In homes with dirty air ducts, occupants may experience symptoms similar to those of allergies, such as coughing, sneezing, and runny nose. Mold, dust, and other contaminants that hide in ducts can also cause sore throats, headaches, and even dizziness. Along with potential health risks, dirty ducts cause bad odors. Due to mold and mildew, you will begin to notice a musty smell in the home, which will only worsen the situation.
Even your air conditioning system can become less efficient, increasing the risk of illness or illness. The air quality in your home is directly related to the cleaning of your air ducts. When ducts become dirty, the air that passes through them becomes polluted. Dirty air can affect the health of everyone in your household, including pets.
Poor air quality can lead to eye, nose, and throat irritation, respiratory problems, and even problems with the heart and cardiovascular system. An official website of the United States Government Use of official websites. Government A. The gov website belongs to an official United States government organization.
Knowledge about cleaning air ducts is in its early stages, so no general recommendation can be offered as to whether you should clean your home's air ducts. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urges you to read this document in its entirety, as it provides important information on the subject. Duct cleaning has never been proven to actually prevent health problems. Nor do studies conclusively prove that the particle (p.
e.g., g. This is because much of the dirt in the air ducts adheres to the surfaces of the ducts and does not necessarily enter the living space. It's important to note that dirty air ducts are just one of many possible sources of particulate matter that are present in homes. Pollutants that enter the home from both outdoor and indoor activities, such as cooking, cleaning, smoking, or just moving, can cause greater exposure to pollutants than dirty air ducts.
In addition, there is no evidence that a small amount of household dust or other particles in air ducts poses any health risk. If any of the conditions identified above exist, it usually suggests one or more underlying causes. Before cleaning, reconditioning, or replacing the ducts, the cause or causes must be corrected, or else the problem is likely to reappear. Some research suggests that cleaning the components of the heating and cooling system (p.
Ex. However, there is little evidence that cleaning only the ducts improves system efficiency. You may want to consider cleaning your air ducts simply because it seems logical that the air ducts will get dirty over time and should be cleaned from time to time. As long as cleaning is done properly, there is no evidence to suggest that such cleaning is harmful. The EPA does not recommend that air ducts be cleaned routinely, but only when necessary.
However, the EPA recommends that if you have a furnace, stove, or fireplace that burns fuel, they be inspected for proper functioning and maintained before each heating season to protect against carbon monoxide poisoning. If you decide to have your air ducts cleaned, take the same consumer precautions you would normally take when evaluating the competence and reliability of the service provider. Whether you decide to clean your home's air ducts or not, preventing water and dirt from entering the system is the most effective way to avoid contamination (see How to Prevent Duct Contamination). If you decide to clean your heating and cooling system, it's important to make sure that the service provider agrees to clean all components of the system and is qualified to do so. In addition, the service provider may propose the application of chemical biocides, designed to remove microbiological contaminants, inside ducts and in other components of the system. Some service providers may also suggest applying chemical treatments (sealants or other encapsulants) to encapsulate or cover the inner surfaces of air ducts and equipment housings because they believe they will control mold growth or prevent the release of dirt particles or fibers from the ducts. These practices have not yet been thoroughly investigated and you should be fully informed before deciding to allow the use of biocides or chemical treatments in your air ducts. They should only be applied, if at all, after the system has been properly cleaned of all visible dust or debris.
Knowledge about the potential benefits and potential problems of air duct cleaning is limited
.Since the conditions in every home are different, it's impossible to generalize about whether cleaning your home's air ducts would be beneficial or not. On the other hand if family members have unusual or unexplained symptoms or illnesses that you think might be related to your home environment; you should discuss situation with doctor. The EPA has published following publications for guidance on how identify potential indoor air quality problems ways prevent fix them. You might consider cleaning your air ducts simply because it seems logical that they will get dirty over time and should be cleaned from time to time. While there is still debate over whether regular duct cleaning is beneficial or not for health reasons alone; there is no evidence suggest such cleaning harmful when done properly. On one hand if service provider fails follow proper procedures for cleaning; it can cause indoor air problems such as an inadequate vacuum collection system releasing more dust than if left alone. A careless or inadequately trained service provider can damage your heating cooling system which could increase costs for repairs replacements. This is because much dirt accumulates inside adheres surfaces without necessarily entering living space. In addition there is no evidence small amount household dust particles poses any health risk. If any conditions exist underlying causes must be corrected else problem likely reappear. Some research suggests cleaning components heating cooling system however little evidence only ducts improves efficiency. You may want consider simply logical get dirty....
