Eight Signs that You Need Your Air Ducts Cleaned

Air ducts are a part of your home that is very easy to take for granted. They form a network of airways that serve a vital function inside your home – keeping it a comfortable temperature – but as they’re hidden in the walls, it’s a case of “out of sight, out of mind”. But what a lot of people don’t consider is that air duct cleaning is a vital part of the maintenance of your HVAC system as a whole. If ignored or not done frequently enough, it can have severe consequences for your furnace and air conditioning unit, as well as drive the cost of your energy bills up.

But how do you know when the time for air duct cleaning has arrived? We’re going to discuss several signs that you can watch out for in this article.

Spot Any of These? Call for Air Duct Cleaning!

The easiest way to make sure your air ducts are cleaned often enough is to schedule a cleaning every year. But failing that, the following are all telltale signs that your ducts are overdue a cleaning.

Your Grills are Dusty

Your air ducts are hidden in the walls and ceilings, so you can’t see inside them for the most part, but you do have the grills where the air comes out of. These are like windows into the ducts and can give you an indicator of what state they’re in.

Have a walk around your home and inspect a few of these grills. Do you notice any dust? If so, it’s a clear sign that you need an air duct cleaning, as the amount of dust that has built up inside the system is considerable.

Air Circulation Has Deteriorated

Your furnace or air conditioning unit is responsible for producing the hot or cold air, but your air ducts are what distribute this air to the various rooms in your house. However, if they’re extremely dirty inside, this airflow is impeded and the amount of warm or cool air that ultimately ends up reaching the room will be significantly lessened. It’s also worth checking the condition of your air filter when this happens, but more often than not, dirty air ducts are to blame.

Rising Energy Bills

Are you the type of person to pay attention to your energy bills? Well, you should be. Rising bills could be simply the result of energy prices going up or increased usage, but they can also be a useful way to measure the efficiency of a system. If your usage remains the same (and you'll be able to see your consumption on the bill) and prices have remained consistent, if your bill has gone up this can only mean that your HVAC system has become less efficient than it previously was.

Again, there are multiple reasons why a HVAC system’s efficiency may have been reduced, but dirty air ducts are one of the more common causes. Arranging a professional air duct cleaning is one way to quickly improve your system’s efficiency and tame those rising bills.

Signs of Mold Near Air Vents

Condensation is a common problem in air ducts and this can lead to the development of mold and mildew if they are not cleaned periodically. So watch out for any signs of mold developing near the air vents, as this is a sure sign that the interior of the ducts contains significant mold growth. If this is not dealt with, mold spores will be circulated right around the home by the air ducts, which can have a severe negative impact on the health of everyone living in the house.

Family Suffering from Allergies

If you or anyone in the house has been suffering from allergies more than usual as of late, this could be because of dirty air ducts. Your ducts may be spreading dirt, dust and mold spores around the home, triggering your allergies.

If this is the case, air duct cleaning should be done immediately.

Is There a Musty Smell Around Your Home

It’s not just what you can see around the air ducts that can help you determine when air duct cleaning is necessary. Your nose can help you too. In particular, is there a musty sort of smell? And does this smell become more intense when your HVAC unit is running?

This smell could be built up dirt and grime that is being heated up by the warm air, causing the bad odor. It could also be the smell of mold. Neither of which is good.

You’re Changing Air Filters More Often

The condition of HVAC air filters needs to be continuously monitored and they do need to be replaced every so often. But if the time that they last has been reduced so that you’re replacing them more and more often, you need to look into why that is. One possible reason is because your air ducts are filthy.

Your Home is Overly Dusty

You’ve probably guessed by now that air ducts are a haven for dust. When your HVAC unit is running, if there’s a lot of dust sitting in the ducts, it will be spread around the home. Not exactly pleasant! So look out for dust, especially when the HVAC is running.

Air Ducts Shouldn’t Be Ignored – They NEED Cleaning

There’s little point in being diligent with your furnace cleaning, but forgetting about air duct cleaning completely. Both need to be kept on top off. If you want us to look at your entire system before the worst of winter hits, call our air duct cleaners today at (720) 419-7792.