Furnaces are a top choice for heating houses in North America. The heating appliances are power horses in heating but require duct cleaning from time to time. However, we must highlight that duct cleaning has never been scientifically shown to reduce the risk of health problems. No studies have proved that debris and particles in homes rise due to dirty ducts.
Most contaminants will stick to the internal surface of the system and not much will get inside the house. Cooking, cleaning, smoking, and even leaving the front door open will produce more contaminants than ducts.
Duct cleaning is a controversial issue amongst the professionals as there are benefits and disadvantages. When there is significant mold growth inside the ducts or other heating parts, duct cleaning is necessary. It’s also much needed when you or another family member struggles with a sinus infection, indoor allergies, and asthma-like symptoms.
There are many positive effects of duct cleaning so keep reading for the details.
It improves the furnace’s efficiency
When debris, dust, and even vermin clog the ducts, the furnace will have to run harder than usual to get the indoor air to the desired temperature. The extra effort increases the wear and tear on the furnace’s parts that handle the heating. If the ducts are clean, the furnace won’t struggle and will last as long as expected.
When cleaning the ducts, it’s also essential to clean the fans, heat exchangers, cooling coils, and other parts.
Here’s a video on how to clean the ducts yourself:
It reduces the risk of disease transmission
If you have vermin infiltrate the furnace ducts, the risk of catching the severe disease is significantly high. For instance, hantavirus can spread when you breathe in dust contaminated with rodent urine or droppings. The virus can also quickly spread when you make direct contact with the items. If there are cotton rats, deer mice, white-footed mice, and rice rats in the furnace ducts, you risk breathing hantavirus and similar viruses.
Leptospirosis is another disease that rodents in North America will spread. The urine of the rodents will carry the bacteria, which can spread to the food through the furnace ducts. Lymphocytic Chorio-meningitis is also something that you can get from breathing dust contaminated by urine or droppings. In the Western United States, infected fleas from wild rodents in the HVAC system can spread Plague.
Regular inspection and duct cleaning become crucial for reducing the risk of disease contamination. You want to stay safe even if you don’t find something to worry about.
It sustains good health and hygiene
Truth be told, no research says that cleaning the furnace ducts will ensure good health and better hygiene. At the same time, there is nothing that says otherwise. If you or someone in your family struggle with allergies or asthma, you will discover that you can control (to some extent) respiratory illnesses with regular duct cleaning and maintenance.
We want to remind you that the cleaning agents and chemicals used during duct cleaning could also trigger breathing problems. People dealing with asthma or allergies, children, and the elderly are more sensitive than others to poor indoor air quality, that duct cleaning can solve.
Here’s a video on the process used by a professional company:
It can reveal leaks in the system
As a house’s heating and cooling system ages, joints in the ductwork will become loose. The connection between the wall and the vent might spring leaks. However, regular inspections and cleaning will detect energy leaks and help the furnace work as expected. A responsible contractor will apply duct tape to leaky spots, apply caulk at the wall connections and see that the air filter is clean and efficient at stopping dust, debris, and dirt from getting in the system.
It helps with the system’s efficiency
When the furnace works efficiently, you won’t need the furnace to run all the time. As a result, your energy bills will stay low. Even if there’s no sure thing that cleaned ducts will keep the energy bills minimal, it’s sure that the system will run more than expected when the ducts are clogged. Remember that almost 40% of the energy used for the heating and cooling of your house will be wasted.
The dust and debris in the HVAC system will deposit on the ducts’ interior. As they commonly deposit in specific spots, the air won’t have much space to circulate through the system. If there are a lot of buildups, there will be a complete blockage and air won’t be able to move efficiently. The furnace will work harder than usual to push heated air in the house, and the energy bills will increase monthly.
It reduces unpleasant odors inside the house
When there’s a large amount of dust and debris in the furnace’s ducts, the particles will trap odors in your house. Even if some of us get easily used to the smells, the indoor air will start to smell stale when there’s a lot of dust in the system. A foul burning smell will travel inside the house when the dust gets very hot.
Tobacco, cleaning products, paint fumes, and food preparation can also generate a musty or stale smell inside a house. Removing the dust in the ducts will remove many of the unpleasant odors already circulating.
Duct cleaning isn’t necessary every year
As long as the contractor does its job right, it would help if you didn’t worry about cleaning the ducts yearly. It can pass five years before the ducts will need cleaning again. Most of the time, the professionals use negative and high-pressure air to clean the furnace ducts. It’s an effective method that stops dirt and debris from returning to the system.
Duct cleaning also has downsides. Here they are!
As with many things, duct cleaning has both positive and negative aspects. Here’s why you should give it a second thought when cleaning the furnace’s ducts.
