Duct cleaning is a valuable home maintenance task that can improve indoor air quality. Poor air quality is a health hazard, particularly for the elderly. Clean ducts in your Berlin, Maryland, home, can make a big difference for those living inside.
The Pollutants in Your Ductwork
The ducts in your home are responsible for circulating air that’s been heated by your furnace or cooled with your air conditioning system. While these ducts make it easy for comfortable air to travel through your home, they can harbor some unpleasant hazards. Over time, irritants like pollen, bacteria, dust mites, and microbial growths can build up in the ductwork. You may even have chemicals from household products like cleaning sprays lingering in the ducts.
The pollutants in your ductwork can create a sticky film that makes it easy for dust and dirt to collect. Though you can’t easily see inside your ducts, you could have a thick layer of grime in them that’s contributing to poor indoor air quality (IAQ) throughout your house.
The Impact on Indoor Air Quality
Your HVAC system circulates the air in your home five to seven times every day. If you have dirty ducts, that air can pick up the pollutants that are in the ductwork and spread that throughout the home along with your heating and cooling.
If you have leaky ductwork, you may find that your ducts are picking up pollutants from other areas of the house as well, such as the attic. This will lower the indoor air quality throughout your home, potentially venting pollutants through each of your air ducts.
IAQ and Your Health
Poor IAQ can have a notable impact on your health. This is compounded for the elderly, particularly if they have a weakened immune system, asthma, allergies, or other respiratory problems. A study of European nursing homes found that airborne particles are associated with wheeze, breathlessness, and cough, especially in those over age 80. High concentrations of formaldehyde, which is released by manufactured wood products, fuel-burning appliances, and even plug-in fragrances or essential oil diffusers, are linked to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Though studies specific to the elderly haven’t been conducted in the United States, the impact of poor IAQ is well-documented for individuals of all ages. Indoor air pollution is associated with eye, nose, and throat irritation, dizziness, headaches, and fatigue. Long-term effects can include heart disease, respiratory disease, and cancer.
How a Duct Cleaning Works
A thorough duct cleaning includes a careful inspection of the ductwork in your home to identify any problems that are contributing to your IAQ issues. It’s crucial that you address these underlying issues to prevent a recurrence. For example, if you have evidence of a rodent infestation in your ducts, you must work with an exterminator to eliminate the problem so that our duct cleaning can provide you with long-term results.
If you have leaky ductwork, we now offer aerosol duct sealing solutions. This type of sealing increases your energy efficiency up to 30 percent and helps improve your indoor air quality by keeping dust, dirt, and other irritants that are found outside your ductwork from seeping in.
Once the underlying issues have been dealt with, we can provide a long-lasting duct cleaning that will give your home fresh, clean air free from the hazards that may be threatening your health.
When to Get a Duct Cleaning
You should consider a duct cleaning if you’re dealing with any of the following:
- Visible particles coming from the vents
- Discoloration or dust noticeable around the vents
- Insect or rodent infestations in the ducts
These are indicators of a notable problem that you need to address as quickly as possible for your health. In addition to a duct cleaning, you might also schedule a routine tune-up to clean the other parts of your HVAC system, especially if you haven’t had a maintenance visit in the last year.
If you’re interested in scheduling a duct cleaning for your home, contact Griffith Energy Services, Inc. at 888-474-3391. We offer quality duct cleaning solutions that will help remove contaminants from the home so you can breathe easier.
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