What happens if you don’t regularly carry out air duct cleaning? The air ducts and vents in any property, business, or home do a lot of work. This means that dirt, dust, and mold can build up quickly. What can this lead to? Superior Air Duct can explain. In this blog, we’re going to look at what can potentially happen to your ducts, vents, and your home, if you neglect air duct cleaning for too long.

Mold Could Build Up and Spread

One of the major issues with letting your vents and air ducts go untreated is mold. This is especially common in vents with insulation. If any water gets into your vents, or condensation is allowed to build up, then the moisture is going to stay. Over time, without proper air duct cleaning and maintenance, the moisture will start to grow mold and mildew.

The real problem here is due to what your ducts do: disperse air throughout a structure. If you have moldy air ducts, that mold is going to be blown all through your home or business. Not only is this going to create a musty, unpleasant smell, but eventually people will start to get sick.

Ducts End Up Getting Clogged

A buildup of dust and debris in air ducts is eventually going to clog them, too. Over time, dust will clump together, building up in the duct itself, as well as around outlets, vents, and in filters. This will reduce the airflow, which will reduce the effectiveness of A/C and heating, causing the HVAC system to work harder than it needs to. If it’s left for long enough, it could stop ducts working altogether.

You Might Get Pests

All of the dust and debris, along with any moisture, is a prime breeding ground for pests. Untreated air ducts are the perfect place for a variety of household pests, like cockroaches, crickets, rats, or mice. The longer you leave your air ducts alone, the more likely it is that some creepy crawlies will make them their home.

It’ll Cost You Money

Ultimately, neglecting your air ducts is going to cost you money. Heating and cooling will be harder to maintain, your electricity bills will go up, and you’ll have to pay more for more intensive services to solve issues. These are all problems you could prevent with air duct cleaning.

Why Dryer Duct Cleaning is Important

Dryer lint builds up in many paces. You will find it not only in the lint trap, but also in the interior dryer duct, the dryer vent, and the dryer itself. Homeowners who attempt to clean their dryer ducts themselves often believe they have done a thorough job. However, many home vacuums don’t have the ability to fully clean a dryer duct. Even worse, oftentimes homeowners inadvertently compact the lint when trying to vacuum and cause blockages in the vents and ducts. These blockages act as lint catchers inside of your dryer duct and quickly build up. A professional dryer duct cleaning will be able to completely remove ducts and ensure they are thoroughly cleaned.

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Difficulties of DIY Dryer Duct Cleaning

Most homeowners don’t have the necessary tools to fully access their ducts and vents. In addition, many homes have flexible plastic or foil ducts that are prone to lint buildup thanks to the innate ridges in a flexible design.

Not only should your duct be cleaned, but you should also ensure that your dryer itself has had any lint removed. This requires you open the access panel to clean around the machine’s components as well. A professional dryer duct cleaning service will be familiar with most any dryer and can easily ensure that any potential lint will be cleaned.

How Often Should I Get My Dryer Duct Cleaned?

There are a few signs that you are in need of a dryer duct cleaning service. First, is it taking more than one cycle to fully dry your clothes? Do you see a large amount of lint collecting around the door of your dryer? Has your dryer shut off because it was overheating, or have you noticed that your machine is getting very hot? These are all signs that your dryer duct is in need of a cleaning. DO NOT PUT THIS OFF! These are all signs that your dryer is at risk of catching fire, and should be dealt with ASAP. We recommend scheduling a professional cleaning at least once a year.

Want to know if you need to have your ducts cleaned? Here are 5 dead giveaways of dirty air ducts!
 

1) Mold

While we all know how dust can negatively affect our health, mold is a whole different ballgame! Not only can it exacerbate allergies and respiratory problems, it can also spread quickly throughout your home. 

Your heating and cooling system can develop condensation, leading to the growth of mold in your ductwork (especially if you live in a humid climate). You may spot mold around your vent covers, but unfortunately, many components of your heating and cooling system aren’t easily accessible, so mold in your air ducts is especially difficult to detect visually. However, while mold can be difficult to see, it usually presents itself in the form of a musty odor.

