Air duct cleaning, air duct cleaning, air duc—-listen, you are certainly hearing about it more and more as time goes on. And you may have even read one or two articles preaching about the benefits of air duct cleaning. Or another on the dangers of ignoring your air ducts.
However, this isn’t another one of those. We aren’t going to preach to you or try to scare you into having your air ducts cleaned. Instead of all that, we will lay it all out for you to see, clear as day, by highlighting different times when extra attention to your air ducts is warranted. And at the end of this post, you can make your own assessment of your situation and determine whether now is the right time for you to call an air duct cleaning service.
To ensure that you have all the information you need, we’ll cover a few things below. But we’ll focus on the four times when air duct cleaning is absolutely vital.
Without any more introductions or explanations, we’ll get started.
1. If there is visible mold on your air ducts…
Obviously, mold isn’t something to joke around with in any situation. But it’s even more serious than normal when it’s infecting your air ducts—constantly blowing mold spores, allergens and other irritants throughout your building and eventually into your lungs.
Aside from the obvious worries with that, poor quality air conditions can expose those with asthma and many other respiratory problems to more danger.
And if the mold itself is already visible, that could be a sign that it has already spread throughout more of your HVAC system. That makes calling for a cleaning service all the more important—certainly not something that can or should be delayed.
Following the cleaning, you would be wise to do more investigating to track the source of the mold. Once you find it, we strongly recommend that you take some measures to ensure that its return is unlikely. That could mean fixing a leak in your HVAC unit or other waterproofing.
2. If pests are invading both your home and HVAC unit…
Rodents and other pests are massive red flags on any property. If you see pests around your home, but you are unable to find their hiding spot, that could be a sign that they have taken up residence in your air ducts. And while the presence of pests is bad anywhere, it is especially awful if they get access to your air ducts system, where they can hide, breed and eat for as long as they want without interruption.
So, if you have enough reasons to suspect that the pests are there, you need to make two calls. The first should be to a pest control specialist who can eliminate all of the pests lurking in your ducts. The next call should be to an air duct cleaning service.
The last thing that you want is to be breathing in air that is seasoned with dead pests. And a professional cleaning service is the only crew capable of ensuring that you won’t be.
3. If you can see debris coming out of the vents…
You have a serious issue if you can see debris creeping out of your air vents or even flying across the room in a wind stream. Because more than likely, that’s a clear sign that the debris in your air ducts has built up to a dangerous level that could even impact your HVAC unit’s performance.
We aren’t talking about a thin layer of dust either. In most cases, that’s completely and not cause for concern of any sort.
We are talking about a level of thick dust and debris that you can easily see from a few feet away. If that’s happening in your air ducts, you need to call for cleaning soon. Aside from the health concern, HVAC units do an excellent job of pushing through debris, but if they fight too hard, they can raise your energy bill and damage themselves. Save your unit from a battle against dust that it won’t win and call for help.
4. Unpleasant odors in your home…
Now setting aside training your new puppy or stepping into a room with a cat’s litter box, there shouldn’t be any sort of musty or bad odor in your home. So if there is and you can’t easily find the source, it’s a good chance that debris has accumulated in your air ducts to such a point that it is giving off an odor that you can easily notice.
In that situation, it’s more than likely that there are hatch contaminants hiding behind the mask of that odor. If not dealt with properly, you can find yourself dealing with many adverse health effects.
And you can count on nobody wanting to stay over for a dinner party—whether that’s a good or a bad thing, it’s up to you.
Here are a few bonus signs that you need to have your air ducts cleaned right away:
- If your home becomes dusty quickly.
- Strange, unfamiliar noises in your air ducts.
- If you lack any records of previous cleanings in the house.
- If your home was newly constructed or remodeled.
There you have it! If you have any one of these signs or, even worse, several, you must call for an air duct cleaning as soon as possible. Delaying your cleaning any further can lead to more problems building up and an increased risk of health complications.
Don’t wait. Get in touch with a professional cleaning service today.
If there are any other areas in the HVAC world where your information is lacking, we can help. We have as many posts as you need to ensure that you’re well informed on everything having to do with your air ducts. Check it all out.
