How to know that the duct of your house needs cleaning and repair?
The ducts are the conduits that carry conditioned air from your HVAC to various rooms of your house. Their smooth functioning is absolutely required to keep your indoor temperature comfortable around the year. AC duct needs cleaning and repairing from time to time. EPA recommends getting your ducts professionally cleaned once in three to five years. Here are some clues that send signal that your duct needs cleaning and repair Asap
When you find lines of dust accumulating in your house inspire of frequent dusting…
You dust your house every weekend, still your house feels puffy with specs of dirt in the air. You also see dirt layer accumulating in various areas of the house. Thesis because when the ducts or vents are too dirty with debris, the dust particles get loosened from the duct surface when the AC is powered on. They come into your room with the air. This generally happens when the duct is damaged in attic or in crawl spaces. It is from these quarters of the house that excessive dirt gets into your duct. If you feel a musty odor in the indoor air,you should understand that the duct could need a thorough cleaning soon.
If anyone in the house has contracted allergies all of a sudden…
The air passing through theduct brings with it dirt, duct, mites, dander, feces,and alsomoldspores. Aerial contaminants find their way through leaks or ripped seams in the ducts. Unless cleaned on regular intervals, your ducts will get laden with a matted-layer of dust. These duct particles stick on the duct surface. Gradually they make their way to your indoor space affecting heath of people who live inside. If you find someone in your house suffering from allergies frequently you should get your ducts inspected to ascertain if repair and cleaning soon is mandatory.
Ducts have become a passage for rodents and vermin…
Ducts offer a great shortcut to mice and vermin to sneak into your house. These pests fill you ducts with their dropping and urine. In such cases you will need to clean the ducts as these can spread harmful diseases. This is because when you power on the HVAC the air that passes through the ducts picking up bacteria and particulates from the feces. You should schedule a service call with a duct cleaning service provider to clean your ducts. The urine trails have to be eliminated with proper washing and cleaning otherwise the pests will soon follow them to make their way into your house. If there is an acute problem of rodent sand pests in your house call a pest-control organization to wipe them out of your house.
If molds are actively growing in your ducts…
Molds can actively grow in your ducts, if there is leakage of moisture inside them. Moisture and a thick layer of debris invite molds and other microbial beings to foster in your ducts. However, it is not easy to detect molds. If you find black patches in your duct, take a small portion of it on a sticky tape and send it to a micro biological laboratory nearby to know if your ducts are affected by mold. In case of a mold growth, you can also see strange discoloration at your vents. Mold growth needs special chemical treatments to stop them altogether.
The utility bill rises…
When there are leaks in your ducts a good portion of the precious conditioned air will escape into the surrounding. As a result your central AC will be working harder to render the desired level of cooling. This will lead to high power bills. If you see a sudden increase in your power bills with no tangible reason then call professional to get your ducts checked for leaks.
If you are still skeptical about the worth of duct cleaning and repair, then you should know they are worthwhile. There is no other way to stop dust, dirt, and allergens from drifting into the air ducts of your home. The average cost of repairing and cleaning air duct is approximately $300.
Disclaimer: Although the rate quoted in the page is typical average rate that can be seen across USA, it can vary in certain areas depending upon city and the variables associated with each individual project.