If your home has a central heating and air conditioning system, maintaining the ductwork is essential to keeping your home comfortable and healthy. Neglected ducts can harbor high levels of air pollutants, circulating them inside your home and contributing to conditions like asthma, allergies, sinus irritation, and other respiratory problems. Inefficient ducts can also impact your energy usage and may cause a significant increase in your monthly utility bills.Many homeowners think that simply cleaning their ducts will take care of any air quality problems inside their homes. This just isn’t the case. While keeping ducts clean is important, far more significant is what’s going into the ductwork. Harmful fumes from paint and cleaning supplies, tobacco smoke, and even cooking are some of the main causes of poor indoor air quality. If you are having trouble with the quality of air circulating through your home, take a closer look at any of your daily activities that could be contributing to the problem.
Still, cleaning ductwork is important. Mold and odors caused by deceased vermin behind the walls of your home can seep into ducts and interfere with air quality. When cleaning ductwork be sure to replace the air filter, remove any foreign objects, and repair any noticeable cracks, tears, or weak spots. A professional HVAC technician can thoroughly clean your system and make necessary repairs or recommendations to improve the quality of air inside your home.
An impeccable duct system is nothing without a good support team: well insulated windows, doors, attics, crawl spaces, and basements. Without the proper joints and sealants, all the warm or cool air pumped out through your home’s ductwork will be lost to the outdoors. This not only affects the efficiency of your heating and cooling system, but it also raises your monthly utility costs. Be sure that all windows and doors are properly fitted and sealed, and that your home is adequately insulated.
Perhaps the most under-appreciated part of any heating and cooling system is the air return ducts. Proper return ducts ensure consistent, comfortable heating and air conditioning which improves ventilation, air quality, and the overall temperature inside your home. If the air return ducts aren’t functioning properly it can even force your furnace or air conditioning unit to work harder; this can increase wear and tear on your equipment and may shorten the overall life of your system.
Because air return ducts are a complex part of your home’s heating and cooling system, it’s best to leave them to the professionals. If you notice that the rooms in your house with outside walls are often a different temperature than the rest of the home, or that your energy bills are going up even though you haven’t changed your usage habits, it’s a sign that you may be having trouble with your return ducts. It would be wise to call in a professional technician to check things out.
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