Ducts are among the most unobtrusive parts of any HVAC system. They are simple, often quiet, and tend not to suffer the dramatic breakdowns common to the more main parts of heating and air conditioning systems. That being said, your ducts still serve a vital purpose. If not taken care of properly they can not only negatively affect your HVAC systems, but your own health as well. Let’s have a look at why duct cleaning is so important, and how often you should have it done.
Why Bother With Duct Cleaning?
Floating through the air you breathe, right this second, are millions upon millions of microscopic particles. Some of these particles are harmless. Some are lung irritants, like dust and pollen. If you’re an allergy sufferer, these can make your life pretty hellish in high amounts. Some are even infectious agents like viruses, bacteria, and mold spores. These are the worst, able to sicken those they infect and lowering their quality of life.
With all of these things present in every breath you take, you may wonder why you’re not sneezing and coughing constantly. The reason you’re not constantly sick or having allergy attacks is that the concentration of these particles is often pretty low. In most homes, while these contaminants are present, they often don’t have the numbers to really impact your immune system in a noticeable way. There is one big exception to this, however, and it has to do with your ducts.
Airborne contaminants have a tendency to collect in the ducts in your home, mainly because it’s dark and out of the way of most human activity. This makes it easy for these pollutants to settle down and thrive, away from any normal cleaning efforts you may attempt. Then, when you turn on your heater or air conditioner, all of those contaminants get blown around your house at once. This gives you a much higher dose of these contaminants than normal, increasing the chances of a severe reaction.
The Benefits of Duct Cleaning
Duct cleaning is used to remove this massive buildup of contaminants from your ducts, increasing your air quality and possibly improving your health. Though the buildup of contaminants in your ducts can be quite significant, it tends to happen slowly. For that reason, you shouldn’t need to have your ducts cleaned more than once every one or two years. The biggest danger is not having them cleaned at all. If you haven’t had your ducts cleaned in the past couple of years, call Comfort Flow Heating to schedule duct cleaning service with us in Salem, OR.
