Although the air ducts in your New Britain, PA home do their work behind the scenes, that doesn’t mean they don’t have an essential job. Any time you have your heat or air conditioning running to keep you comfortable, your HVAC system is circulating conditioned air through your ductwork. The hot or cold air travels through the air ducts to reach each area of your dwelling. For your furnace and AC unit to be effective and efficient, your air ducts must be clean, healthy, and free of leaks. However, this won’t always be the case if you neglect your ductwork. Over time, various contaminants will accumulate inside the ducts, including dust, mold, and even pest droppings. Additionally, neglected ductwork may become damaged or leaky. These issues can have major consequences for the overall health, comfort, and energy efficiency of your household.
Fortunately, when your home’s air ducts need professional care, there will usually be one or more noticeable signs. Here, we’ll examine the most common indicators that your air ducts need professional cleaning or repairs.
1. Worsening Indoor Air Quality
Have you noticed more contaminants in your indoor air than usual? Ultimately, your home’s air ducts play a major role in the overall quality of the air that you and your family breathe every day. When your ductwork becomes packed with dust, pollen, mold spores, pet dander, and other contaminants, many will inevitably get picked up as your HVAC system circulates air. As a result, those airborne pollutants will regularly be distributed throughout your living space.
Although there are multiple things that can cause a decrease in your indoor air quality, dirty air ducts are a very common possibility. This is especially likely if you haven’t scheduled professional duct cleaning in several years. In addition to being unpleasant to breathe, poor indoor air quality can have serious effects on anyone in your home who suffers from asthma, allergies, or other respiratory problems.
After our duct cleaning professionals at TCS Heating and Air Conditioning thoroughly clean your home’s ductwork, you should notice an immediate improvement in the quality of your air.
2. Decrease in Your Home Comfort
The health of your ductwork can also impact the general comfort of your home. When the air ducts are leaky, damaged, or overly dirty, it makes it harder for your heating and cooling systems to circulate hot and cold air. In these instances, a significant amount of conditioned air will either escape or be obstructed while traveling through the ducts.
When your air ducts need cleaning or repairs, you may notice it taking much longer than usual for your house to reach a comfortable temperature. You may also start experiencing uneven temperatures around your home, with certain areas receiving more warm or cool air than others. In addition to impacting your comfort, dirty or damaged ductwork can force your HVAC system to work substantially harder. This can shorten its life expectancy and increase the likelihood of mechanical issues.
Any time you notice a significant decrease in your home comfort, it’s worth getting your air ducts professionally inspected. Our team at TCS Heating and Air Conditioning will closely examine your home’s ductwork, clear out the contaminants, and search for any leaks or damage.
3. Unusual Odors in Your Home
When your ducts are clean, you’re far more likely to enjoy a pleasant, fresh-smelling home. However, as more and more contaminants build up in the ductwork, you may start noticing unusual, undesirable odors around the house. For example, if there’s significant mold growth in your ducts, it might produce a stale, musty smell. Alternatively, the accumulation of pest droppings can create exceptionally unpleasant odors. Usually, if bad smells in your house are a result of dirty ductwork, the odors will be most noticeable when your heater or air conditioner is running. These scents may also be strongest in the areas around your air vents.
To keep your house smelling clean, it’s essential that you schedule professional duct cleaning at least once every couple of years. Our skilled professionals at TCS Heating and Air Conditioning will carefully remove any pollutants that have accumulated in the ducts.
4. Rising Utility Costs
It’s always wise to keep a close eye on your household’s monthly utility costs. That way, you’ll notice quickly if there’s ever an unusual increase. If you observe your energy bills rising unexpectedly, it could mean that your air ducts are leaking or clogged with contaminants. When air is escaping the ducts or being obstructed, your HVAC system will have to work substantially harder to do its job. This not only puts unnecessary wear and tear on the equipment, but it also has a direct impact on your utility costs.
Improved HVAC efficiency is one of the many major advantages of scheduling professional duct cleaning. In this sense, you should view the service as an investment. Over time, you’ll get much or all of that money back from energy savings.
5. Strange Noises From Your Air Ducts
It’s never a good thing if you start hearing strange noises coming from your air ducts. These sounds will seem like they’re coming from behind the walls or in the floor or ceiling, and they usually indicate the presence of pests. For instance, when you hear scraping or tapping noises, that may be a rodent crawling around inside the ductwork. Generally, pests can only find their way into air ducts if the ducts have significant damage. When you call us at TCS Heating and Air Conditioning, our ductwork experts will find and repair whatever issue has allowed pests to enter your ducts.
6. Dust in and Around Your Air Vents
At least a few times a year, it’s prudent to check and clean your home’s air vents. When you do so, you’ll want to note how much dust there is, both inside the vents and on the outside of each grill. When these areas are coated in dust, it almost certainly means that there’s lots of it inside the air ducts as well. And whenever your HVAC system circulates air, it will continue to pick up dust and other pollutants, which will end up in your vents and all around the house.
You can clean the contaminants out of your vents with a vacuum cleaner extension hose. Once you’re finished, you should contact your local ductwork professionals to schedule a thorough cleaning of your ducts.
7. It Has Been Multiple Years Since Your Last Cleaning
If your last professional ductwork cleaning or inspection was more than three years ago, you should contact professionals as soon as possible. Even if you aren’t currently seeing any red flags with your air ducts, it’s best to be proactive. Scheduling a cleaning now will ensure that you maintain a clean, healthy, energy-efficient home for the foreseeable future.
Trusted Local Ductwork Professionals
Residents of the greater New Britain area have been trusting TCS Heating and Air Conditioning with their ductwork services since 1976. In addition to providing exceptional home comfort services, we take pride in educating and empowering our customers. Beyond our expert ductwork cleaning and repairs, our team also offers top-tier heating, air conditioning, indoor air quality, and boiler services. If you’d like to learn more or schedule an appointment, simply give us a call at TCS Heating and Air Conditioning today!
