Allergies are a common consequence of poor HVAC maintenance. Therefore, getting the right cleaning for your air ducts at the appropriate time is the perfect way to prevent allergies.

How do the air ducts in your HVAC system become dirty?

Your HVAC system is made of various heating and cooling modules, along with a supporting network of air ducts, which help move the conditioned air around your home. Along the way, there are several grills, diffusers, registers, and vents. All of these serve as the entry point for several different types of bacteria, dust, and even molds. Moreover, the heating and cooling modules installed in your home are just as responsible for introducing potentially allergy-causing microorganisms into the air you breathe.

Due to uninhibited exposure to these potentially harmful and irritable microorganisms, your air ducts quickly become their home and they end up contaminating the air.

Molds in duct – a result of poor drainage

The condensing unit in your home is responsible for cooling the air circulating through it. However, due to the cooling process, the air conditioner produces condensate. If the condensate is not properly handled, it will pool in places. Due to the combination of a damp and dark environment in the air duct, molds thrive and eventually release spores into the air.

These then act as allergens, which make the air uncomfortable to breathe. To fix the issue and restore air quality, opt for air duct cleaning. The professionals will come and treat your air ducts with great care, clean out all the dirt and perform extensive mold removal. In addition to this, they will extensively clean your filters, clean other modules of your HVAC system and ensure that there are no molds or bacteria left behind which might act as irritants or cause respiratory problems for you and your family.

Ill-maintained filters – the cause for frequent air duct cleaning

If the filters set in place in your HVAC system and the ductwork, you will need to hire air duct cleaning services frequently as you will end up with dirt and grime in your air ducts more often. However, if you take additional steps to maintain them frequently by cleaning them on a regular basis, your filters will serve you better and prevent molds in ducts. Furthermore, by ensuring that your air ducts are clean all the time, you will effectively reduce the maintenance costs of your HVAC system as a cleaner filter is better at catching unwanted dirt and grime, preventing them from getting into your air ducts. From there, air duct cleaning is required less often.

Maintaining the filters in your ventilation have additional benefits like improving the efficiency of your HVAC system. With a clogged air filter, the HVAC system will have some resistance against its natural airflow. However, when the filters are clean, the air is transferred more easily, and the heating and air conditioning in your home is done in a more efficient manner.

Keeping Your Home Clean Enough to Avoid Allergy-Related Problems

You can take some of these steps yourself to ensure that the air circulating in your home is cleaner and not prone to causing allergies for you and your family. They are:

• Clean and vacuum frequently: Wiping down your home with a cloth and then vacuuming is a great way to ensure that allergens do not settle on your floors or carpets. Moreover, if you clean the air vents in your HVAC system yourself, you should thoroughly wipe down the surrounding area after your cleaning job. Finally, if you keep the cleaning routine consistent, you should be removing plenty of allergens from your home yourself without ever giving them a chance to end up in your ductwork.
• Schedule AC maintenance & repair: Instead of hiring services for air duct cleaning when you start noticing allergy problems or otherwise, you should consider keeping your HVAC system maintenance on a schedule that will allow you to prevent mold or dust build-up. Moreover, this will prevent any extensive damages to your air ducts, as with time and dirt accumulation, your air ducts will become damaged, which in turn will call for air duct replacement. This is a far more expensive and easily preventable solution to air duct problems.
• Better filters and air purification: Several modern HVAC systems like those akin to a Carrier system or a newer Trane system have smarter built-in air filtration and purification system, which easily clean the air that is fed into your HVAC system. However, if your system does not come with these advanced filters, you can install some into your airways and vents. These will help keep the costs of maintenance down while ensuring that the air circulating through your home is clean and will not carry any allergens. However, even with all these measures in place, it is important to ensure that your system is maintained regularly and that you hire AC maintenance & repair services often.

Neglect – the common cause of air duct replacement

Many homeowners often forget the neglect their HVAC systems or are forgetful. This can lead to several problems, including inefficient operation, inadequate cooling, and allergies. To keep the air duct cleaning cost low and ensure that your family is not exposed to harmful mold-related allergies and diseases, hire an air conditioning service often, purchase a modern HVAC system like the ones from Trane HVAC with advanced filtration systems and facilities. Finally, if you detect any problems with your HVAC system, you should consult with an air conditioning repair service so that they can come and have a quick look at your system. A dysfunctional HVAC system often leads to dirty air ducts with allergens as well. Moreover, in some cases, if left unaccounted for, the HVAC system becomes permanently damaged, and AC repair will not be able to help you.

See the summary of this article here in an infographic – 3 Tips on Keeping Your Home Clean & Avoid Allergies [Infographic]