Clean air ducts are better for your home and your lungs! 

If you live in the southeastern U.S., you are smack-dab in the midst of “the pollening”. The world around you is blanketed in a yellow pollen powder that seeps in through window screens, drafty doors and windows, and on our clothes. There’s almost no other time of year that having well-performing air ducts in your home matters as much. Pollen particles mix with everyday bits of dust and other airborne contaminants, then flow through your walls and out of the vents via your HVAC system. This can be extremely concerning if someone in your home has severe allergies or a compromised respiratory system.

Should you have your duct work cleaned?

In short, yes. Having clean air ducts improves your HVAC system’s performance and helps make the air you breathe during “the pollening”, and all year round, much cleaner and healthier.

It is important that you let a licensed, skilled, and experienced professional like the One Hour Heating and Air team complete the work for you since repairing or replacing damaged duct work is very expensive. Additionally, cleaning all your system’s components properly and removing the contaminants safely is key. One Hour HVAC technicians use specialized tools and techniques to dislodge the dirt, mold spores and other debris from your ducts, then they clean out what they collect with a high-powered vacuum. 

If you want to be 100% sure that suspected spores pulled from your duct work are mold, you should send it off for a professional laboratory analysis. The average cost is around $50 at a microbiology lab and samples can often be sent in on regular household clear tape. The microbiology lab you choose can provide specific instructions for sending in a sample. 

To slow the growth of any future molds in your duct work after cleaning, a chemical biocide can be applied which kills microbiological contaminants. There are also chemical sealants and encapsulates that cover the interior surfaces of air ducts and HVAC housings to both kill mold and prevent the release of particles from the air ducts.

Signs that your duct work may need repair or replacement

  1. Airflow: Dirty, clogged or leaking ducts will keep the full volume of cool or warm air from traveling through the ducts to the rooms where you need it. It is usually easy to identify which ducts are underperforming simply by holding your hand up to the vent and feeling the lack of airflow.
  2. Hot and cold spots: In the same area of concern as airflow, hot and cold spots occur when ducts perform differently in different rooms of the house. You may be cool and comfortable in your living room, only to walk into the kitchen and find it warm or stuffy. For temperature differences this dramatic, the culprit is most often a leaking duct. Additionally, vent positioning is important to good airflow and ideal temperature control. One Hour HVAC can add or move vents in a room to provide more consistent heating and cooling coverage. 
  3.  Odors: Your nose knows! Two of the most common causes of odors in your duct work are moisture and rodents. Moisture provides fertile conditions for mold, mildew and other microorganisms to flourish and that can lead to unpleasant odors. Rodent and insect deposits only add to that distasteful mix. A good cleaning from a professional could resolve this issue.
  4. Clogged filters: If you diligently check and change your HVAC system filters (and you should quarterly), and you notice a faster buildup of dirt on the filters, then your ducts may be overloaded with dust, particles, and other organic debris. 
  5. Noisy Operation: Hear a whistling sound behind the wall? This could mean your duct has developed a leak and escaping air is causing that whistle. If it’s a popping sound, that may be sheet metal ducts reacting to air pressure problems. 
  6. Improper Design and Installation: At One Hour Heating and Air, we often find ourselves repairing or re-routing poorly installed duct work.  Improperly designed duct work systems impede optimal performance of your HVAC units and consistent cooling or heating throughout your house.  If the duct work is physically in good shape, it can most likely be re-routed for better performance. In some cases, the duct work is just not salvageable and must be replaced.

Don’t take your duct work for granted. You can significantly improve HVAC performance and longevity by taking care of this vital, but often hidden, component of your comfort system. One Hour Heating and Air can provide a free consultation on inspecting, cleaning, repairing and replacing your duct work system. We can also provide financing options that will make heating and cooling your home more efficiently more affordable

Visit www.onehourac.com for our weekly and monthly specials. 

Call our 24/7 customer service line today 704-251-0610.