Pollutants in our home come from many different sources, and it hasn’t been proven that cleaning your ducts will prevent health problems related to poor indoor air quality, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The ducts, however, are the conduit by which conditioned air is delivered to your rooms, and dust particles tend to adhere to the walls of ducts. Over time the buildup of dust or other debris may cause problems with your HVAC system. In some situations, duct cleaning can be helpful.

There is more to your Sacramento HVAC system’s ductwork than the grilles through which warm and cool air flow. Duct cleaning also involves the air handling unit, drip pans, fans and heating and cooling coils — any element of your system that is in the path of moving air.

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Duct cleaning isn’t appropriate for every home. But in the following situations, it could help improve your indoor air quality:

• When you see visible signs of dirty or dusty buildup. This would include dust or dirt blowing out of the vents. Dirty vents do not necessarily mean you have duct problems — they might have just collected dirt from the rooms in your home — but if you notice dust blowing out of the system, you might need to clean more than just the vents themselves.
• When you see mold growth on the inside walls of a duct. A professional should evaluate the duct system to determine whether the mold growth is extensive. Severely infected ducts, particularly if they have insulation, may need more than just a cleaning.
• When there are insects, mouse or rat droppings inside the ducts. First have a exterminator deal with the infestation. Then have the ducts professionally cleaned to remove droppings and debris.

If you are unsure whether a buildup of dirt in your air ducts is affecting your HVAC system, ask a professional to perform an evaluation to determine if cleaning is appropriate. For advice on duct cleaning or any home heating and cooling issues, contact All Year Heating, Air & Solar today. Serving the Greater Sacramento area, we’re always happy to help.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).