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Lillian Walker






EXIT BEACH CITIES REALTY





Featured Articles



Should You Have Your Ducts Cleaned?



Does Duct Cleaning Prevent Health Problems?



How to Prevent Duct Contamination



How to Prevent Ducts from Becoming Wet



The Trivia Block



















Should
You Have Your Ducts Cleaned?
Most people are now aware that indoor air pollution is an issue of
growing concern and increased visibility. Many companies are marketing products
and services intended to improve the quality of your indoor air. You have probably
seen an advertisement, received a coupon in the mail, or been approached
directly by a company offering to clean your air ducts as a means of improving
your home's indoor air quality. These services typically but not always range
in cost from $450 to $1,000 per heating and cooling system, depending on
the services offered, the size of the system to be cleaned, system accessibility,
climatic region, and level of contamination.

Duct cleaning generally refers to the cleaning of various heating
and cooling system components of forced air systems, including the supply
and return air ducts and registers, grilles and diffusers, heat exchangers heating
and cooling coils, condensate drain pans (drip pans), fan motor and fan housing,
and the air handling unit housing.

If not properly installed, maintained, and operated, these components
may become contaminated with particles of dust, pollen or other debris. If
moisture is present, the potential for microbiological growth (e.g., mold) is
increased and spores from such growth may be released into the home's living
space. Some of these contaminants may cause allergic reactions or other symptoms
in people if they are exposed to them. If you decide to have your heating
and cooling system cleaned, it is important to make sure the service provider
agrees to clean all components of the system and is qualified to do so. Failure
to clean a component of a contaminated system can result in re-contamination
of the entire system, thus negating any potential benefits. Methods of duct cleaning
vary, although standards have been established by industry associations concerned
with air duct cleaning. Typically, a service provider will use specialized tools
to dislodge dirt and other debris in ducts, then vacuum them out with a high-powered
vacuum cleaner.

You should consider having the air
ducts in your home cleaned if:
Ducts are infested with vermin, e.g. (rodents or insects); or

Ducts are clogged with excessive amounts of dust and debris and/or
particles are actually released into the home from your supply registers.

There is substantial visible mold growth inside hard surface (e.g.,
sheet metal) ducts or on other components of your heating and cooling system.


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Does
Duct Cleaning Prevent Health Problems?
Duct cleaning has never been shown to actually prevent health problems.
Neither do studies conclusively demonstrate that particle levels in homes
increase because of dirty air ducts or go down after cleaning. This is because
much of the dirt that may accumulate inside 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 outdoor and
indoor activities such as cooking, cleaning, smoking, or just moving around 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 matter
in air ducts poses any risk to health. Duct cleaning is not considered to
be a necessary part of yearly maintenance of your heating and cooling system,
which consists of regular cleaning of drain pans and heating and cooling
coils, regular filter changes and yearly inspections of heating equipment. Research
continues in an effort to evaluate the potential benefits of air duct cleaning.

The EPA does not recommend that air ducts be cleaned except on an
as-needed basis because of the continuing uncertainty about the benefits of
duct cleaning under most circumstances. If you think duct cleaning might be a
good idea for your home, but you are not sure, talk to a professional.


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How
to Prevent Duct Contamination


Use the highest efficiency air filter recommended by the manufacturer of your
heating and cooling system.

Change filters regularly.

If your filters become clogged, change them more frequently.

Be sure you do not have any missing filters and that air cannot bypass filters
through gaps around the filter holder.

When having your heating and cooling system maintained or checked for other
reasons, be sure to ask the service provider to clean cooling coils and drain pans.

During construction or renovation work that produces dust in your home, seal
off supply and return registers and do not operate the heating and cooling
system until after cleaning up the dust.

Remove dust, and vacuum your home regularly.

If your heating system includes in-duct humidification equipment, be sure
to operate and maintain the humidifier strictly as recommended by the manufacturer.


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How
to Prevent Ducts from Becoming Wet


Moisture should not be present in ducts. Controlling moisture is the most
effective way to prevent biological growth in air ducts.

Promptly and properly repair any leaks or water damage.

Pay particular attention to cooling coils, which are designed to remove water
from the air and can be a major source of moisture contamination of the
system that can lead to mold growth. Make sure the condensate pan drains properly.
The presence of substantial standing water and/or debris indicates a problem
requiring immediate attention. Check any insulation near cooling coils for wet spots.

Make sure ducts are properly sealed and insulated in all non-air-conditioned
spaces (e.g., attics and crawl spaces). This will help to prevent moisture
due to condensation from entering the system and is important to make the system
work as intended. To prevent water condensation, the heating and cooling
system must be properly insulated.


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The Trivia Block
The air released from a sneeze can exceed the speed of 100 mph!


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BEACH CITIES REALTY | 7152 Edinger Ave. | Huntington Beach | CA | 92647



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