“It’s important to have your air ducts cleaned” is a statement that most people would agree to. However, if they’re being honest, most people don’t know why they should clean their air ducts, nor do they know how often they should do it. Don’t worry; That’s where we come in! At One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning® of Charlotte, we’re all about empowering our customers with information. Keep reading to discover everything you need to know about how often you should clean your air ducts!

THE RIGHT AIR DUCT CLEANING EQUIPMENT

When wondering, “How often should you clean your air ducts?” it’s important to be prepared for the cleaning itself. Specifically, it’s important to have the right equipment to get the job done!

Some of the most basic tools include an assortment of scrubbers and brushes. The purpose of this equipment is to remove some of the surface debris that might otherwise be stuck within the duct work.

There are also specialized vacuums and vacuum collection equipment you will need. This helps create the negative pressure to clean the duct, but can be unwieldy to use; Many such vacuums must be connected to trucks.

Finally, you will need smaller, hand vacuums with HEPA filters that can handle water. Otherwise, the accumulated water in the duct will remain, further impeding your air flow and causing health issues.

As you can see, there’s a lot of equipment involved in air duct cleaning, and it takes a lot of money to buy or rent everything you need. You’re far better off contacting a professional to handle cleaning out your ducts!

WHEN SHOULD YOU CLEAN THE AIR DUCTS?

We’ll get to general recommendations for how often to clean the air ducts soon, however, there are signs you should look out for that indicate the ducts must be cleaned immediately.

Number one is if you expect that there is mold in the ducts. You may or may not be able to confirm the existence of mold, but it’s worth cleaning if you genuinely suspect it, as mold can cause a number of short- and long-term health issues for you and your family.

One obvious sign is the presence of rodents or insects. If you see them coming in or coming out of your ducts, it’s time to have them cleaned. Goodness only knows how much worse it is inside the ducts where you can’t see!

Finally, if you can see a faint emission of dust when air is coming out of the vents, it’s a sure sign that it’s dirty inside. That means it’s time to have them cleaned by a professional!

WHY CLEAN THE AIR DUCTS?

Earlier, we talked about some of the really obvious signs that it’s time to clean your air ducts. However, most professionals recommend cleaning at regular intervals instead of waiting for an obvious sign. That leads to a natural question: What are the benefits of cleaning your air ducts?

The main benefit is that cleaning the air ducts improves the air quality within your home. Even if there’s not mold within the ducts, constantly breathing in dirt and dust is unhealthy and it can cause significant problems with people who have asthma, allergies and other respiratory issues.

Even if you don’t have these issues, your bottom line is that it feels better to breathe clean air than it does to breathe polluted air. It’s important to schedule regular cleanings, even if you don’t see the obvious signs we mentioned above.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU CLEAN YOUR AIR DUCTS?

We’ve come now to the big question: Just how often should you clean your air ducts, anyway? If you don’t have any major risk factors for air quality (more on this in a minute), then you should have your ducts cleaned once every three years.

Now, that estimate assumes that you have already been living in your home for some time now. It’s also good to have the ducts cleaned when you buy or remodel a home, and especially if you build a new home.

Think of this as the same kind of maintenance that you would perform on other things, such as your car engine or your home’s HVAC. Through regular maintenance, you can have cleaner and healthier air in your home than ever before.

OTHER AIR DUCT FACTORS

The recommendation to clean the air duct every three years or so assumes that you have a home that is free of pets, cigarettes, and other common pollutants. Know that there are other factors that would require you to have your air ducts cleaned more frequently.

We already mentioned two of the biggest factors. Pets (and especially multiple pets) means there may be dander in the air ducts, and animals naturally going in and out of the house increases the amount of dirt in the air.

Smoke can affect the cleanliness of the air ducts and, obviously, of the air itself. If you want to maintain cleaner air but still want to smoke in your home, the ducts will need to be cleaned much more often.

Even climate can be a factor in determining how often to have your air ducts cleaned. Remember earlier, when we talked about moisture building up in the ducts? That happens more often in areas with excess humidity, requiring more frequent duct cleaning.

Finally, family can affect cleaning frequency. The more people living in a home, the more frequent cleaning is necessary. Additionally, if any of them suffer from respiratory issues, cleaning out air ducts more often can help alleviate their symptoms.

HOW TO FIND THE BEST COMPANY TO CLEAN YOUR AIR DUCTS

It’s important to have your air ducts cleaned regularly. However, it’s difficult and expensive to do it yourself. That’s why it’s important to have professionals you can trust.

At One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning® of Charlotte, we are those professionals. We’re here to help give you the home you always dreamed of. To see how much cleaner we can make your air, give us a call today!