What You Should Know About Cleaning Your HVAC System
The summer months are over, and homes in many areas are switching from their air conditioning to heating as the months get a bit colder—and that means you need HVAC system cleaning. Using your HVAC system is great for keeping your home comfortable, but as you run it more often, whether it’s during really hot days or really cold days, you are going to end up getting a build-up of particles in your system.
Every home has to compete against particles of dust or other substances constantly because we are living in these homes, as well as our pets, and everybody sheds in some way or another. While we vacuum up and dust around the home, many people don’t bother to think about their HVAC system and the ventilation ducts that are running through their homes. If you have forced air systems with AC or heating, these ducts and other parts of the HVAC system suffer from a lack of attention because, to most people, it’s an out of sight, out of mind situation. HVAC system cleaning is important for maintaining the air quality in a home, especially if you or a family member are susceptible to allergies or have weakened respiratory systems.
Considering the air quality in your home brings up the question of how often should you be doing an HVAC system cleaning, and what exactly does a cleaning entail? When it comes to their AC or their furnace system, the only thing they know to change is the filters, but how often should those filters be changed?
Another thing to consider about your HVAC system cleaning are the contributing factors that are going to change how often you should clean it. If you are in a location with a lot of pollution, or a lot of smoke from forest fires, you are going to find that particles build up in the HVAC system much quicker. As well, if you have smokers in the home, those particles can also start building up in your HVAC system. As well, any family with young children or elderly family members in the home should be cleaning their system more often.
When it comes to doing a full HVAC system cleaning, which includes cleaning ducts, and inspecting and performing maintenance on appliances in your HVAC system, you should be hiring a trained professional HVAC technician to ensure everything is inspected and cleaned thoroughly and safely. But not every aspect of HVAC system cleaning needs a professional called in, so which parts can you take care of yourself?
Filter Replacement
Your furnace and AC should both have filters in them, either in the intake of air, or through the output. With ACs, it is recommended by the U.S. Department of Health to clean your filters every month or two, more frequently when there is more usage during the hot summer months. For your furnace, the filter should be changed seasonally; however, some furnaces have reusable filters, and HVAC system cleaning professionals advise that you need to clean those filters more often.
Duct Cleaning
Duct cleaning should be conducted by an HVAC trained professional to ensure that it is done in a safe and thorough manner. Most people won’t need to get their ducts cleaned every year, and there is no recommended length of time between HVAC system cleaning, so either you can schedule a regular inspection, or you can call in a professional when you start to see debris, mold, or rodents in your ducts.
Tracking Air Quality Forecasts
These days, it is very easy to access air quality forecasts, either on the internet or on your mobile phone, through weather applications. In months or seasons where air pollution is high, or when allergens are high, you should consider HVAC system cleaning and cleaning your filters more often to combat against the increased density of particles in your air.
There are several types of filters available for HVAC systems, so if you have medical respiratory issues, you may want to consider more expensive, but more thorough, HEPA filters (consult your doctor or primary care health professional).
HVAC systems can often be considered the lungs of your home; they transport air throughout your home whenever you have your AC, furnace, or fan mode enabled. Keeping that air clean and healthy for you is important, so don’t forget to perform HVAC system cleaning and filter cleaning and changing. Consult an HVAC system cleaning professional today for a consultation or inspection.
