Should I Clean My Air Ducts?
To answer this question you have to consider if air duct cleaning, electrostatic filter, or an HEPA air filter will accomplish what you are trying to achieve which is air purification. Should we worry about cleaning our air ducts is a question that can’t be answered with a simple YES or NO answer. In this article we’ll examine several possibilities that might solve the dirty air problem.
Stachybotrys Chartarum Mold and other molds:
There is one very serious reason that qualifies for a definite YES. If you 
observe that there is substantial visible mold growth inside hard surface sheet metal ducts or on other components of your heating and cooling system. Several important points to understand concerning mold detection is many sections of your heating and cooling system may not be accessible for a visible inspection. You should be aware that although a substance may look like mold, a positive determination of whether it is mold or not can be made only by an expert and may require laboratory analysis for final confirmation. If you suspect you have mold contact a microbiology laboratories to inspect your system to determine the extent and danger you may encounter. If the insulated covering your air ducts gets wet and moldy it should be cleaned and if this is not possible it should be removed and replaced. If the conditions causing the mold growth in the first place are not corrected, the mold growth will continue to worsen. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control) states it is prudent practice and recommends that they be removed.
Air pollutants commonly found in your home environment:
Once you get past mold that can cause serious illness or even be life threatening, you should consider indoor air pollutants such as dust, smoke, pollen, animal dander, tobacco smoke, particles generated from combustion appliances such as cooking stoves, and particles associated with tiny organisms such as dust mites, molds, bacteria, and viruses. They also come from building materials, furnishings, and the use of products such as adhesives, paints, varnishes, cleaning products, and pesticides.
Air duct cleaning:
Air duct cleaning has never been shown to actually prevent health 
problems. Neither do studies conclusively demonstrate that dust particle levels in homes increase because of dirty air ducts. This is because much of the dirt in air ducts adheres to duct surfaces and does not necessarily enter the living space. It is important to keep in mind that dirty air ducts are only one of many possible sources of particles that are present in homes. Pollutants that enter the home both from outdoors and indoor activities can cause greater exposure to contaminants than dirty air ducts. Moreover, there is no evidence that a light amount of household dust or other particulate mater in air ducts poses any risk to your health.
There are a lot of testimonials that claim air duct cleaning has made a huge difference in the air quality in their home and for good reasons. You should keep in mind that air duct cleaning is still being researched and tested for safety and efficiency, however if you decide to go forward be sure to ask a few simple questions.
Selecting qualified air duct cleaning companies:
After qualifying a professional duct cleaning services to clean your air ducts, you want to ask these questions no matter how elementary they may sound. You start by asking do my ducts really need cleaning. How much of my duct system will you clean? Are you qualified to clean all components of my duct system and how will you accomplish this task?
These are all very good questions as there are many different air-duct cleaning methods, specialized tools to remove debris from ducts, then a high-powered vacuum cleaner can be used to suck out the dirt. Some duct cleaning services will want to apply chemical treatments to the ducts in order to destroy microbiological contaminants, or to cover the inside surfaces of the air ducts and equipment housings to manage mold growth and/or inhibit the discharge of dirt particles or fibers from ducts.
Here are some of the answers you should expect. You want to be sure your service man is going to clean the entire HVAC system. Cleaning only a portion of the components is the same as raking only half of your yard in the fall and not expecting the wind to blow the un-raked leaves over to where you have already raked destroying all your hard work. The cleaning process should include the air ducts, coils, drain pan, registers, grills, air plenum, blower motor and assembly, heat exchanger, air filter, and air cleaner. The main reason you want to clean the entire system is the dust or mold can be spread to other locations inside the duct system or worse yet, outside the HVAC system. After the cleaning, be sure the air ducts are not leaking from the scrubbing, air pressure, etc. as this will cause a negative air pressure in you home causing air be made up from unwanted sources.
Deceptions of dishonest air duct cleaning companies:
There are those who wished they would have hired a reputable service to clean his air ducts instead of the “guy” with the low price that has since gone out of business. “Duct cleaning is a fragile operation, and if a service provider fails to follow proper duct cleaning procedures, duct cleaning can cause indoor air problems. For example, an inadequate vacuum collection system can release more dust, dirt and other contaminants than if you had left the ducts alone. A careless or inadequately trained service provider can damage your ducts or heating and cooling system, possibly increasing your heating and air conditioning costs or forcing you to undertake difficult and costly repairs or replacements.
Reputable companies become disgusted when they hear the horror stories of those who have had bad experiences with the companies using scare tactics, bait and switch schemes, and just plain intimidation to make a fast buck. Beware of duct cleaners that say their process will solve all your air quality concerns. Duct cleaning is only one of several steps to take to rid your home of unwanted dust, dirt, mold, and other allergens.
