A lot can happen inside the ductwork of an HVAC system during an average summer. If your HVAC ducts haven’t been used as part of your indoor cooling system, they might be dirtier than you expect, and contaminated with material that could reduce your indoor air quality or even make you and your family ill. Take the following factors into consideration when deciding whether to have a duct cleaning performed after summer.

What Can Happen to Ducts?

If your HVAC system ductwork isn’t used for several months, you could see effects such as:

• Accumulations of dust, dirt, fibers, hair, and other household-related particulates.
• Accumulations of dead insects or insect parts, animal fur, or feces.
• Infestations of insects, rodents, or other vermin.
• Breaking or loosening of seals at duct connections.

Is Duct Cleaning Necessary?

Some authoritative sources, such as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) say that duct cleaning should be limited to three very specific circumstances:

1. Mold can be seen inside the ducts or on HVAC equipment.
2. Ducts are completely or partially blocked.
3. Ducts are infested with insects, mice, or other vermin.

However, remember that if there are any types of particulates or other contaminants inside your ductwork, a professional cleaning can remove them. During a cleaning, the ducts can also be inspected for condition, quality of connections between segments, and quality of seals at connections.

The Benefits of Duct Cleaning

• Indoor air quality is improved since there are fewer contaminants being moved through the ducts and into your home.
• Material that could cause asthma attacks, allergy attacks, or illness has been removed.
• Air moves more freely down the length of the ducts, improving HVAC system performance and efficiency.
• Ductwork damage, loose segments, or broken seals can be found and repaired, decreasing wasted energy and money from air leaks.

Powers Heating and Air provides is a family-owned, locally based HVAC company providing HVAC sales, service, and maintenance to residents of Peachtree City and the neighboring communities. Contact us today for more information on duct cleaning and how it can benefit your home, your indoor air, and your HVAC system.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree City, Georgia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 770-487-2040.