Your furnace gets to snooze over the summer and your AC settles down for a long winter’s nap, but your ducts never get any rest. In many HVAC systems, ducts do double-duty. They deliver heat from your furnace in the winter and cool air from your AC in the warm months.
Winter is over and hot weather is coming soon. That’s why spring is the best time to do furnace duct cleaning. By calling in a professional for furnace air duct cleaning now, you get better comfort from your AC when those scorching days happen.
Also, furnace duct cleaning promotes better air quality, which is especially important in the summer months. Read more about the link between duct cleaning and air quality in this helpful guide: FAQ: Duct Cleaning and Your Indoor Air Quality.
Let’s take a look at why you need furnace duct cleaning. It’s smart to clear out nasty stuff that has collected in your ductwork over the winter.
Furnace duct cleaning uncovers & fixes AC air flow problems
Clogged ducts can cause a variety of HVAC problems. One of the worst is poor air flow. Without enough air flow, your AC can’t cool as well. It also uses more power and raises your electic bill. Lack of air flow can eventually cause a breakdown. When you get furnace duct cleaning, your technician can find and fix these air flow issues to prevent AC problems.
1. Clogged ducts (the main reason for furnace duct cleaning)
You probably don’t make it a habit of looking inside our ductwork, but it can get pretty nasty in there. Dust, pollen, bacteria, viruses and rodent and insect vermin sometimes reside in ducts.
If you have a new home or have done a renovation project, sawdust and sheetrock particles might coat your ducts. Too much dust and debris will interfere with air flow.
2. Duct leaks
If there’s not enough air coming from your AC registers, leaky ducts may be the culprit. Leaks, cracks and even small holes reduce the amount of cooled air that makes its way into the home or work space. Poorly sealed duct joints can leak as much as 20-percent of your cooled air. An HVAC expert can seal duct leaks and make your AC work better.
3. Blocked registers
You don’t even need furnace duct cleaning services to fix this air flow problem. Blocked registers are often responsible for restricted airflow in homes and businesses. Furniture and office equipment frequently block air flow from vents. In offices, it’s not unusual for chilly employees to close or block vents. You can fix this problem yourself!
4. Not enough supply and return vents
Even with brand new ductwork, you won’t have good air flow without enough supply vents to disperse cooled air into your rooms. Also, you need enough return vents to suck air back in for another round of conditioning. Too few of either type of vents causes unbalanced pressure in ducts, which will decrease comfort and AC efficiency.
Furnace duct cleaning uncovers poor duct design
When you invite a professional duct cleaner in to do a furnace duct cleaning, the expert might discover you have poorly designed ductwork. Without the right ductwork design, your AC can’t cool your space consistently. Several design flaws can cause poor AC performance. For example:
Undersized ducts. If your contractor underestimated your load capacity, the ducts installed might be too narrow. Your system will work harder and longer to compensate for ducts that are too small. That uses more electricity and causes extra wear and tear on the system.
Too many bends. Ductwork with too many turns won’t move air efficiently. A straight path is always the quickest way, but it is sometimes difficult to achieve because of building constraints.
Too-long ductwork runs. If your HVAC unit is located too far from the rooms it must cool, the travel distance through ducts will reduce airflow.
Learn more about duct cleaning:
How much does duct cleaning cost?
Allergies & Duct Cleaning: What’s the Connection?
Furnace duct cleaning procedures that help your AC work better
When you search for a company to do furnace duct cleaning, it is wise to hire air cleaning specialists certified by the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA).
What do those specialists do? For starters, they clean all supply an return vents and install new air filters as part of furnace duct cleaning. They also follow NADCA’s guidelines for the proper tools, cleaners, and procedures for every type of ducts.
TIP: Just conducting a furnace duct cleaning is not enough to catch all the problems listed above. Make sure the company you hire tests your HVAC system for proper operation and cleans coils and blowers on your AC and furnace.
You can prevent duct contamination and make your AC work better by hiring a reputable HVAC company, such as Arista Air, to do regular maintenance. It’s recommended two to four times a year depending on your usage, equipment condition and environmental factors. Arista Air is NADCA-certified.