually and you probably even use a vacuum cleaner designed with a HEPA air filter to pick up dirt, dust, pollen, and animal dander.
But have you had your air duct system cleaned lately? A professional HVAC technician can clean out your whole duct system including the return air ducts, the supply registers, your grills, diffusers, and even the aspects of your system that you don't see such as the heating and cooling coils, the drain pans, and the fan housing.
Everyone who has ever owned a fan knows how dirty and dusty fan blades can become from circulating air and dust onto their blades. Just imagine what your home's HVAC system fan must look like- you can't even see that to keep it clean on a daily basis.
When you get your system cleaned, you want a company that is going to follow NADCA's recommendations in a pre- and post-cleaning checklist to ensure the system is cleaned correctly. NADCA stands for National Air Duct Cleaners Association and was established with the goal of creating universal standards for cleaning air ducts by all HVAC companies.
When you get ready to have your system cleaned, make sure to ask if your heating and venting company is a member of NADCA and if they have proof of membership and certification. Some states regulate the cleaning of cooling coils and only allow a mechanical contractor to clean them. Ask if your tech can clean your coils, and if so, with what type of cleaning method.
NADCA also requires that your heating and venting technician perform a thorough inspection of your heating and cooling system prior to cleaning it and alert you to any problems before beginning work on it.
If you maintain your system and keep it clean and free of dust, not only will it work more efficiently, but it will also help you avoid allergy or asthma triggers by not blowing dust, pollen, and other pollutants into the air that you breathe.
Your house should be your sanctuary against air pollution. If your house is making you sick, one of the first and most vital steps you can take to correct the situation is to have your venting system cleaned thoroughly by a technician who is NADCA certified.
