Cleaning your Air Ducts?
Monday, September 19th, 2016 | Categories: Bacteria Health Risks, Children and Mold, Commercial Inspections, Crawl Space, Senior Citizens and mold, Sick Building, Toxic Mold,Indoor Air Quality | 1 Comment
A recent Enviormental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated that the average american family contributes 40 pounds of dust per year to their Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) system.
Are you considering cleaning your air ducts?
Is it a good or bad idea?
We at Volunteer Mold and Indoor Air Quality think its a very good idea but you should know the proper steps before you hiring a duct cleaning company.
- Have your ducts inspected by a professional with a borescope camera to determine if you have a concern. Having your unit inspected throughly using an LED borescope camera can quickly identify issues and confirm the need to clean or lack thereof. We frequently encounter residential and commercial properties that have broken seals or damaged ducts that at bringing contaminates in from outside areas. Broken ducts can be a runway for rodents and other pests that create a host of biological issues that impact health. Damaged Ducts may not remain clean long after the service and can bring high levels of humidity into the home by drawing air from the crawl space or attic.
- Does duct cleaning prevent health problems? The EPA says nobody knows. We say it depends. In our practice at Volunteer Mold and Indoor Air Quality we have found a variety of contaminates that were making our clients and or their employees ill. Finding food, rodent nests, insect habitats, organic debris from gardens and basements let alone, people and pets is very common.
- How could duct cleaning go wrong? Often times duct cleaning performed by untrained technicians or the use of the wrong equipment can actually make airborne contaminate far worse. We have been called to commercial and residential properties after the “Ducts were cleaned” only to learn that our clients were much sicker than before the cleaning. Our clients know that the proper skills, certifications and equipment used varies greatly from one contractor to another. We have seen contractors use shop vacuums and long handled brushes attempting to clean our clients HVAC systems. Not good!
- Let the buyer beware! Most everyone calls to check on costs and availability, but few know the credentials and type equipment of equipment the contractor and his employees, will be using. Ask questions about the type of equipment and the training levels of the folks showing up to do the work before they show up. Insist on a survey of your home or business before scheduling the job and ask the expert lots of questions. Better yet, if your property is in East Tennesse, call us for a referral to a professional service.
Nice post! HVAC maintenance is important to keep your air ducts neat and clean. Over time, dust mites or debris accumulate inside the air ducts. Thank you for shearing.