Spring servicing your HVAC system:
If you are not already getting a spring check-up on your air conditioning system, you should start as it will save you operating costs during the hot summer months and avoiding an unnecessary breakdown when you least want it (like a Saturday PM in July). One of the items on the technician’s inspection list will be to clean the coils in the air handler. The coils should be cleaned seasonally because this is the area that collects dust particle more so than the walls of your ductwork. Checking and changing your air return filters, keeping systems maintained, having regular inspections, and ensuring moisture is essential to an efficient heating and cooling system.
If your air conditioning and heating contractor does find the inside of your ducts or air handling system to contain significant dust, mold, etc. this indicates a problem that needs to be explored or corrected before you invest in cleaning. If you have a leaky air return you will be drawing in dust or moisture from unwanted sources. If you have leaky air supply ducts you will force air into the attic and create a negative air pressure condition in your house that will result in a sucking action drawing in air from unwanted sources.
Have air duct leaks sealed for more comfort and lower utility bills:
Whether or not you decide to have your ducts cleaned, you should definitely have your air ducts checked periodically for leaks as can cause a large amount of the losses of heating and cooling. You loose the benefit of this loss of heating and cooling from your system and also raises your monthly utility bills. After the short pay back period, you continue to gain more comfort and lower bills each month.
Electronic air cleaners:
Electronic air cleaners such as electrostatic precipitators use a process called electrostatic attraction to trap charged particles. They draw air through an ionization section where particles obtain an electrical charge. The charged particles then accumulate on a series of flat plates called a collector that is oppositely charged. Ion generators, or ionizers, disperse charged ions into the air, similar to the electronic air cleaners but without a collector. These ions attach to airborne particles, giving them a charge so that they attach to nearby surfaces such as walls or furniture, or attach to one another and settle faster. This type filter is an effective method of air purification and other than periodically washing the filters, they are a trouble free equipment.
One of the major problems associated with air purifiers is the production of a heavy oxygen gas known as ozone. Ozone in the atmosphere serves as a protective layer against harmful solar radiation, but concentrated ozone in a confined space can cause a number of serious health problems. Many air purifiers using electrically-charged plates do generate ozone as part of their process. The health benefits of purified air may not be enough to overcome the potentially harmful effects of ozone-producing air purifiers. If you detect the odor of ozone, have you equipment check for malfunctioning.
HEPA filters:
HEPA filters were invented by the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) during the World War II. The difference between a HEPA filter and any other filter is that it is made of thin fibers of glass. The fibers are formed into a thick paper like material that is pleated. This means that a HEPA filter has a great amount of glass paper in it. Air filters utilize fine sieves that filter particles from circulating air. As the particles in the untreated air try to pass through the thick surface, they cannot, and they instead tend to adhere to it. Thus, the air that leaves this type of air purifying system is cleansed and almost totally free from contaminants.
The germs, bacteria, and viruses that are trapped in a HEPA filter will eventually die because they cannot live in a moisture-free environment. The only way they can thrive, keep growing and multiplying, is if the air that is entering the filter is moist.
A high grade HEPA air filter removes 99.97% of all particles down to 0.3 microns, including harmful fibers, dust, mold spores, dust mites, pollen and some tobacco smoke. These particles can be seen suspended in a shaft of sunlight shinning through a window.
The more times the air passes through the HEPA filter, the cleaner the air becomes and after a week to a month this same shaft of sunlight will be almost non-extant of dust particles. This also means an air purifier with a HEPA filter can also reduce the amount of dust in your home making your cleaning just a little bit easier.
Indoor air pollution is among the top five environmental health risks:
We all may not want to hear or accept that the air inside the typical home is generally dirtier than the air outside. Due to all of our normal activities our house is a source of air contaminants. Studies show the air inside our homes and workplaces can be 10 to 100 times more polluted than the outside air. Yes, the indoor air pollution is among the top five environmental health risks.
We have discussed air duct cleaning and air filtrations systems, however the best way to control or eliminate the sources of pollutants is to ventilate you home with clean outdoor air. This can be done by use of a make-up air vent ducted into your air handler. There are some sophisticated controls to regulate the amount of air you are drawing in, however a simple small duct with a filtration device will work just as well. Pulling in outside on the surface seems to be a good solution;
however you are limited by weather conditions or undesirable levels of contaminants in outdoor air. Depending on the climate or the geographical area you live in, these measures may be insufficient and air cleaning devices such as an electrostatic or HEPA air filter may be your only option.
Conclusion:
While air duct cleaning or air cleaning devices may help to control the levels of airborne allergens, particles, or, in some cases, gaseous pollutants in a home, they are not a sure safeguard and may not decrease adverse health effects from indoor air pollutants.
Category: Home maintenance
