Your air ducts and vents must be serviced regularly. Ignoring duties like changing your filter once a month can allow contaminants to enter your home's ventilation system. If your air ducts are not cleaned, viruses, germs, and fungi can enter and become suspended in your interior air.
It is also worth noting that persons with clean ducts have better overall health. Clean ventilation can also help those with respiratory difficulties and allergies avoid having their symptoms triggered and becoming a greater danger. If you have any concerns about how indoor air quality is affecting your health, consult a health expert.
Continue reading for information on how to safely clean your unclean air ducts, including whether you should do it yourself or call a professional.
Hire A Professional
While you may undertake a simple cleaning of your air ducts on your own, we strongly advise consulting a professional for a more complete treatment. Your home's HVAC system has several sensitive components that should only be accessed and maintained by a qualified technician. Dust can accumulate on fan motors, fan housings, heat exchangers, and cooling coils, necessitating the knowledge and skills of air Duct Cleaning in Washington DC to clean safely.
In addition to dust, bugs and microbiological diseases may be present in your air ducts. The application of chemical agents, such as insecticides and biocides, will necessitate the services of a specialist. Pests may have polluted or damaged your HVAC system, posing unanticipated risks. Play it safe and get a professional to clean your air ducts.
Find an air duct cleaning service
Start here to search for air duct cleaning in Washington DC.
If you live in Washington, DC, ask your prospective air duct cleaner if they are licensed. Qualified service providers may take their technique to clean your ducts, but they should incorporate NAIMA's principles and NADCA's industry standard in their efforts, especially if the ductwork contains fiberglass. Do you want to know if your duct cleaner did a thorough job? Take a look at the EPA's Post-Cleaning Consumer Checklist.
Because research into clean air ducts and their impact on a resident's health is still in its early phases, be suspicious of companies that claim extraordinary health benefits. All air ducts collect dust and must be cleaned, albeit the amount of dust required for cleaning is subjective. A professional can assist you in determining your home's air duct cleaning requirements and provide ideas to help enhance your indoor air quality all year.
Still, have questions about how to clean air ducts? Here are the fundamentals, however, we still don't recommend doing it as a do-it-yourself project:
- Examine the vents
Open a vent cover to inspect the inside for filth, dust, or anything else you don't want in there.
- Examine the return registers.
Examine the return air registers for dust accumulation. Pay close attention, especially if the registers have a thick layer of coating on them.
- Remove the filter
Remove and examine the air filter. If your air filter is unclean and dusty, it's time to replace it.
- Examine the furnace.
Check for dust in your furnace compartment, including the blower fan, motor, and furnace controls.
- Inspect the air conditioning coil.
If you see the dust on it or the housing walls, it means your air filter isn't working properly.
- Turn off power
Turn off the electricity to your heating and cooling systems. It is important to note that turning off the thermostat does not turn off the unit; you must turn off electricity at the breaker panel or the power switch on the furnace.
- Remove the air duct covers and clean
Remove covers of air ducts and use the brush to clean the grates. Make an effort to be comprehensive. Clean up the ductwork with a vacuum. The maximum maneuverability will provide by a model with a hose.
- Clean ceiling vents
Finally, clean the ceiling vents. To remove the dust, use a vacuum or brush. Do you want to know more about your air ducts? Explore our articles on how to keep your home cool in the summer, To enhance your indoor air quality, and what technologies can assist you in removing annoyance or hazardous particles from the air.
