There are various factors which should make you consider having the air ducts at home cleaned.
1. If there is visible mould on the inside walls of the ducts or other components of the system, then you should seek professional help. When it comes to mould, there are a few tips to recognition:
- you can’t of course, check all the areas of the air ducts for mould, so if the cleaning company say that there is mould, ask them to show you.
- there are many things that could resemble mould; as only an expert can determine what the dark spot you see is, it’s recommended that you bring a sample on a clear strip or sticky tape to a laboratory (it’s not that expensive).
- If you have insulation on your air ducts and it gets dirty, it cannot be cleaned – it has to be replaced.
- even when you remove the mould, if the environment that caused its appearance in the first place is not changed, it will continue to grow.
You must also clean your air ducts if they are infested with rodents or insects, or are clogged from too much dirt that is released into the home.
There are also some other considerations at hand. You should know that this procedure – air duct cleaning – does not prevent health problems. It has not yet been determined if air pollution is caused by dirty air ducts, and if the pollution level goes down after the cleaning. There may be dirt in the ducts, but that does not necessarily mean that it enters the living area. It’s just one of the many possible causes. Most of our everyday activities – cooking, cleaning, smoking, or even moving can make you come in contact with contaminants – and the risk is even greater than with dirty air ducts. It hasn’t also been proven yet that the household dust in the cooling or heating system can pose a threat to health.
It’s not recommended that you clean your air ducts except in emergency, at least that’s EPA’s opinion. They say that it is still uncertain what the benefits of the procedure are. They, however, advice you to inspect your fuel burning systems, if you have any. Make sure that they function properly before the heating season, or you may become the victim of a carbon monoxide poisoning. There’s no proof that cleaning the air ducts will improve the system’s performance, but cleaning the fans and heat exchangers should help.
If you feel that you should, after all, have the air ducts cleaned, seek a professional’s guidance. The system’s service company will do. Also, inform yourself about the services that different air-duct cleaning companies offer.