How to Keep Your Air Ducts From Becoming a Mess
We see a lot of serious messes when we clean air ducts. How do people get to this point? Mostly neglect. People just don’t think about their air ducts, so they never bother to clean them. Just hiring us isn’t really enough, though; like any other cleaning job, there are some things you should do yourself. That way, when it does come time to call us in to clean up, there isn’t such a horrible mess. These 4 steps will help keep your air ducts and the air in them clean and fresh.
1. Seal Your Ducts
Air ducts need to be sealed. If they aren’t, dirty air can get in, as well as insects and small animals. Also, if the ducts aren’t sealed, you lose a lot of air pressure and your HVAC system needs to work harder to move air through the ducts. When you first buy a home, you should have your ducts checked for proper sealing. There are many ways to seal your ducts, both from inside and from the outside.
Once a year, you should check your ducts to make sure they haven’t been damaged. Damage to the ducts can sometimes be sealed with caulk, or insulating strips, but heavy damage might need to have the ducts replaced.
2. Replace Your Filters Every 3 Months
Of course, vents aren’t really completely sealed. Air is still supposed to come out of them. That’s why vents today use filters. Filters are designed to catch particles in the air and keep them from passing through. This not only helps keep the air cleaned as it goes through the vents into your rooms, but keeps dirt in the air from going back in.
But filters have a limit. Once the filter has got too much pollution trapped in it, it starts to clog the vent. The air will get more dirty as it forces its way through the filter instead of being clean. It’s important to replace your filters every 3 months to prevent this from happening.
3. Visually Inspect Vents
Because you have to change the filters, vents need to be openable. If there’s one thing kids love to do, it’s explore. We mentioned previously how we find a lot of toys when we clean ducts. This is because kids open up ducts to play and drop things. Pets may also hide things in ducts if they can work them open. So, when you have your carpets cleaned – about once every six months – then you should open up the vents and check to see if anything’s gotten inside.
4. Clean Your Air Ducts Every 3-4 Years
The final step to keeping your air ducts clean is to actually clean them. If you’ve done everything else, then your ducts should not get dirty very quickly. That said, no system is perfect and some dust is going to build. If your ducts and vents are properly sealed and you change the filters regularly, you should only need to have your ducts cleaned once every three to four years.
Clean Air Ducts Can Save You Money
Energy efficiency is one of the best ways you can save money on your house bills. Dirty air ducts will mess with the airflow of your HVAC system. You’ll end up needing more energy to get the same results, which costs you more money.
When Was the Last Time You Cleaned Your Air Ducts?
One of the things we most often hear from our customers is that they can’t remember the last time they had their air ducts cleaned. Based on the things we’ve found, we can sometimes work it out. Toys are usually the give-away. We find toys from the 70s and 80s in the ducts and we know that’s around the last time the ducts were cleaned, if they ever were. That’s far too long to go without a duct cleaning.
If you can’t remember the last time you cleaned your air ducts, or never have, then now is the time to look into it. When you see the benefits of cleaner air and a more efficient HVAC system, you’ll be glad you did. Get in touch with us today and set up an appointment.
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