Awareness about indoor air quality among homeowners is not as much
as it should be. There are not many who give room temperature the
importance it deserves. Room temperature denotes comfort and ease that
is required after a long day at work. Comfortable room temperature
keeps our loved ones in good spirits too.
However, this is not reason why comfortable indoor temperature is important. There is another very important factor called indoor air quality. It is not enough that the temperature inside your home is comfortable; the quality of air should also be healthy.
Importance of Indoor Air Quality
The State Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Program by the State of
California Department of Public Health states poor indoor air quality is
one of the top five environment hazards. The air that flows into the
rooms of your house needs to be clean. Otherwise, it could create
health problems and have adverse effects on the occupants. It is
required that all homeowners realize the importance of having clean air
flowing into the rooms from the air conditioner. The air filters of
your air conditioners and the ducts of the system play a very important
role in maintaining healthy indoor air quality.
The cool air that flows out from the air conditioners comes from the
ducts in the air conditioner. These ducts dispense the conditioned air
from unit into the rooms of the house. They are mainly concealed in the
walls, at the back of the systems, in attics, basements or ceilings.
These ducts need to be kept in good shape and health. For, the air that
flows out from them is the one you and your family inhales! Like all
tubes, ducts also need periodic cleaning and can give rise to serious
health problems, if neglected.
Duct Cleaning
Cleaning of the ducts means removing the impurities that get deposited into the various heating and cooling components of your comfort systems. This includes the supply and return air ducts, heat exchangers heating and cooling coils, the grilles and diffusers, fan motor and fan housing, condensate drain pans (drip pans), and the housing of the actual air handling units.
These components can get contaminated with particles of dust, or
other types of debris. They can also be the house for microbiological
growth like mold and mildew, and the spores from such growth get
released into the indoor air. These contaminants can be the cause for
allergic reactions or cold and flu in the people exposed to them.
Hence, cleaning the ducts and the other components of the air
conditioners and heating systems is very important for the health of
your family.
When Should the Ducts be Cleaned?
This is a tricky question. Usually, when you purchase a new air
conditioner, the HVAC contractor will carry out periodic checks and
maintenance, which could include duct cleaning. But, not always will
duct cleaning be included in these maintenance exercises.
Perhaps, if nobody in your household has any allergies or other
symptoms or illnesses, the ducts may not require cleaning. You could
also visually inspect the inside of the ducts. If there is no
indication of contamination or deposits of dust, mold or odor, you may
not really need to clean the ducts. Meanwhile, there may be deposits of
loose dust in the ducts. This does not indicate any contamination and
can be cleaned by simply vacuuming the ducts.
Methods of Duct Cleaning
There are some standards established by industry associations
regarding the cleaning of ducts. Typically, a service agency will send
out a technician who will use specialized tools to dislodge the dust,
dirt and any other deposits in ducts. He will them vacuum the ducts
with a vacuum cleaner.
In some case, the technician may suggest applying chemical biocides
to the insides of the ducts. This kills the microbiological
contaminants. Some agencies recommend applying some chemical treatments
such as sealants, to coat the insides of the air ducts. This, they
claim, will control the growth of mold growth and prevent the dirt
particles or fibers formation in the ducts.
To sum it all, the ducts of our air conditioning units play an
important role when it comes to maintaining indoor air quality.
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