The ductwork connected to your HVAC system is hidden behind walls, under the floors, and in the ceilings of your residence. This system is a complex and carefully considered design that ensures your whole home feels the air from your HVAC system. It’s likely you seldom think much about the ducts. However, your HVAC ducts are a crucial part of the entire system and require routine care to continue to provide you with high-quality, sufficient, and evenly distributed heating and cooling. To keep them clean and clear, providing you with the conditioned air you require, you’ll need to occasionally arrange for duct cleaning.

Duct cleaning should be thought of as a preventative tool and performed by a professional every three to five years. This routine cleaning helps eliminate the risk of blockages in the vents and lowers your chance of other duct-related problems. However, if you spot a problem with your home’s heating and cooling system that you suspect is related to the ductwork, you should schedule this professional service sooner.

What Is Duct Cleaning?

Professional duct cleaning is a process that removes dirt, debris, and allergens from your HVAC ductwork. The air forced through your ducts and out of the vents may contain dust, dirt, and allergens. You may also find occasional debris in the ducts from accidental spills near intake vents, incursions by pests, or material that escaped the filter. All of this junk could linger inside your ducts, leading to various problems for your home’s HVAC system.

Duct cleaning experts use a high-suction vacuum and compressed air to clear your ductwork. The powerful vacuum is attached to the vents in your house and sucks dirt, debris, and contaminants out of the system. After the vacuum has removed all that it can, the technician performing the cleaning might use compressed air to force any remaining debris out. A vacuum is attached to the end of the duct to trap the debris so it doesn’t blow around your living space. For stubborn blockages, the technician may need to use a scope to find the area of concern and utilize other tools to break up the clog. The entire process of cleaning your ducts should take a few hours, depending on the size of your home and the amount of buildup inside the ductwork.

How to tell if you need professional duct cleaning:
  • Uneven heating and cooling with hot and cold spots in the house
  • Low-quality indoor air leading to health problems
  • Foul or strange odors coming from the vents
  • Unexplained increase in utility bills
  • Insufficient heating and cooling
  • Frequently clogged air filters

Benefits of Professional Duct Cleaning

Professional duct cleaning is a critical part of home maintenance. You’ll enjoy numerous benefits after having your ductwork professionally cleaned. We outline some of the top benefits of our professional service below so that you can better understand the importance of having the work done.

Better Indoor Air Quality

Contaminants and microorganisms can rest inside your ducts, creating low-quality indoor air. These contaminants include allergens, bacteria, mold, mildew, and other toxins. Left uncleaned, the contaminants circulate with the air forced through your ducts and are blown around your home. They are then reintroduced to the HVAC system through the intake vents. Air contaminants are especially harmful for those who suffer from asthma and other respiratory diseases, making breathing difficult. Even if everyone in your household is healthy, dirty air may make it more difficult to breathe. Professional duct cleaning removes these contaminants from the ducts and contains them to be removed from your home.

Lower Workload for Your HVAC System

Your furnace and air conditioner already work hard to provide a comfortable home for you and your family. When dust and debris build up inside your ducts, the system has to work even harder to force air through. Blockages inside the ductwork make it more difficult for the warm and cool air to move where it needs to go. If your HVAC system cannot circulate air properly, it may cycle longer to reach the desired temperature. This puts added strain on your heating and cooling units, making them more likely to break down and possibly lowering their life expectancy.

Elimination of Odors

When contaminants linger inside your ducts, you may start to notice strange odors coming from the vents. These foul smells may be the result of mold and mildew growth, bacteria, or other debris that has started to stink. If you notice bad smells coming from the vents when your furnace or air conditioner is running, you should schedule professional duct cleaning for a fresher smell in your house.

More Efficient Heating and Cooling

Even with the most energy-efficient heating or cooling unit available, in order to enjoy the energy savings, you have to have a clear pathway for the forced air to move through. If your ducts are clogged, the HVAC system must work harder to heat and cool the house. When this happens, your equipment will run longer and more often to keep up. More work translates into higher energy costs, which you’ll see on your utility bills.

Sufficient and Even Heating and Cooling

If part of your ductwork is blocked with debris, you may not get sufficient heat or cold air to certain areas of your home. The forced air may not be able to travel through some portions of the ductwork due to clogs and will instead head down a different path. This change of direction leads to hot or cold spots within the home and may make it harder to keep some rooms at an ideal temperature. If you find that you have areas or rooms in the house that never reach the desired temperature, you should have your ductwork inspected for blockages.

Cleaner Home

Do you find it difficult to keep up with the dust in your home? If so, your dirty ducts may be the culprit. If dust builds up inside the ducts, it blows out through the vents when the furnace or air conditioner is running. The dust then settles onto surfaces in your house and recirculates through the intake vents. The recirculated air goes back through the system and out of your vents again, leading to a never-ending cycle of dusty air. Although our experts recommend duct cleaning every three to five years, you may want to schedule the service more often if you live in a particularly dusty area such as on a country road.

Professional duct cleaning is an integral part of maintenance and upkeep in your home. At 865 HVAC, we have expert technicians to perform the best duct cleaning you’ll find in Knoxville and the surrounding areas. We understand the importance of clean ducts and will make sure your ductwork is clear of obstructions and free from dust and allergens. In addition to professional duct cleaning, our company offers premier heating and cooling services including repairs, maintenance, and installations. We also specialize in humidifiers, dehumidifiers, and ductwork repair, maintenance, and installation.

For the best professional duct cleaning in Knoxville, TN, call the experts at 865 HVAC today.

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