A lot of homeowners forget about the air ducts when scheduling routine maintenance and cleaning of their HVAC unit. But your home’s ducts play a vital role in keeping you and your family comfortable year-round. When your system is running, all the air in your home is pulled into the vents, cleaned, cooled/heated, and recycled back out through the air ducts into your home. As part of this process, the air filter you regularly change blocks dust and dirt from getting through—but even the most efficient air filter is not 100% effective. This means that anything that gets through moves through your air ducts.
Hidden Hazards in the Air Ducts
There are millions of microscopic airborne contaminants in your home. Most people only think about them when the sun’s rays come in just right, illuminating the dust floating around. These particles, which contain dust, germs, dander, pollen, and mold spores, get pulled back into the air system. These potentially build up in the air ducts. A buildup on the insulation of dirt and dust particulates in your air ducts and reduces your system’s efficiency. Also, it increases the likelihood of negative health reactions, such as general stuffiness, asthma, and allergies.
Healthy AC Systems
Clean air ducts allow your system to use less energy to circulate air throughout your home—both reducing your electric bill and extending the life of your system and its parts. The type of duct cleaning your home requires depends on what kind of ducts you have. For example, sheet metal or particleboard ducts can be vacuumed out using a blower door. All exit vents are sealed except one, and contaminants are sucked out of the ductwork. Alternatively, flex ducts (which many homes have) need to be manually brushed out. Ensuring your home’s air ducts are clean is one of the ways to help improve your indoor air quality as we move through our summer season in Florida.
Let us deep clean your ductwork as well as your air handler. Call an American Air Cares’ Specialist today to schedule your yearly air duct cleaning. We are here to help with any questions you may have!
