The Air Duct Cleaning Process
The air duct cleaning process (same as HVAC system cleaning) is one of the most important things any HVAC system owner should do. Any system that works constantly becomes dirty and can deteriorate. HVAC is no exception to this rule.
In addition, polluted air ducts are a great danger to everyone who lives in the house. You put yourself at risk of developing respiratory and cardiovascular system diseases. The elderly and children are especially vulnerable to dirty air.
That’s why you should know about the possible consequences of air pollution and understand how to protect yourself and the ones you love.
Air duct cleaning process step-by-step
There is a specific procedure of how the commercial air duct cleaning process looks step by step:
- step 0 – hire professionals to do the air duct cleaning procedure. You should do that, and there are plenty of reasons why. But we will talk about it later;
- step 1 – Inspection of ducts. First of all, the system must be inspected, both outside and inside. Various tools are used for this, for example, portable cameras. This is especially useful if you want to see the result of the work with your own eyes and compare what was before and what it looks like after;
- step 2 – create negative pressure. How? A large vacuum machine creates negative pressure. All “holes” before that must be sealed. By using a special vacuum cleaner, you will clean different parts of the system one at a time;
- step 3 – dust control. For this, powerful vacuuming tools are used, and they should deal with blockages. After a little manipulation, all dust and dirt are “sucked out” into the main part of the system, from where it can be removed;
- step 4 – cleaning the rest of the system. After cleaning the vents and ducts, the rest of the system must also be also cleaned, because there is no point in what you’re planning to do if you just clean a small part of the system. It will be dirty again soon. System elements such as the furnace, evaporator coil, air blower motor, drain pan, and others are usually cleaned too.
After the duct cleaning procedure, you should proceed to clean the rest of the house, because the particles of dust, dander, mold, and whatever was in there now are lying on your furniture.
Why shouldn’t you do air duct cleaning on your own?
Now let’s talk about why you should hire professionals for this job. Firstly, HVAC is a complex system, to clean it you will have to get not only theoretical training but also experience. So if you ask yourself “what is the process of duct cleaning?” – you’re not prepared for that. Without knowing how this system works, you can break it. Secondly, very expensive equipment, such as a special vacuum cleaner may be required. It’s much cheaper to hire a professional rather than to buy everything for duct cleaning.
For example, a negative pressure machine used for the HVAC duct cleaning process is carried on a special machine. In total, all the necessary equipment can cost you tens of thousands of dollars. And this is without taking into account the possible breakdowns that you can create with your own hands. And thirdly, you can simply not finish the work to the end, disperse the dust around the system and, as a result, do nothing useful.
The cleaning procedure must be carried out regularly. Professionals call different numbers, usually based on the HVAC type, but on average it happens once every 4-6 months. For more detailed information, you need to contact professionals who will be able to evaluate the individual features of your system.
Why should air ducts be cleaned regularly?
There are many reasons for doing this on a regular basis. For example:
- Cleaning the system of dirt and dust improves air circulation. Multiple pollution can serve as obstacles to air circulation.
- Improve indoor air quality. Clean air ducts allow you to improve air quality and disperse dust and dirt into your home.
- Reduces air pollutants. HVAC is an ideal environment for the accumulation and formation of a large number of different elements that have an extremely negative effect on your health. This includes allergens, toxic gasses, mold, and so on. Duct-cleaning steps will prevent that.
- Fight against mold. One of the most harmful things that form in HVAC is mold. What can cause it: warmth, the presence of moisture, as well as dust and dirt – all this is an ideal environment for the growth of mold.
- Regular HVAC duct cleaning procedures are the key to prolonging the entire HVAC system lifespan.
- Your home should be a safe fortress. If you have elderly people, children, or pets living with you, they are all at risk of getting sick from dirty air. So regular cleaning is a must.
If you ignore the vent cleaning process, the issue arises, the name of it is “how do you live like that?” or a health problem. Poor air quality from system pollution can lead to a wide range of health issues. Your respiratory organs and the cardiovascular system will suffer. This can lead to asthma, obstructive lung disease, certain chronic diseases, stroke, heart attack, and lung cancer. So, if you already experience some symptoms such as a runny or stuffy nose, redness around your eyes, swollen skin, bad mood, coughing, sneezing, or heart or lung issues, no time to waste. It all can be connected to indoor pollution issues and HVAC system malfunctioning.
Don’t forget your dryer vent
Air duct cleaning is an extremely important procedure that must be carried out regularly. But the dryer vent cleaning process is also important. If you do not do this, you risk facing very unpleasant consequences. And breaking your dryer is one of the most occurring issues.
You may also experience the formation of toxic gasses or even a fire if the dryer vent hasn’t been cleaned for a really long amount of time. According to statistics, this is quite a common occurrence in American households. If you don’t want to be part of this statistic, you might want to clean it up regularly.
In addition, the dryer vent is also a great environment for mold, dust, rodents, and so on. A working polluted system consumes more resources but does not perform all that well anymore. Also, be aware of the possibility of fires and damage to your dryer.
Without proper care, any system will break down sooner or later. It will be most beneficial for you to carry out regular cleanings with the help of professionals. No, you will not waste your money in vain on the cleaning process. By doing so, you will make sure that your system won’t catch fire, there will be no threat to your health, and you, your pets, or people who live under the same roof as you won’t develop any chronic diseases. If you ask the expert to do cleaning, you will save some cash without going to your therapist, buying expensive systems, cleaning tools, medications, and so on. There are no cons to doing so.
