As long as the cleaning is done properly, there is no evidence to suggest that such cleaning is harmful. The EPA does not recommend that air. You may consider cleaning air ducts simply because it seems logical for air ducts to become dirty over time and should be cleaned from time to time. The EPA does not recommend that air ducts be cleaned routinely, but only when necessary. However, the EPA recommends that if you have an oven, stove or fireplace that burns fuel, that you inspect it for proper operation and be serviced before each heating season to protect against carbon monoxide poisoning.
Cleaning the air ducts can cause significant damage that can be costly to repair. The ducts are made of various materials. You or an unqualified duct cleaner may not know the best way to clean ducts made of certain materials. When air duct cleaning is done by a competent and trained professional with the appropriate equipment, it should not cause damage to your HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) system.
Always clean gently, regardless of your tools or equipment. We suggest using soft bristle brushes and vacuums with various settings. In addition, find out how old your air ducts are and the material they are made of, so you know how to proceed without worries. Improper duct cleaning by yourself can not only be unsafe and cause damage, but it can also negatively affect the rest of your home. Before cleaning the ducts, you should know what you're getting into and inspect the system to ensure that cleaning doesn't alter existing mold and cause it to spread.
A careless or inadequately trained service provider can damage your heating and cooling system or ducts, which could increase heating and air conditioning costs or force you to perform difficult and costly repairs or replacements. However, there is little evidence that cleaning just the ducts improves system efficiency. Cases where the use of sealants to encapsulate duct surfaces may be appropriate include repairing damaged fiberglass insulation or combating fire damage within ducts. Therefore, duct cleaning should be done gently, or you may encounter the following air duct cleaning problems. Cleaning the air ducts only removes small particles that have settled throughout the duct system over time.
It is equally important to inspect ventilation grilles, dryer vents and ducts before cleaning, to determine if there is asbestos, which is a problem in older installations. Duct cleaning is a household task that must be done every 2 or 3 years to remove any contaminants that may have been living inside the ducts since the last cleaning, years ago. Cleaning dirty ducts can improve the air quality in your home, but it comes with certain risks, especially if you have flexible air ducts (also known as flexible ducts). While many of these products can legally be used inside uncoated ducts if all instructions on the label are followed, some of the instructions on the label may not be appropriate for use in ducts.
A heating, ventilation and air conditioning specialist and an air duct cleaning company can thoroughly inspect the ducts to determine the type of ducts and the condition of the various sealing points and hangings. However, professional duct cleaners know how to minimize clutter (and should clean it before leaving).
