The air quality in your Dallas-Fort Worth, TX home is partially determined by the cleanliness of your air ducts. As conditioned air travels through complex networks of ducting, it picks up allergens and contaminants along the way. This proves especially problematic for locals with indoor pets and people with chronic or seasonal allergies. During spring and the shedding season, built-up debris in your ducting can make being inside uncomfortable and miserable. Fortunately, you can reduce particulate matter in your ducts and the irritation it causes with routine professional duct cleaning.
How Often Should You Clean Air Ducts If You Have Pets or Allergies?
The connection between allergies and indoor air quality (IAQ) is well-known. You can protect your IAQ with diligent air filter changes and HVAC equipment maintenance. However, measures like duct sealing and seasonal duct cleaning are also important. But how often should you clean your air ducts?
The short answer to how often to clean air ducts is every two to three years. However, you should schedule professional duct cleaning more often if you notice that your indoor air is causing uncomfortable symptoms, such as:
- Itchy, watery eyes
- Congestion
- Sinus irritation
- Coughing, sneezing, or wheezing
- Itchy, irritated skin
- Sore throat
Having several indoor pets that shed can leave you with a substantial amount of pet dander, dust mites, and particulate matter in your indoor air and ductwork. However, there are other environmental and household-specific factors that also necessitate more frequent duct cleaning. These include:
- Living near a busy freeway
- Living near ragweed and other allergenic plants
- Living near active construction
- Living near commercial buildings
If you notice these signs that your air ducts need cleaning, then schedule professional air duct cleaning right away:
- Shorter air filter lifespan
- Built-up debris on vent covers and registers
- Issues with indoor humidity
- Weak airflow from vents
- Dank, dusty, or musty HVAC odors
Why Do You Need More Frequent Duct Cleaning If You Have Pets or Allergies?
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), homeowners should schedule professional duct cleaning on an as-needed basis. However, the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) suggests that the ideal duct cleaning schedule for most homes is every three to five years. For homes with allergies or pets, NADCA recommends cleaning air ducts every one to three years. This information aligns with our recommendation of once every two to three years.
People with pets often have stray pet hair covering their clothing, couches, and floors. With general movement, these hairs become airborne and make their way into HVAC air ducts via return vents. Once inside, pet hair can clog air filters and cause a restriction in airflow.
Pet dander is the primary cause of pet-related allergies. Dander is the dead, flaky skin that pets shed as they scratch and groom themselves. With pet fur clogging your air ducts and blocking your air filter, you’ll have more dander circulating throughout your home and entering your ducting. Sadly, dander can pass through the large mesh of many low-rated, standard air filters.
During the cooling season, influxes of pollen and rising humidity compound IAQ problems. When people keep their heat pumps and AC units running and their doors and windows sealed tight, particle loads increase. During the cooling season, pet owners and those who struggle with allergies often contend with higher concentrations of airborne particulate matter. They also have more frequent and severe allergy symptoms as a result. Cooling and shedding seasons, and their impact on IAQ, can even cause problems for residents who don’t normally suffer from allergies.
A great way to beat the IAQ challenges of the cooling and shedding seasons is by investing in professional duct sealing service. Duct sealing keeps airborne particulate matter out. Rather than sneaking in through cracks, gaps, and other openings, particulates must pass through HVAC air filters.
For further IAQ improvements, you can also invest in professional indoor air quality service. IAQ service provides needs-specific solutions that effectively combat the IAQ and humidity concerns of each household. For instance, you might need a whole-house air purifier, air scrubber, or dehumidifier installed. HVAC companies install these and other IAQ accessories on or in HVAC air ducts. These integrated IAQ accessories treat conditioned air just before distribution. They seamlessly supplement the air filtration supplied by air filters and the humidity control provided by heat pumps and AC units.
What’s Actually Inside Your Air Ducts?
In homes that have never had professional duct cleaning or duct sealing services, HVAC air ducts are often riddled with all kinds of debris. Everything that bypasses your HVAC air filter and slips in through air duct leaks can build up in these spaces and diminish your indoor air quality.
Along with pet dander in air ducts, among the many things that a duct cleaning service might remove are:
- Mold spores and mildew
- Dust
- Lint
- Pet Dander
- Pollen
- Furniture and carpet fibers
HVAC air ducts are incredibly appealing to pests. In addition to the allergens and contaminants that indoor pests contribute, you might have allergens and contaminants from unwanted critters in your ducts. Rodents and various insects can leave feces, fur, exoskeletons, food, and other detritus behind.
In-duct build-ups decrease airflow and set the stage for humidity problems. Dirty ducts are often moist and riddled with mold. Worse still, these conditions allow mold to thrive and make it much harder to treat.
Repairs are necessary to help maintain a sealed system. If you skip routine inspections, maintenance, and repairs, you will likely have gaps and cracks in your ducts. These spaces allow particulates to circulate through your ductwork and home.
What Are the Signs Your Air Ducts Need Cleaning Right Now?
There are several easy ways to determine if your ducts need cleaning. This includes recurring allergy flare-ups among allergy-prone residents. Musty and pervasive odors and increased indoor humidity can also indicate the need for duct cleaning. If you have excess dust on or behind your air vent covers or if your air filter frequently clogs, schedule an appointment. You should also consider a duct cleaning if you have excess dust on indoor surfaces, excess pet hair floating around your home, and uneven HVAC airflow.
Remember, NADCA recommends cleaning air ducts every three to five years for all households, even for those without pets or allergies. Skipping air duct cleaning in any home can lead to rising energy bills, poor HVAC performance, and increased indoor humidity. Adverse changes in HVAC performance, along with increased moisture, can set the stage for widespread mold problems.
How Does Professional Duct Cleaning Work?
Duct cleaning is far more involved than it may sound. In addition to air ducts, it addresses evaporator and condenser coils, air handlers, blower motors, and blower fans. Professionals use mechanical tools to agitate and loosen trapped debris. They capture and suction this debris out with negative air pressure vacuums. They can also apply antimicrobial solutions to eliminate unpleasant odors and harmful microorganisms. The entire process can take two hours or more, with technicians working hard to ensure that loosened debris doesn’t enter the indoor air.
Schedule Air Duct Cleaning in DFW With AirCo
If you want to know how to manage allergies indoors, our team at AirCo can help. For more than 30 years, AirCo has proudly served the Dallas-Fort Worth area with expert HVAC and air quality services. We offer cutting-edge options for IAQ support, including duct sealing, duct cleaning, UV air purifiers, and whole-house air filtration. We also provide whole-house humidifiers and dehumidifiers for advanced humidity control. Expect the best as we confidently stand behind our work with unbeatable customer satisfaction guarantees.
Don’t let issues with indoor air quality make your home uncomfortable. Schedule air duct cleaning in DFW with AirCo today.
