A heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system is responsible for heating and cooling your home. The system is made up of a network of ducts, vents, filters, and coils that work together to regulate the temperature in your home. Proper maintenance of your HVAC system is essential to keeping your home comfortable and your energy bills low.
Ducts are an important part of the HVAC system as they help to distribute filtered air throughout the house. They may require occasional maintenance, but this is often overlooked.
Here is everything you need to know about air duct cleaning.
How Should You Prepare for Air Duct Cleaning?
Be sure to give your HVAC system and registers some breathing room. When asked how you can help make the job easier for those cleaning your ducts, the best thing you can do is stay out of the way and let the professionals do their job. This will ensure both your safety and thorough cleaning.
You should vacuum the floor around the furnace and air conditioner. This will help to remove any dust or debris that could be stirred up during the cleaning process.
How Does Air Duct Cleaning Work?
To clean an expansive duct system, one must be willing to go into the ducts and clean them manually. This can be a messy and time-consuming process, but it is necessary in order to ensure that the ducts are clean and free of debris.
The process of duct cleaning generally starts with cutting an access port into the plenum, which is the box on top of the HVAC system that the ducts originate from. From there, technicians insert long flexible brushes and “whips” into the ducts. The brushes and whips are powered by compressed air and usually spin and have a vacuum attachment to knock loose and suction up any dust that may be present.
To clean the ducts, you need a professional with the proper equipment to access the entire duct system.
How Quickly Will the Air Quality Improve?
The speed of improvement depends on the severity of the problem. For example, if there is a lot of mold present, it may take a few days for the air quality to improve. However, if the problem is simply dust buildup, the air quality should improve almost immediately.
If you or your children suffer from allergies, you’ll notice a difference in the air quality immediately. If the previous resident was a smoker, the change will also be immediate. For others, the change in air quality may be subtler, but it will still have positive health benefits.
How Often Should You Clean Your Ducts?
If you suffer from severe allergies, it is recommended that you get a new mattress every year or year and a half.
For people who do not suffer from allergies or lung conditions, they can probably wait longer in between getting new mattresses. Ducts are usually cleaned after a fire when they are filled with smoke residue.
Conclusion
Air duct cleaning is a process of cleaning the internal components of a home’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system. The purpose of this cleaning is to remove dust, debris, and other contaminants that can accumulate over time and affect the quality of the air in your home.
Keep your home air quality clean and safe with Duct Doctor Birmingham. We offer HVAC duct cleaning in Birmingham, AL that will help ensure you and your family breathe clean. Get in touch with us today to get started.