Does the air in your home sometimes feel stuffy or smell stale? Does anyone in your household have hay fever or allergies and sometimes find they’re aggravated before they even leave the house? Dirty air ducts can make a big difference to your indoor air quality, and it’s easy to forget to have them cleaned since they’re concealed, and falling air quality is a gradual process.
8 Signs Your Air Ducts Need to Be Cleaned
Watch out for these signs you need to book air duct cleaning:
1. Poor Ventilation
Poor airflow from your air vents is a clear sign of a malfunctioning HVAC unit or clogged filters/ducts. Book an air duct inspection to troubleshoot the problem and get your air conditioning working well again.
2. Odd Smells From Air Vents
If you’ve noticed an odd smell in your home and can’t tell where it’s coming from, dirty ducts are a likely cause. Sometimes, the problem isn’t obvious from a quick visual inspection, which is why it’s helpful to have a professional air duct cleaning service perform a thorough cleaning to remove dust and pollen, mold spores, and other more troublesome contaminants.
3. Increased Allergy Symptoms
Your air conditioner’s filters should remove pollen, pet dander, and other allergens, but if your air ducts are clogged and your filters are saturated with visible dust, the filters may not be effective at removing allergens. So if you or any household members experience worsening allergy symptoms without explanation, it may be time to have your air ducts cleaned.
4. Difficulty Sleeping
Even people without respiratory issues or allergies might find poor indoor air quality aggravates them at night. If stuffy air makes sleeping difficult, cleaning your air filters and ducts may help.
5. Rising Energy Bills
Clogged air filters, poorly sealed ducts, and ducts clogged with dust and debris can hamper the flow of cool air around your home. This doesn’t happen overnight, so many people fail to notice the gradual drop in the efficiency of their air conditioning. If your AC is always running, the airflow is poor, and your utility bills are higher than they should be during the summer, having your air ducts cleaned in addition to performing regular AC servicing could help improve your HVAC unit’s energy efficiency.
6. Dust Buildup on Vents
Dust from your home is passed through air ducts and released back into other rooms via vents. Some of that dust might get caught on the vents, clogging them. If you keep cleaning your vents only for more and more dust to appear, the ducts are likely full of dust, too.
7. Clogged Air Filters
Your AC system’s air filters are supposed to remove pollen, pet dander, and dust from the air, stopping it from entering your home. These filters should be changed annually as part of an AC service visit and more often if you’ve been doing renovation work or anything else that creates a lot of dust. If your filters are constantly clogging, they may be dealing with a higher-than-average level of contamination, due to debris in your ducts.
8. Mold or Mildew Near Vent Covers
Mold and mildew can spread quickly, so any mold growth in your home should be taken seriously. If mold has grown on or near your vent covers, this could be a sign of potentially dangerous mold growth in your air ducts. Don’t try to treat mold yourself, as disturbing it could release more spores into the air. Call the professionals to identify the type of mold and clean it safely and effectively.
Contact Duct Doctor for Professional Air Duct Cleaning
If your air ducts are overdue for cleaning, call Duct Doctor to book an inspection and thorough cleaning of your ducts today. Our skilled technicians use the latest tools to remove dirt, pet dander, pollen, mold, and other contaminants from air ducts, boosting your home’s indoor air quality and helping ensure your HVAC system runs as efficiently as possible.
Regular air duct cleaning can prolong the life of your AC system, reduce your utility bills, and make your home’s air smell fresh and clean. Contact us today to book a cleaning session for your air ducts.