Air Duct Cleaning

What You Need To Know Concerning Air Duct Cleaning

Knowledge about air duct cleaning is in its early stages, so a blanket recommendation cannot be offered as to whether you should have your air ducts in your home cleaned. This information provides important information on the subject.

Neither do studies effectively demonstrate that particle (e.g., dust) levels in homes increase because of dirty air ducts. It is important to keep in mind that dirty air ducts are only one of many possible sources of particles that are present in homes. Pollutants that enter the home both from outdoors and indoor activities such as cooking, cleaning, smoking, or just moving around may cause greater exposure to contaminants than dirty air ducts.

You should contemplate having the air ducts in your home sanitized if:

1.) There may be substantial visible mold growth inside hard surface (e.g., sheet metal) ducts or on other components of your heating and cooling system. There are several important points to understand concerning mold detection in heating and cooling units:

Many components of your heating and cooling system may not be easily accessible for a visible inspection, so ask the service provider to show you any mold they say exists.

You should beware that although a substance may look like mold, a positive determination of whether it is mold or not could be made only by an expert and may require laboratory analysis for final confirmation. For about $50, some microbiology laboratories can tell you whether a sample sent to them on a clear strip of sticky household tape is mold or simply a substance that looks like it.

If you have insulated air ducts and the insulation gets moldy or wet it cannot be effectively cleaned and should be removed and replaced.

Mold growth will recur if the conditions causing the mold growth in the first place are not corrected.

2.) Ducts are plagued with vermin, e.g. (rodents or insects).

3.) Ducts are jammed with an excessive amount of dust and debris and/or particles are actually released into the home from your supply.

It usually suggests one or more underlying causes if any of the conditions identified above exists. Prior to any cleaning, retrofitting, or switching out of your ducts, the cause or causes must be addressed or else the problem will likely recur.

Some research suggests that cleaning heating and cooling system components (e.g., cooling coils, fans, and heat exchangers) may improve the efficiency of your system, resulting in a longer operating life, as well as some energy and maintenance cost savings. However, little evidence exists that cleaning only the ducts will improve the efficiency of the system.

You may consider having your air ducts cleaned simply because it seems logical that air ducts will get dirty over time and should be occasionally cleaned. Provided that the cleaning is done properly, no evidence suggests that such cleaning would be hazardous. EPA does not recommend that the air ducts be cleaned routinely, but only as needed. EPA does, however, recommend that if you have a fuel-burning stove, fireplace or furnace, they should be inspected for proper functioning and serviced before each heating season to protect against carbon monoxide poisoning.

Take the same consumer precautions you typically would in assessing the service provider's capability and reliability if you do decide to have your air ducts maintained.

Air duct cleaning service providers may tell you that they need to apply chemical biocide to the inside of your ducts as a means to kill bacteria (germs) and fungi (mold) and prevent future biological growth. They may also propose the application of a "sealant" to prevent dust and dirt particles from being released into the air or to seal air leaks. You should fully appreciate the pros and cons of permitting application of chemical biocides or sealants. While the targeted use of chemical biocides and sealants may be appropriate under specific circumstances, research has not demonstrated their effectiveness in duct cleaning or their potential adverse health effects. No chemical biocides are currently registered by EPA for use in internally-insulated air duct systems.

Whether or not you choose to have the air ducts in your home cleaned, preventing water and dirt from entering the system is the most reliable way to prevent contamination.

People who live with pets or indoor air quality concerns should consider air duct cleaning every two years. Loose pet hair can build up in your system over time, as well as dust and dirt. Dust enters your home in a variety of ways including through open windows or doors, carpeted floors, paper towel use.

Central heating can be a great addition to your home, especially to warm up your entire house during the cool Melbourne winters. However, if you haven’t had your heating system cleaned, you may notice some excess dust every time you turn your heater on. T&N Maintenance specializes in duct cleaning throughout the Melbourne area.

T&N Maintenance Service Coverage!

• Air Duct Cleaning Melbourne Northern Suburbs
• Air Duct Cleaning Melbourne Western Suburbs
• Air Duct Cleaning Melbourne South Eastern Suburbs
• Air Duct Cleaning Melbourne Eastern Suburbs 

Phone: 0418 314 248 for a free quote or Submit a free online quote