How Flexible- And Metal-Duct Cleaning Is Done And How To Know When Your Ducts Need To Be Cleaned
If you've never had your air ducts cleaned, or if it's been years since it was last done, you may be wondering if it's time to have your ducts cleaned again. Here's a look at when it's time to consider having them cleaned and how a duct cleaning service might go about it.
How To Know If Your HVAC Ducts Need To Be Cleaned
If you can see inside of your ducts a little way, you might take the register grille off and shine a flashlight inside so you can see if it is coated with dust inside. You probably won't be able to see in very far, but if there is a lot of dust toward the end, the entire thing is probably dusty too.
Dust isn't the only reason to have your ducts cleaned. If you battled a rodent infestation in your attic, and the pests got in your ducts, you probably should have them cleaned to get rid of rodent droppings, hair, and nest material.
Mold is another reason to get your ducts cleaned. If your ducts have a musty odor, they could be blowing mold spores around your home. You'll want to clean them and kill the mold or get new ducts if they have an excessive mold problem.
How Duct Cleaning Is Done
Duct cleaning entails knocking the dust off the sides of the duct while sucking the dust outside at the same time. Both metal and flexible ducts can be cleaned. However, certain older flexible ducts might need to be replaced instead. Your duct cleaning contractor can let you know if your flexible ducts are the kind that can be cleaned.
Both flexible and metal ducts can be cleaned with whips. The whips used in flexible ducts are softer and more gentle so they don't harm the ducts. The whips spin around and remove dust from the sides of the ducts as the whips are moved along the entire length of the ductwork. Soft flexible brushes are sometimes used instead of whips. An air hose might also be used to finish cleaning up the dust after it's been knocked off the walls.
Your duct cleaning contractor might also use cleaning supplies if you need to have the ducts sanitized after harboring mold or rodents. Sanitizing should also get rid of musty and mildewy odors. Duct cleaning isn't messy since all the dust and debris are pulled out of your house.
It could make a difference to your allergies to have all the dust and mold removed. If you can tell a difference once your ducts are cleaned, you may want the contractor to come back on their recommended schedule to maintain your clean ducts.
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