Talking About Air Ventilation Systems

What You Can Expect From Duct Cleaning

One of the easiest components of an AC unit to neglect is the duct system. Unlike the condenser coils, which can see in your yard or the evaporator coils, which are accessible if you open the door to your mechanical room, your ducts are hidden behind the walls of your home. Thus, you might be tempted to neglect what is out of sight. While ducts do no require a whole lot of maintenance, you should inspect them from time to time and clean them as needed for at least a couple of reasons. 

Friction Loss and AC Efficiency

Air will move most efficiently over smooth surfaces. The metal surface of your ducts are ideal for ensuring that the air flowing from your AC unit makes it to your home with few to no restrictions. However, as grime starts to build up on the interior surfaces of your ducts, the natural ridges and valleys in the grime build-up create a rough surface. These rough surfaces create friction loss. While friction loss will have a minimal impact on your overall system efficiency, a small increase in operating costs can add up to a lot of money over time. Thus, if you open a vent and discover that you have grossly begrimed ducts, it is time to have them cleaned. 

Air Quality

Even if you aren't worried about an increase in operating costs, you should be concerned with what your AC unit is pumping into your home. Some contaminants can make it past your air filter, and others will enter your ducts through the vents when your AC unit is not running. In either case, dust, dust mites, insect droppings, insect carcasses, mold spores, pollen, pet dander, and other contaminants can build up in your ducts. The air moving through your ducts can lift these contaminants and spew them throughout your home. If you have asthma or allergies, poor air quality can create an unsafe environment. Thus, in order to make your home a refuge from air pollutants, you need to inspect your ducts regularly and have them cleaned whenever contaminants start to build up. 

You might be tempted to enlist your household vacuum and do your own duct cleaning. This is a bad idea because you simply will not have the reach or the power to thoroughly clean your ducts. Professional duct cleaners, on the other hand, will have a high-powered vacuum and specially designed brushes that will allow them to thoroughly clean the full length of your ducts. Thus, you should leave cleaning your ducts to the professionals. 

For duct cleaning, contact a company such as Capital Heating & Cooling.


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