What Is In My Ducts, Anyway?

The air ducts in your home are a bit like the cardiovascular system of the body. And for the best possible air quality in your home, your ductwork should be cleaned regularly. Over the course of your day-to-day activities, many different things end up in your ducts.

How does this happen? Your HVAC takes air from your home, circulates it though its system to adjust the temperature and then pumps it back into your home. Your HVAC system has a filter, but this doesn’t work perfectly for a couple of reasons. First, the filter is placed before your HVAC, which means that the intake ducts are not getting any of the filtering benefit. Secondly, even the best filter lets through some amount of particulate and this adds up over time. In short, if it’s in your air, it ends up in your ductwork.

Your HVAC system actually prevents airborne particulate from settling, because it picks it up from the air and then continually circulates it through the system. Depending on the size of your home, things picked up by your HVAC system are recirculated around your home 50 to 70 times per day, on average. These could include:

Dust

Any home, no matter how clean generates a certain amount of dust. Dust is made up of a lot of random stuff, like plant pollen, human and animal hairs, textile fibers, paper fibers, minerals from outdoor soil, and human skin cells.

Pet Dander

If you have any pets, chances are they shed pet dander particles, which also end up all around your home and in your ductwork.

Pollen and Other Allergens

Stuff from the outside inevitably ends up in your home, and from there it gets circulated in your ductwork. This can be problematic for those who are allergic and want to remove all of these irritants from their homes.

Mold

In particular climates or circumstances, it’s not unusual for some amount of mold to develop in the ductwork. When this happens, you might notice a musty smell all over the house or just in a few isolated rooms. Mold is not just an inconvenience, but could actually cause medical problems, and that’s why mold issues should be remedied as soon as they are discovered.

Pests and Vermin

Believe it or not, many homes have insects or even rodents that use the ductwork like their own personal passageway system.

If you’re like most people, the list above should provide you with ample reasons to consider getting the air ducts in your home cleaned. Reach out to us today to schedule your appointment!

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