Maintaining clean air ducts can mean better air quality for your house. Irrespective of whether you have your air vents professionally cleaned, a regular maintenance plan can help diminish contamination of your air vents. Air duct cleaning revolves around 2 variables, restricting the quantity of foreign matter (pollen, insects, insect droppings) that goes into your vents, heating and cooling system and blocking moisture from getting into your vents.
Tips to control the volume of foreign particles in your system:
1. Use the highest efficiency air filter within you're budget as recommended by the manufacturer of your HVAC system.
2. Replace your air filter routinely. How frequently will depend on where you live, whether or not you have a pet, if anybody smokes in the home and how how often your HVAC is used.
3. Be sure every filter is in place (many HVAC systems use multiple filters) and they fit properly and guarantee air cannot bypass the air filters.
4. Every time you have your HVAC serviced, have the technician clean the coils and drain pans.
5. Don't operate your HVAC system and block the return and supply vents for significant home renovations that will generate a lot of dust.
6. Dust and vacuum your home on a regular basis. Ideally use a high efficiency (HEPA) vacuum with the highest efficiency filter within your budget.
Moisture in air ducts is never a positive thing. It can result in mold, bacteria and fungi growth which may well cause health problems. Moisture in air ducts is not all that unusual and can be caused by HVAC system or by other elements leaky pipes or leaks in your roof. Research shows that condensation on or near cooling coils of air conditioners is a major contributor of moisture in airducts. Condensation is standard and is produced when the temperature of air in the heating and cooling system is cooler than the dew point temperature of surrounding air. Newer heating and cooling system, when functioning correctly, have features to remove this condensation without contaminating the air vents. Incorrectly installed HVAC systemHVAC, incorrectly serviced systems and systems not operating correctly can enhance the amount of damage created by normal condensation.
Tips to prevent air vents from getting wet:
1. Repair all water leaks and water damage swiftly and completely.
2. Condensation coils, when functioning properly, extract moisture from the air and drain pans extract the moisture from the HVAC. Both cooling coils and drain pan should be inspected on a regular basis. Drain pans should drain completely so any standing water in the drain pan implies the pan is not functioning correctly. The drain pan should also be free of debris which may reduce its ability to drain effectively.
3. Air ducts should be sealed and insulated whenever they are located in areas that are not cooled such as attics, crawl spaces or garages. This helps reduce condensation by decreasing the temperature variation between the air within the airducts and the air directly adjacent to the ductwork.
4. If your are replacing your air conditioner be certain the new unit is suitable for your size house. An air conditioner that is too big will have a tendency to cycle on and off more often which diminishes its ability to remove moisture from the air.
Waiting to have your airducts cleaned until there is an issue such as mold being present frequently means family members have already been exposed to the health hazard. This is why regular upkeep of your air ducts is essential, either by a professional air duct cleaner or by preventative maintenance taken by the homeowner.
Posted by reyesi8ax3
at 4:18 PM EDT