Visual inspection isn’t possible for many of the furnace’s ducts
A big part of your heating system isn’t accessible for inspection. More often than not, you will need to hire professionals to access the problematic points where cleaning is needed. Make sure that the contractor gives you details about the issue he plans to address and don’t just take his word for it.
Visual inspections may not be enough to decide if a problem (mold) is developing inside the furnace’s ducts. Sometimes, laboratory analysis will be necessary to confirm the results. You can ask for a strip of the substance and send it to analyze. It’s an excellent step before the professionals proceed with the duct cleaning.
It’s necessary to solve the problem that generated the situation
D cleaning is crucial if you detect impressive debris, mold growth, dust collection, or even vermin in the furnace ducts. However, it would help if you also ensured that the problem wouldn’t occur any time soon. Cleaning the duct won’t be enough if the problem happens again.
A thorough inspection of the whole HVAC system will be necessary to detect the leaks, structural issues, and moisture access contributing to the duct problems. Check out your homeowner’s insurance first, as some repairs can be expensive.
Air filters contribute to duct cleaning
When there’s no excessive dust, vermin, or mold in the furnace ducts, you might skip duct cleaning. When the furnace uses efficient air filters, whey will restrict access of dust and debris to the evaporator coils, heat exchanger, and other crucial system elements. The air intake of the furnace should also come with filters. If you change or clean the filters regularly, there’s no need for duct cleaning.
However, opt for duct cleaning if you’ve just bought a house and are unsure of the maintenance history. It’s a wise step to make for the efficient performance of the ducts and furnaces.
Duct cleaning may damage the furnace
Most contractors will remove dust and debris from the ducts with a long vacuum tube. They can cause leaks and holes that later affect the furnace when they’re not careful. Some states require contractors to present a specific business license to perform the duct cleaning service. Always make sure that the contractor you plan to hire has such licenses. Also, you can check out the reviews from previous clients and referrals to select a reliable company.
It’s not a DIY job for most homeowners
Most homeowners don’t have the skills, knowledge, and equipment to clean the furnace ducts properly. Even if you like household chores, you will still need specific rotary brushes and a high-powered vacuum to clean the ducts. If you use inappropriate tools, you might damage the ducts and end up paying more than expected, as you also have to call in the experts for repair work.
When you’re not sure you need to have the ducts cleaners, you can contact a service provider. Some will offer a free or low-cost estimate to examine the ducts. He will inform you of the state of the ducts so you can decide if cleaning is necessary.
Duct cleaning services can be pricey
Typically, duct cleaning services are around $500 per home. It depends on the region and the price can get even higher than $1,000. Look for a company that is licensed, insured, and bonded; always check out the contractor’s credentials before they come to clean the ducts.
All ducts will require cleaning if you want the cleaning to have the best results. When you clean only some of the ducts, anything left in the system will contaminate the cleaned areas.
Sometimes, replacement and not cleaning are necessary
If your air ducts are insulated, an inspection might reveal that the insulation got wet. Mold will develop shortly after. In most homes, the insulation for the heating and cooling system is made with a fiberglass-based product. Even though efficient, the product is tricky to clean. It will be far more productive and efficient to replace the whole insulation than to clean it. The cleaning will be difficult if the contractor has to go through a wall or floor. However, replacing the insulation will stop mold from growing and cause expensive repairs.
Extra tip
Make sure you hire a reliable contractor for duct cleaning to avoid scams. Typically, the service provider will need 2-4 hours to clean the furnace ducts thoroughly. When the professionals finish in less than two hours, they’re not doing their job as they should. Some service providers will claim that they have found mold in your ducts, increasing the price of duct cleaning services.
We also want to inform you that you don’t need to leave your house when the company cleans the ducts—don’t fall for the coupons for the local hotels that they might offer! Pay attention to the companies pressuring you into immediate action and hire a company with certification from the National Air Duct Cleaners Association.
Before you go away
Sometimes, furnace duct cleaning will improve the efficiency of the heating and cooling system. A regular inspection is a good decision as you need to ensure that there are no rats, mice, or squirrels in the ducts. Should you hear scratching noises from the vents when the furnace isn’t running, you probably need to contact a professional contractor to find and eliminate the pests.
Even if duct cleaning hasn’t improved our health, it hasn’t brought disadvantages. Duct cleaning can bring peace of mind that you’re doing your best to keep everyone in your family as healthy as possible. See that the cleaning solutions won’t trigger any allergies or asthma either.
Consider the ups and downs of duct cleaning when moving to a new house. Even if the EPA doesn’t recommend regular duct cleaning, a tune-up of the system has more benefits than it has downsides.
