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Air Ducts - How Often Do You Clean Them?

By
Home Builder with link home builders

HVAC is an acronym for Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning, and these systems are seriously a modern convenience that many people don’t know what they would do without. From the smallest of apartments to the largest public buildings like schools and hospitals, HVAC units are constantly in use, where they circulate the air, providing cooling in the summer and heat in the winter. They’re one of the most popular pieces of machinery on the planet when it comes to household appliances. They’re sophisticated, well-built systems that tend to last a long time if maintained properly. Though in no way does that mean they aren’t sometimes a hassle. The thing about HVAC systems is that they don’t operate without ductwork in the home. The air has to travel through a variety of ducts and out of vents.

 

As one might imagine, these ducts can become very dirty over time. HVAC systems have good filtration, but every little particulate and bit of debris can accumulate over time. So, while you might be looking for HVAC companies and nearby areas to come in and fix your system, you might be neglecting something that’s equally important, as in cleaning out those ducts.

 

A Cleaning Schedule for Your Ducts

How often should you clean out your air ducts? Well, we know that someone is reading this and shouting at the screen, “When they’re dirty, obviously!” That’s certainly true; if they’re dirty, clean them out. But that’s what you’re going to notice on the vents. The vents will accumulate dust and dirt and debris and cobwebs and all sorts of stuff. It is recommended you clean your vents off every time the season changes. In other words, when you switch from heat to AC or vice versa, give those vents a good cleaning.

 

As for the actual ductwork, this is something that you’re not going to be able to easily see. The experts in the field recommend that you clean these ducts out about every three to five years. Though, of course, this is just an average time. For people who get a lot of use out of their systems, maybe every one to two years would be much better. Whenever you do decide to clean those ducts, though, it might be better for you to find HVAC companies to handle this job for you. Here are a few reasons for that.

 

3 Reasons to Hire the Pros to Clean Your Ducts

 

1: The Job is Done Cleaner

The first reason is that the pros just do a much cleaner job. If your ducts are really dirty, and you get up there to clean them, you’re going to end up blowing this stuff all over the place. You’ll go from having a mess inside of your ducts to having a mess inside of your entire house. The pros are prepared for this and actually contain this cleaning, so it doesn’t spread out over the home. This is something that most DIY types cannot do successfully.

 

2: The Job is Done Quicker

Professionals are also able to make very quick work of this sort of job. They have the tools and equipment to get into these vents, and they know the process to use. So, essentially, they’re in and out in a hurry, and you have clean ducts before you know it. Do you know how to get all the way into those ducts? Do you have the proper tools and equipment? The pros do. So, by the time you learn it and buy everything you need, you’re spending more time and money than by just hiring out.

 

3: The Job is Done Better

The job is also done a lot better when the pros do it. They know what they’re doing, and they’re going to get those ducts thoroughly cleaned out. If you do it as a DIY project, you might get some of the loose stuff out, but you might not even clean the ducts.

Duct cleaning isn’t something that needs to be done very often, but when it’s time to clean them out, you’re going to be much better off in hiring the pros to do it. So, look for a professional HVAC company near you when it’s time to clean your ductwork.

 

Lynda Eisenmann
Preferred Home Brokers - Brea, CA
Broker Associate ,CRS,GRI,SRES, Brea,CA, Orange Co

Thanks for the input, I had no idea! 

Apr 25, 2021 06:58 PM
Debe Maxwell, CRS
Savvy + Company (704) 491-3310 - Charlotte, NC
The RIGHT CHARLOTTE REALTOR!

This is important information for homeowners. Cleaning your air ducts is an easy thing to overlook. Thanks for sharing Saheer!

Apr 26, 2021 12:58 PM