How Often Should You Clean Your Air Ducts Chicago?
When you live in an apartment, you’ll most likely have a home heating ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system pre installed when you moved in. You have probably used it all through out your stall, heating for the cold winter night and air conditioning for the warm summers. But have you ever wondered, how the HVAC system is cleaned or how often should you have it professionally cleaned?
Watch out for indicators for which your air ducts needs cleaning. Check if you’re noticing little wisps of dust puffing out every time you turn your HVAC on. Have you seen trapped pet hair with lints in your vent? Is thick gray dust coating your vent grill cover? Then it’s time to call your HVAC cleaning service provider to visit your apartment for a thorough cleaning.
Here are what you don’t want to see in your Air Ducts:
Fine dust collected over time, gray and thick
Flakes of dead skin
Hair bundles
Fabric lints
Pet Dander
Moulds and Bacteria
Dust mites
Other Allergens
Air filters are there to remove most of these stuff from the air stream, but not for all parts of the HVAC system. That's why it's important to periodically check the condition of your air ducts to see if they could use air duct cleaning services immediately.
Every Three to Five Years:
That’s How often you Need to Clean your Air Ducts
According to the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA), it is recommended for homeowners to have their HVAC’s cleaning schedule every three to five years. It’s not that frequent but you sure need to have it listed in your organized priority list as a reminder, just place a tentative date and pin it on top of your fridge. You would when you have to call to schedule the cleaning service if you suspect that your home’s ventilation is not ideal anymore and if most people in your apartment is getting allergic reactions to dust; your concern for your family’s health will urge you to have your HVAC cleaned.
Many homeowners who have tried hiring a professional and reputable air duct cleaning service provider were pleased by the results after the clean up. While it’s going to take three to five years to normally clean your ducts, when you have people in your household who has severe allergies and asthma, it’s safe to have it cleaned in shorter periods like once in a year.
Recap on How often to clean Air Ducts, below are the circumstances:
Have it professionally cleaned every three to five years. Be cautious of contractors who suggest more frequent cleanings within a year’s time.
When moving to a new house or apartment, unless the landlord or previous homeowner have records that they have it serviced within the past 3 years.
After completing an apartment remodeling project. Post construction have a lot of spread out sawdust throughout the home and some small debris that might have gone into the ducts.
When pets are present, the shed fur and dander and might spread across all the areas in your home.
Indicators for needing a HVAC Thorough Cleaning:
if you suspect that molds are growing inside your ductworks, you should probably have it checked.
When you notice a vermin infestation around the areas in your apartment, or you see insects or rodents entering or exiting ductwork.
When you see a visible dust puffing released out from the grills of your ventilation and black debris which are pollutants recycled around your home.
Potential Benefits of Air Duct cleaning:
Hiring a professional air duct cleaning service every 3 to 5 years could prevent many maintenance and health problems before they start. Start saving money on heating and cooling:
It will improve the over-all performance from your HVAC system- reliability
System repairs will be minimized
Energy efficient and better ventilation
Avoids respiratory and allergy problems for your family
lesser dust build up, makes your home easier to clean.
A proper way of cleaning the air duct will help in minimizing the biggest causes of respiratory problems. One thing is that if you have been diagnosed with asthma, your biggest nightmare are dust mites, and for people with severe allergic reactions, pollen and dander are a big problem. These are teeny-tiny elements you can't see with the naked eye, and they're commonly found in air ducts. A good cleaning will remove a lot of them and improve your help.
Tips on hiring a good air duct cleaning service provider:
A great deal of duct cleaning costs between $400 and $1,000 and covers all aspect of the HVAC system that air passes over, with includes the furnace, air coils and central system. Professional service cleaners will use negative air machines with HEPA filters in their session.
It should take a more than few hours for a thorough cleaning. An air duct contractor that finishes in less than an hour is probably ripping you off or not doing a very good job in getting everything cleaned up.
Most quality and professional duct cleaning contractors make use truck-mounted, vacuum systems that releases dust and debris outside of the house.