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duct cleaning

Duct Cleaning: What Is It, and Why Should You Care?

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duct-cleaning

Keeping your home comfortable while keeping the bills low is a challenge for Florida homeowners in the summer. As your cooling system works overtime, there are a few things you can do to prevent it from working too hard. Duct cleaning is one way to boost HVAC efficiency; here’s what you need to know.

What Is Duct Cleaning?

Duct cleaning is the process of cleaning the components of your heating and cooling system that come into contact with the air, including: duct work throughout the home, grills, registers, heating and cooling coils, and air handling units. A professional will use special tools and a high-powered vacuum to reach all the nooks and crannies for a thorough cleaning.

These components can become covered with dust, dirt, pollen, pet hair, and other debris. The problem can become worse whenever moisture is present, as mold and spores can grow and become circulated around the house. The result is inefficient heating and cooling, as well as an increase in allergy and asthma complications.

Why You Should Clean Your Ducts

If you think of your home’s heating and cooling as a complete system that includes ventilation, windows and doors, the furnace and air conditioner, and the ducts, it becomes easier to see the importance of having each of the components of that system balanced and working together.

Your ducts are an essential piece of the puzzle as they carry air throughout your home. Dirty, dusty, and contaminated ducts can make it difficult to breathe if you have allergies or asthma. The added debris will wear on the moving parts of your heating and cooling system and reduce their useful lives. Plus, having your cooled air reach its destination from the improved air flow will make your home more comfortable with less work from your AC.

Your air ducts should be periodically inspected, cleaned, and sealed to ensure they’re operating safely and at peak performance. An inspection is also important following the installation of new insulation or after sealing ducts, windows and doors, as reducing the amount of outside air into your home could affect the way your gas-powered appliances operate. Lastly, you should also schedule duct cleaning after any major renovation project, whenever mold is detected, or after a pest infestation has been detected and removed.

Give Your System a Boost

If you want to give your cooling system a boost, proper insulation is a must. If your AC is working hard to cool your home, letting heat in or expensive cooled air out is like throwing money into the wind. Instead, make sure your home is tightly sealed and properly insulated to give your air conditioner a break.

When it comes to choosing the best insulation, spray foam insulation fits the bill in most homes. Spray foam is applied as a wet product. As it dries, it expands and hardens to fill the spaces it’s applied to. The result is an airtight layer of protection from harsh outside conditions.

Spray foam also provides a barrier against moisture that is particularly useful in walls, basements, and crawl spaces. Not only will water be unable to enter sealed areas, but spray foam is also resistant to mold and mildew, so it won’t rot or deteriorate when it comes into contact with water.

A Well-Oiled Machine

By seeing the heating and cooling system in your home as part of a whole–an entire house that is working together for comfort and efficiency–you can make improvements throughout the home that benefit the entire system. Clean ducts provide safe and efficient air circulation to your entire home, and spray foam insulation makes sure that air stays inside where you can enjoy it.

To learn more about keeping your energy bills in check while making sure your home is comfortable, contact Wattson Home Solutions for a free, no-obligation insulation consultation today!

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