If you do have mold in your air ducts, it’s important to take action quickly to preserve your home’s indoor air quality. An air duct cleaning technician will be able to identify and remediate any mold issues, and also help to prevent its return. In addition to duct cleaning, you should also take additional precautions against excess moisture in your home. You can do so by installing a whole-home dehumidifier or by optimizing settings on your thermostat. Keep in mind that if the conditions causing mold growth in the first place are not corrected, mold growth will recur. 
 

2) Dust

Is your home dusty, no matter how often you clean? While dusting isn’t a fun task, it’s something we all have to do from time to time. If you notice that every flat surface in your home is coated with dust almost immediately after you’ve put away your cleaning supplies, you probably need to have your ducts cleaned!

Even the cleanest homes can have dirt, dust, pet dander, and all sorts of harmful contaminants lingering in the air ducts. You may even notice dust coming out of the vents every time the HVAC system kicks on! Take a look at the air supply and return vents around your house. Are they visibly dirty or dusty? If so, carefully remove a vent cover and/or filter and take a look into the ductwork. Is the metal covered in dust? If you see dust and dirt both inside and outside — especially by the vents that blow cool air out — your ducts most likely need to be cleaned. 

To prevent future dust buildup, make sure you replace your HVAC system air filters frequently. You can also run an air purifier. Both filters and air purifiers work with your HVAC system to trap a variety of airborne particles like dust, tobacco smoke, and bacteria before they enter the ductwork.
 

3) Ducts are Infested with Rodents or Insects

From time to time, mice, squirrels, and insects can make their way into your air ducts. Naturally, these vermin leave behind all sorts of bacteria. When rodents find their way into your ductwork, they make nests and leave droppings behind, sending tiny fecal spores sweeping along the ducts. These spores can then make their way into your home and contaminate the quality of the air you breathe. 

Unfortunately, rodents like to take up residence in ductwork, and will chew their way in, or find some sort of unsealed access. Once they move in, your home’s duct work becomes a personal highway for rodents, as they make their way all around your home. If rodents are in your ductwork, they will leave some telltale signs — not only will you see droppings, you may find chewed up materials or unpleasant smells, all of which indicate an infestation. 

Keep in mind that a rodent infestation might require more than air duct cleaning! If you ignore the issue, it could lead to serious structural damage, not to mention an HVAC system that doesn’t work efficiently, leading to higher energy bills.
 

4) Your Home was Just Built or has Undergone a Major Renovation

Construction is messy. Even when contractors are diligent about cleaning up and closing off work areas to keep the rest of the site tidy, dust and debris will always find its way in. Unless the HVAC system is not turned on and kept completely covered during the entire construction process (which isn’t realistic for most homeowners), that dirt and dust will most certainly make its way into your ductwork.

Construction and remodeling dust can contain some pretty nasty particulate matter that you really don’t want to breathe, so it’s best to get this issue remedied quickly before respiratory problems develop.
 

5) Rising Energy Costs

Your heating and cooling costs should be relatively predictable from year to year. If you receive a bill that is noticeably high, especially compared to the same time a year ago, dirty ductwork might be to blame.

At times, ductwork can become so dirty that air isn’t able to flow freely and efficiently through your home’s HVAC system. When this happens, both your furnace and air conditioner are forced to work harder to maintain a comfortable temperature. This added energy expenditure means higher utility bills for you and your family.

You also may notice that a bathroom, bedroom, or other room in your home doesn’t receive the same level of airflow as other rooms. In most cases, vents that are fully open should deliver relatively consistent airflow from room to room. Inconsistency could be the result of dirty air ducts. 

Worth noting, it isn’t always the accumulation of debris in your air ducts that causes your system to have to work harder. Any leaks you have in your ductwork is lost energy, decreasing the efficiency and increasing your energy bill. Hiring an air duct technician to clean your ducts won’t only remove harmful contaminants, but can also rule out potential leaks