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- January 26, 2024
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Do air conditioning ducts need to be cleaned? This question bothers many ducted air conditioner owners when they see service providers emphasising the need for regular air duct cleaning services.
While we always hear about getting air duct cleaning maintenance services once a year, we don’t know the importance and benefits it brings to our indoor environment, whether in offices or homes. Let us provide an answer to all your queries.
Do Air Conditioning Ducts Need To Be Cleaned?
First things first.
To understand whether air conditioning ducts need to be cleaned every year, half a year or once in two years etc, let’s first understand their function in the HVAC system.
Understanding The Importance Of Air Ducts In The HVAC System
The HVAC ducts are essential to the HVAC system because they circulate conditioned air throughout the building. If there is no ductwork, conditioned air from the outdoor unit can’t reach indoor spaces, making people uncomfortable.
Ducts in an HVAC system are of different types. They are either rigid, semi-rigid, or flexible and are made up of plastic and wire composite, metal, or fibreglass board. They are usually round or rectangular. An air duct installation expert guides the type, material, and shape of ducts according to requirements.
Any indoor space has a network of return and supply ducts, connected with the indoor and outdoor unit. The indoor air moves out into the return ducts, which are connected to the vents and carry air from indoor spaces to units for air conditioning. The condition- heated or cooled, filtered air directly enters indoor spaces via supply ducts.
Leakage, contamination or any other problem with the ducts impacts the performance quality of the HVAC system. Ductwork quality directly impacts indoor air quality.
How Air Ducts Impact Indoor Air Quality?
The primary function of air ducts is to circulate air from indoors and bring back conditioned air.
With time, dust, debris, and pollutants collect inside the ducts, and moisture increases the chance of bacterial and fungal growth. The air passing through the ducts gets contaminated with pollutants and affects the quality of air in the ducts and indoors.
With this discussion, you can conclude the answer to your question: do air conditioning ducts need to be cleaned?
Yes! You need to clean air conditioning ducts regularly to protect indoor air contamination. You may hire professional air duct cleaning services to get comprehensive cleaning services. Proper cleaning of the air ducts allows you to minimise the effects on indoor air quality easily.
What Are The Effects Of Contaminated Air Ducts On Indoor Air Quality?
Here is a brief list of the effects of contaminated air ducts on indoor air quality.
Dust And Debris:
Dirt, dust, pollen and other airborne pollutants collect in the air ducts of the HVAC system. They decrease the efficiency of HVAC and negatively impact indoor air quality.
Pathogen Infestation:
Infectious bacteria and viruses are present in the atmosphere, which, with time, accumulate in the air ducts and transmit into indoor spaces. The pathogen-infested indoor air causes many health problems for the residents. The National Air Duct Cleaners Association enlists complete details of the health effects of poor indoor air quality.
Chemical Pollutants:
Chemical pollutants, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and formaldehyde, usually come out as gasses from furniture polishing and building materials. These chemical pollutants contribute to indoor air quality.
Mold:
Molds are fungi that grow in dark places with excessive moisture, making air ducts a favourable growth place. They affect the indoor air quality by releasing spores, which trigger issues in the respiratory system.
Influx Of Outdoor Pollutants:
Dirty air ducts are more susceptible to leakage and physical damage. Leakage in the air ducts creates negative air pressure and allows an influx of outdoor air and pollutants into the air ducts. Contaminatinated air from the air ducts circulates throughout the indoor spaces, affecting the air quality.
7 Guaranteed Benefits Of Air Duct Cleaning For Improved Indoor Air Quality
We know that dirty and contaminated air ducts have a profound effect on the quality of indoor air. Regular air duct cleaning significantly improves indoor air quality, bringing many benefits.
Enhanced Overall Health And Well-being
Cleaning the air ducts regularly can significantly improve the overall health and well-being of your family, friends, and coworkers. Cleaned air ducts reduce the chances of getting allergies and respiratory problems and enhance mental attentiveness and general well-being, making you feel fit and healthy.
