The air ducts play a huge part in a homeowner’s well being, especially during the winter. We tend to stay indoors most of the time, so it’s important that our air quality is good, as well as our energy efficiency – and air ducts play a role in both of those qualities.
Let’s take a look at how important they are, along with tips and routines you should adopt to make sure they’re always working in top condition.
“Find ecstasy in life; the mere sense of living is joy enough. – Emily Dickinson
Makes for a cleaner home
Dust can accumulate pretty fast during winter months, given how doors and windows tend to stay closed most of the time. But even worse, when dust accumulates inside your air ducts, they constantly get pumped out and spread throughout the house.
This is a major problem for family members with allergies or more sensitive noses, and therefore should be dealt with before it gets any worse.
The ideal method of prevention is to regularly clean your air ducts to prevent any build up, and if you suspect build up is already in place, schedule an air duct cleaning professional (since dealing with excessive dust head on might prove exceptionally uncomfortable).
Improves air quality
Just by dealing with dust your air quality will improve, but that’s not all. You need air to circulate as well – remember that when we breath, the oxygen we inhale becomes carbon dioxide when exhaled, and large quantities of carbon dioxide inhaled back are not healthy. This is why you need a constant inflow of fresh oxygen.
Clean air ducts will ensure your circulation of fresh is always running without issues, but if you want to do even better, consider getting a few houseplants that will improve your indoor air quality even further.
Reduces allergens in the air
Dust might be the most common problem, but other irritantes can accumulate inside your air ducts to the point of spreading around the house, such as mold, mildew, bacteria, and pollen.
Not only are these extremely irritant to your respiratory system, but the air ducts become the perfect setup for them to spread – and when it comes to mold and bacteria in particular, that’s a huge problem, since it takes a small problem and turns it into a big one.
Regularly cleaning your ducts should keep these problems in check, but if you notice your nose irritating often (or when hanging around specific rooms), coughing, sneezing, or any other sort of respiratory discomfort, it’s time to investigate.
Reduces odors
Any of the irritants named above come with a variety of uncomfortable odors, but another problem is that your air ducts could potentially become home to pests and other small animals that found a way in… meaning eventually they’ll leave remains in your ducts.
These remains, whether they’re fezes or other animals, will start stinking pretty soon and when your ventilation system is on, will spread the bad odor around the entire house. Regular inspection should prevent this from ever happening, especially by taking care of small entrances small animals could take to get inside.
Keep an ear out for noises in the vents or bad odor coming from a specific place, as it might indicate one of these pests. Be sure to check out tips on how to prevent pests from entering your home!
Increases energy efficiency
The more dust settles in your air ducts, the faster your filters will get clogged, and the more energy you’ll waste over time.
Filters already have a determined routine for how often you should replace them (and this routine should be respected), but by allowing your ducts to accumulate tons of dust, the faster your filters will go to waste. This will cost you money for replacing filters more often, but also more energy spent overall, since your HVAC system will have to work double time to make up for the bad air flow.
Need to inspect or clean your air ducts? Get a free quote for an HVAC technician today!
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