Wondering how often to clean furnace ducts? Furnace repair services recommend you do it at least once every two years. While this is the case, you should note that the recommendations aren’t set on stone. You can always do the cleaning if you feel that your appliance isn’t functioning optimally and the ducts need a look-over.
Signs it’s time to clean the furnace.
You recently moved to a new house: Unless you are sure that the previous homeowner serviced the ducts in the last one or two years, you should always clean them.
You recently completed a renovation project: Renovation projects spread dust, debris, and other materials throughout the house, and the chances are high that some of the dust got into the ducts. To avoid putting your appliance at risk, clean the ducts.
You live with people with allergies: People suffering from allergies tend to be highly sensitive to dust, and their condition flares up when they inhale even a tiny amount of dust. To protect them, clean the ducts whenever you start noticing them showing allergy symptoms.
You live with smokers: It goes without saying that there is plenty of smoke going into the ducts when you have people smoking in the house, so you will need to clean them more frequently.
The same thing applies if you have multiple pets or even just one animal that sheds a lot.
Other reasons to clean your ducts include:
- Presence of mold in the ducts
- Unpleasant smell coming from the ducts
- Vermin infestation in the house
- Dust poofing from the supply registers
What are the consequences of running a furnace with dirty ducts?
Dirt and dust restrict the HVAC system. In winter, the dirt-clogged heat exchangers don’t warm the house as well as they should, so you have a cold, uncomfortable home.
The dirt and dust also restrict airflow, and when the blower fan and motor can’t turn due to the filth, the system doesn’t effectively circulate the much-needed warm air. Again, you have a cold, uncomfortable house despite having the furnace on.
A malfunctioning furnace tends to consume a lot of energy, which sees your energy bill going up every month.
The longer you keep the malfunctioning furnace running, the higher the wear and tear, which significantly shortens the appliance’s life. Every part of the furnace, from the burners, compressors, motor bearings to hydro pumps, wears out, and you have to replace them. Sometimes the damage is too extensive that you have to replace the entire unit.
Fine dirt contains pet dander, dead skin, microorganisms, and particulates such as mold spores, pollen, rodent feces, and fungi. The more you let the dirt stay in your furnace ducts, the more you make the environment hospitable for mites, bacteria, and other pests. This not only puts your home at the risk of damage, but also increases the chances of your allergies flaring up.
The dirt in the ducts can spread to the other parts of the house, meaning that regardless of the effort you put into maintaining a clean house, your efforts go to waste as the house is always dirty.
So how should you clean the furnace ducts?
You can go about cleaning the ducts in two ways—cleaning them by yourself or hiring a heating service repair VA professional. When cleaning the units by yourself, you save money, but you get too messy. On the other hand, you spend money if you hire a professional, but you get professional services.
Ensure that the professional you hire is certified to work in your area and is experienced enough for the best results. You don’t want someone that damages your ducts, do you?