Improved Indoor Air Quality
According to the American Lung Association, “Indoor air can be 2-5 times, even up to 100 times, more polluted than outdoor air”. Polluted indoor air reduces air quality and poses health risks. When you clean the air ducts, the accumulated contaminants and pollutants are removed and do not circulate throughout the home, significantly improving the indoor air quality.
Reduced Allergens
Allergies are common but problematic. The chances of developing allergies increase with increased exposure to allergens, which happens when indoor air quality is compromised and air ducts are dirty. The simple way to reduce allergens is to clean the air ducts regularly.
Removing allergens like dust, mites, debris, and dander from the air ducts improves air quality and reduces the chance of getting allergies. Removing allergens also improves focus and sleeping quality.
Dust-Free Living Areas
If you run your HVAC system every day, and your living area gets dirty, it means the air ducts are dirty. Dirt settles on the surface of living space objects as dirty air flows from the air ducts into the room.
With regular air duct cleaning, the HVAC system doesn’t push dirt into the living space and the space remains clean and hygienic.
Better Air Flow And Temperature Maintenance
The dirt, grim, and debris in the air ducts obstruct the airflow. Due to reduced airflow, air can’t circulate in the indoor space properly, causing inconsistent temperatures. Regularly cleaning the air ducts resolves this problem and ensures adequate temperature maintenance throughout the building.
Clear Out Unpleasant Odors
If you are sensing unpleasant odours in one or more rooms, it indicates an underlying problem in the air ducts. Odors make the indoor environment uncomfortable for living. You can resolve this issue by cleaning the air ducts as cleaning removes the foul smells and improves the air quality significantly.
Cost Savings
Knowing how much does air conditioning duct cleaning costs, do you think regular air duct cleaning can bring cost savings?
Yes, regular air duct cleaning brings cost savings. Firstly, it saves ducts from physical damage and allows owners to get them repaired without extensive damage, saving repair costs. Secondly, it protects residents from health issues, bringing savings over medical bills. Thirdly, regular air duct cleaning ensures there are no dirt, odour, gasses or pollutants in the indoor air, so there is no need for installing an air purifier or any other device for maintaining indoor air quality. Lastly, pure indoor air also saves from material damage, allowing things to last longer.
How Much Does Air Conditioning Duct Cleaning Cost?
The air conditioning duct cleaning cost ranges depending on the size of the HVAC system, the complexity of the ductwork, and your service provider. Some service providers charge separately for each air duct and vent. You’ll find much variation in pricing because of high market competition.
Surrey Air is one of the most budget-friendly air conditioning duct cleaning service providers in Melbourne, Australia. They offer comprehensive air duct cleaning services for residential and commercial buildings You can contact Surrey Air for air conditioning duct cleaning services to get a free quote online.
Can You Clean Your Own Air Ducts?
Calling professional service providers now and then isn’t budget-friendly at all. Air duct cleaning is a simple, nontechnical job that you can do on your own, but with care. You must have the required tools and basic knowledge about your HVAC system to clean the air ducts. Note that cleaning the air ducts on your own doesn’t exclude the need for yearly HVAC maintenance services.
Final Words:
Air ducts in an HVAC system perform an important function of carrying air from and to the living spaces. Many people ask do air conditioning ducts need to be cleaned. They must know that if the air ducts are contaminated with dirt, debris, allergens, or pathogens, it directly impacts the indoor air quality. Poor indoor air quality affects health and well-being and brings many other harmful effects. Regularly cleaning the air ducts improves the air quality and enhances the HVAC efficiency and performance.
Another frequent question that people ask is can you clean your own air ducts? The answer is yes, but you’ll still need a professional HVAC maintenance service provider such as Surrey Air for yearly maintenance services. Many people worry about the costs and search for how much does air conditioning duct cleaning costs. The answer is simple. The average cost for the service starts from $150. The price may increase according to the size and complexity of the ductwork.
