Replace Your Central Heat and Air Conditioning Ducts
If you search around the Internet regarding tips to maximize the life of your central heating and air conditioning systems and improve the overall air quality within your home, most sites will echo the recommendation that you should have your ductwork cleaned every 3-4 years.
All of the reasons that they site for needing to clean your ducts are valid, but the most dominant of the reasons is that the ducts are a breeding ground for dust mites and mold.
The frequency of every 3-4 years is also dependent upon the efficiency of the air filters used on your system and the amount of humidity that flows through the system.
Rather than use the 3-4 year rule, you can perform this very simple check to see if you ducts are contaminated.
This check should be done annually between seasons when the system is not running.
Remove a register from the vent outlet and inspect the inside surface of the register.
If all that you see is a thin layer of dust that rinses off easily, then your ducts are in relatively good shape.
However, if you have a blackish coating that requires some scrubbing to get the inside surface of the register clean, then you are most likely dealing with mold and you can be sure that the surface of your ducts are coated with the same throughout.
So, what do you do if your ducts are contaminated? There are a number of well established companies out there that specialize in cleaning your ducts, but our recommendation is to have them replaced and here is why.
- Even the best cleaning system in the world will leave some behind to again multiply and spread throughout your system.
- Mold and other contaminants that accumulate in your ductwork will make the usually pliable surface of the ducts brittle which can cause cracking and subsequently leaks in your system.
- Duct cleaning equipment can potentially puncture your ducts thus causing leaks in your system.
By replacing your ducts, you will get the following benefits that you will not get by cleaning them: - Your ducts will be 100% contaminant-free guaranteed.
- Improved duct material with better insulation can be used to improve the overall efficiency of your system.
- New duct seals will be installed.
Failed duct seals are a primary cause of system inefficiency over time for installations that have never had their ducts replaced.
If you have never had your ducts checked, cleaned, or replaced, then we highly recommend that you perform the simple checks outlined above.
In particular, if you are living in a home over 20-years old that still has the original ductwork, then you will be impressed with the new materials available that will not only provide you with a cleaner living environment, but will also improve the efficiency of your system.
All of the reasons that they site for needing to clean your ducts are valid, but the most dominant of the reasons is that the ducts are a breeding ground for dust mites and mold.
The frequency of every 3-4 years is also dependent upon the efficiency of the air filters used on your system and the amount of humidity that flows through the system.
Rather than use the 3-4 year rule, you can perform this very simple check to see if you ducts are contaminated.
This check should be done annually between seasons when the system is not running.
Remove a register from the vent outlet and inspect the inside surface of the register.
If all that you see is a thin layer of dust that rinses off easily, then your ducts are in relatively good shape.
However, if you have a blackish coating that requires some scrubbing to get the inside surface of the register clean, then you are most likely dealing with mold and you can be sure that the surface of your ducts are coated with the same throughout.
So, what do you do if your ducts are contaminated? There are a number of well established companies out there that specialize in cleaning your ducts, but our recommendation is to have them replaced and here is why.
- Even the best cleaning system in the world will leave some behind to again multiply and spread throughout your system.
- Mold and other contaminants that accumulate in your ductwork will make the usually pliable surface of the ducts brittle which can cause cracking and subsequently leaks in your system.
- Duct cleaning equipment can potentially puncture your ducts thus causing leaks in your system.
By replacing your ducts, you will get the following benefits that you will not get by cleaning them: - Your ducts will be 100% contaminant-free guaranteed.
- Improved duct material with better insulation can be used to improve the overall efficiency of your system.
- New duct seals will be installed.
Failed duct seals are a primary cause of system inefficiency over time for installations that have never had their ducts replaced.
If you have never had your ducts checked, cleaned, or replaced, then we highly recommend that you perform the simple checks outlined above.
In particular, if you are living in a home over 20-years old that still has the original ductwork, then you will be impressed with the new materials available that will not only provide you with a cleaner living environment, but will also improve the efficiency of your system.
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