Air ducts, like any other air conditioning system, require regular cleaning to ensure maximum efficiency and optimal performance. The National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) recommends cleaning air ducts every three to five years. However, in some environments, the need for commercial air duct cleaning may be more immediate. There are a few factors that influence when it comes to setting how often you should clean your duct systems. The average duct system must be cleaned every two to five years.
If your system is properly maintained and filters are changed twice a year, you can increase the time between professional cleanings. If your system has never been cleaned and has been active on your property for more than three years, it's probably due for a cleaning. Even a single station can accumulate enough dust and dirt in the system to make it less efficient than it was when it was first installed. Changing air filters frequently is the best way to keep dust, allergens, and other particles out of your home.
If you have a newly installed system or a system in a house you just moved into, check the filter once a month to determine how quickly it gets dirty at different times of the year. Most should be replaced every two to three months. One of the most important factors in determining how often air ducts should be cleaned is the number of people and animals that reside in your home. If you suspect that there is a mold problem, either because of visible growth or because of a musty smell that constantly emanates from the supply grilles, cleaning the ducts won't do much good if it doesn't remove the mold. When you call a professional duct cleaning service like AdvantaClean, you can rest assured that you'll receive a thorough cleaning process that will thoroughly disinfect your ducts and keep them working optimally. Government studies in the United States and Canada and health professionals who have researched duct cleaning go so far as to recommend it, but neither do they support it as a routine measure.
Just be sure to clean the ducts when there is visible mold, signs of pests, or excessive dust or dirt in the rooms. While duct cleaning operations may insist that duct cleaning is essential to health, the evidence doesn't support their claims. However, air ducts in homes with pets or children with allergies should have their air ducts cleaned by a professional more often than the recommended average. Environmental Protection Agency researchers measured dust levels and HVAC system efficiency in test homes over a one-week period during the cooling season and found that cleaning the ducts did not significantly improve dust levels or system performance. Another inaccurate statement by most duct cleaning companies and their trade associations is that dirty ducts and equipment overload heating and cooling equipment, resulting in a waste of energy.
Mold and mildew can adversely affect health, so if there is a visible formation of mold inside the air conditioning system, it's time to call an air conditioning company to clean the vents before mold and mildew spores spread to the rest of the house. Any sign of rodents or insects in the air conditioning system is an indication that the ducts need to be professionally cleaned. And while the equipment and methods used by duct cleaning companies have changed since these studies were conducted, household air ducts haven't changed. Experts recommend cleaning air ducts every 2 or 3 years to avoid many maintenance and health problems before they start to produce.
