A Homeowner’s Guide To The Air Duct Cleaning Process

Air Duct Cleaning 101

When it comes to keeping the air quality in your home pristine, regularly changing your air filters is your first step. However, when it comes to increasing the efficiency of your HVAC system, having your air ducts cleaned and sticking to regular attic clean up can be highly effective!

How Air Ducts Relate to Air Quality

By using a network of ducts that runs throughout your home to move air throughout your home, your heating, ventilating, and air conditioning system keeps your home cozy during the winter months and cool in the summer. Consequently, it has the capability to disperse a wide range of particulate matter, such as dust, bacteria, pollen, spores, and smoke.

Your attic vents, air ducts, and attic insulation can all contribute to poor indoor air quality. This is why it’s important to hire an expert for routine attic insulation inspections, attic insulation removal, and attic insulation installation. An expert can also offer attic cleanup services, such as cleaning your attic vents, and providing air duct repair, air duct replacement, and air duct cleaning services.

Improving Your Air Quality With Duct Cleaning

All modern HVAC systems have filtration mechanisms that can effectively filter out harmful pollutants from the air as long as the ductwork it’s connected to is clean, properly installed, and undamaged. Having well-maintained ducts ensures that your home’s indoor air quality is consistently uncontaminated. This means scheduling regular cleanings from a professional who’s knowledgeable in attic insulation and air duct repair.

Your air ducts are responsible for circulating air throughout your home—and unfortunately, sometimes that air can be packed with contaminants from your attic insulation, rodents in your air ducts, and other sources of mold, mildew, and dust in your home. Air duct cleaning restore the flow of clean air to your home so you and your family can breathe easy. If you hire air duct cleaners, here is a look at what you can expect from the cleaning process.

Preparation

To get started, your air duct cleaners will first test your HVAC system to make sure it is operational, since it will help create the negative pressure necessary for cleaning. Once the cleaners are sure that the system is in good working order, they will remove the furnace filter and wrap it in plastic before replacing it to create separation between the supply and return sides. Next, the cleaners will drill an access hole into the main line of the air duct system near the HVAC plenum, which is an air distribution box on the supply outlet of your HVAC. A zone bag is put in the area between the access hole and the plenum and inflated so that there is a strong, negative pressure vacuum created.

Cleaning

An air duct cleaning system will be attached at the zone bag and access hole. This machine sucks out dirt and debris from the system. The cleaners will seal off all of the registers and then go to each individual branch line off the main line to use duct brushes and blasts of air to clean them out and force dirt and debris into the main line. This process will be repeated at each register, starting with the one furthest from the main line. The debris will be removed from the main line using the cleaning machine, and then the whole process will be repeated on either the supply or return side of the system—whichever one was not done first.

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Air Duct FAQs and Answers

You don’t see your air ducts too frequently, so they’re usually not on your mind. Timely air duct repair and maintenance can keep your indoor air pure, and it may save you some money on your energy bills. If you’re wondering when and how to clean yours as well as who can help, continue reading for some air duct FAQs and answers.

What Are the Reasons to Keep Air Ducts Clean?

Even though most HVAC systems have filtration media that can trap airborne pollutants, contaminants can still potentially flow freely through ducts. If you live in a humid area, moisture can condense along the inside of ducts and create environments that are favorable for mold, mildew, and bacteria to grow. Therefore, it’s crucial that air ducts are routinely maintained. Ideally, you should have them professionally cleaned once every three to five years.

How Often Should I have my Ducts Cleaned?

Regular cleaning and maintenance lets you know when it’s time for air duct repair, and it can also limit the chances of a rodent control problem. How often you should have your ducts cleaned depends on how many people you live with, whether you have pets, and the presence of allergens. A house with more people in it tends to generate more dust and debris, and pet dander can quickly circulate around the house. If you have allergies, indoor air quality can have a direct effect on your quality of life, so have your ducts cleaned more frequently.

Who Should I Call for Help?

If you suspect that there’s a problem with your system, contact your air duct repair professional for assistance. Make sure the company you choose is licensed and general liability insured, and don’t sacrifice quality by going for the cheapest option rather than finding a quality contractor to do the job right.

What’s the Most Effective Cleaning Method?

Your contractor knows the best ways to clean your air ducts so that you can enjoy better air quality in your home. This involves the use of a strong vacuum that creates negative pressure. As the vacuum runs, your specialist will use other devices to knock debris off the ducts and into the air to be sucked up by the vacuum. Through professional cleaning, you can remove dander, mold spores, and dust to improve your air quality and your health.

Hire a Reputable Air Duct Cleaning Professional

When you’re ready to have your air ducts professionally cleaned, be sure to hire a reputable contractor to do the work. Since ductwork is a network of pipes that are generally hidden behind walls, it’s difficult for an uninformed or unwary homeowner to verify whether his or her air ducts have been properly cleaned. Take your time and do your research, and be careful of scammers or disingenuous contractors who offer their services at a deeply discounted rate—if a deal seems too good to be true, it often is.

Are you looking for the most qualified professional who specializes in air duct repair and air duct replacement in San Francisco? Look no further than Atticare. We strive to provide our customers with the best possible care when it comes to air duct maintenance, attic insulation and attic insulation removal, and rodent control. To learn more about our services, contact us today at 1-866-692-5449.

Updated on July 6, 2020 at 11:00 am

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