Winters Duct Cleaning

Learn Why Dirty Ducts Are an Issue and How We Can Help You Solve Them

The National air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) recommends air duct cleaning every three to five years. Cleaning your air ducts as needed will help keep your family and the members of your household healthy. It will prevent those in your home from breathing in unclean or contaminated air. There are many factors that can contribute to poor air quality in a home, including pets, occupants with allergies or asthma, cigar or cigarette smoke, water contamination or damage to the home or HVAC system, and home renovation or remodeling projects.

This dust, dirt, and contamination harms your indoor air quality and forces your system to work harder. Just like a car or other major appliance, your home’s cooling system will perform better with regular maintenance. While the three-to-five-year rule is helpful to keep in mind, we understand it can be difficult to know the exact timeframe of when your ducts were last cleaned. If you are unsure, our team would be happy to help determine the condition of your ducts. The following signs will also help you realize whether or not your ducts need to be cleaned:

• Dust

It is normal for your home to gather dust. The average home in the U.S collects around 40 pounds of dust each year. Around 60% of household dust comes from the outdoors, but the average person creates 1/3 ounce of dead skin each week, which is about the weight of a car key. The dead skin combines with other particles to create what we know to be dust. Of these particles, pollen is the biggest culprit of allergens. Pollen can leak into your shoes, clothes, and hair. When the dust becomes excessive, it will clog your HVAC filters, resulting in excessive dust and unhygienic air, which can lead to sickness.

• Mold

The health issues that come along with dust are mainly an annoyance, but mold can actually cause some major health issues if it is circulating in dirty air ducts throughout your home. It is especially problematic for those in your household who might be sensitive to mold. For those who have mold sensitivities, it can cause symptoms like stuffy nose, wheezing, and red or itchy eyes. Those with asthma might have even more intense reactions. If the people in your household are experiencing nausea, fatigue, dizziness, and irritation of the nose and eyes.

• Rodents or insects in ducts

Pests can get into your ductwork by crawling through small rips as well as unsealed gaps and vents. These pests have no trouble traveling along cramped air ducts from one space to the next. They will then use your air ducts as their own personal highway and get access to different areas of the home. Not only is this unsettling, but if left unaddressed, it can cause some serious structural damage. You might not necessarily know if you have a rodent or insect issue, but our team can help you discover any ongoing issues in your home. Most pest infestations leave behind some traces, like buildup on walls, smeared droppings, and damage on fabric and paper. You might also smell strange odors in the basement, attic, or crawlspace. When we clean your ducts, we will also remove any debris that the rodents and insects have left behind.

• Part Major renovations in the home

If your home has undergone a major renovation recently, you might notice some concerning signs that indicate you will need a duct cleaning soon. Even if the contractors are careful about cleaning up and closing off the area to keep the site clean, it is still extremely possible that dust and debris will come in. Unless the HVAC system is not turned on and kept completely covered throughout the entire construction process, the dirt and dust will make its way into the ductwork. The dust from construction and remodeling can contain some particles that you do not want to breathe in, so if you have undergone home renovations recently, you might want to consider having your ducts cleaned soon.

• Rising energy costs

If your energy costs have been rising without changes in use, it might be time to get your air ducts cleaned. It is possible that your ducts have become so dirty that air is not able to flow freely and efficiently throughout your home’s HVAC system. When this happens, the furnace and air conditioner must work harder in order to maintain the ideal temperature in your home. Our team can inspect this problem to see if dirty air ducts are related to your rising energy costs.

What Is the Process of Duct Cleaning?

We understand that choosing a team to inspect your home takes a lot of trust, and we do not take that trust lightly. When you work with us, you will be working with a friendly, prompt, and communicative team. When you schedule an appointment with us, you can trust that we will arrive on time and complete the job efficiently and effectively. Duct cleaning involves the following tasks:

• Inspecting

We will begin the process by seeing if your problems are related to dirty ducts. A member of our team will conduct a simple visual inspection of the ducts. This is an extremely important step in the process because it will help us determine the level of buildup, and it will help you gauge how much has been cleaned when the job is complete. We will also check the ductwork for leaks and kinks. We can also make repairs and replace damaged ductwork.

• Creating negative pressure

This is another important step because we will be working with high-level tools that you would only be able to access from a professional. We will use a large, portable truck-mounted vacuum collection device to suck dust and debris out of your ductwork. Before turning on the suction and scrubbing the ducts out of the ductwork, there are a few steps we must perform. We must hook the vacuum collection device’s large hose to a duct close to the air handler because this is the heart of your HVAC system. We will also need to seal the register with an adhesive cover in order to make sure the collection device is effective. Finally, we will need to turn on the vacuum unit. This is the part of the process that creates negative pressure, and the particles indie the ductwork will be sucked into the collection devices.

• Agitating the dust

When the system is under negative pressure, we will uncover each register and clean the ducts individually with a HEPA filtered vacuum. These vacuums will prevent dust from re-entering the ducts while cleaning the mold, dust, mildew, and other debris from the ducts.

• Cleaning the rest of the system

As a finishing step, we will take time to clean the rest of your system. This includes the air handler’s blower motor, evaporator coil, and drain pan. Cleaning these components will improve the air quality in your home, extend the life of your system, and improve its efficiency.

To get the air duct cleaning services you need for your home in Winters, call Pearce Heating & Air Conditioning at (530) 441-0350 or contact us online.