When it comes to the important things that need to be cleaned regularly in your home, often the most overlooked items are the ones that you can’t see. Things like the filters in your taps, filters in your air conditioning units and the ducting that the air from HVAC systems flows through into your home require regular cleaning, however, because you don’t see them that often, they can be easy to ignore. One of the most important of these items for regular cleaning is the ducting. You may not think it is a necessary item to be cleaned, but if left too long, it can cause the air in your home to end in poor quality.
Why Do They Need To Be Cleaned?
The ducting is where the air flows from outside your home, through the compressor and into the rooms in your home through vents or head units, and because they are in constant use when your HVAC unit is in use, they can get build-up inside of dirt, dust, and mold, as well as rodent or insect droppings. The longer you let it go between cleans, the more chance you have of creating clogging in your system. Mold is a common occurrence in ducting, as moisture is a common element of the air transfer. Air quality is one of the main reasons we install HVAC systems in our homes, and if you don’t maintain the system regularly the air quality in your home drops.
How Often Do They Need To Be Cleaned?
Your air conditioner filters usually require cleaning every six months and is usually done at the end of peak usage seasons like summer and winter. Because your air conditioning units are usually used less in autumn and spring, this is the best time to clean them. One of the reasons this is best to clean them is that they have recently had almost constant use, for months on end. In winter we use our systems to heat our homes, and with winter comes snow, moisture and even dry dust that can be left in the ducting to create mold and other types of unhealthy buildup. In summer we cool the air to our homes, which brings with it regular moisture through the ducting. Combining moisture and heat with humidity and dark spaces is the perfect place for mold to grow. Cleaning your ducting after these peak seasons will ensure buildup is left at a minimum year-round.
How Do I Clean Them?
The best way to have your ducting cleaned is to get a professional to clean them for you. Ducting runs through your roof or walls and can be very difficult to access without the right knowledge and tools for the job. When you have your filters cleaned next, why not get your air conditioning service person to include a ducting clean at the same time. Once a year is fine as a bare minimum if you don’t use your ducted system too often, however, if you live in a dusty area, or an area where there is a lot of construction, you may need to have them cleaned more regularly.