4 Warning Signs Your Air Ducts Need Cleaning

While most Cleveland, OH homeowners know they need to take care of their heating and cooling systems, many of them neglect the health of their ductwork. However, your air ducts are an integral part of your household. Any time you turn up the heat or air conditioning, your HVAC system must circulate the conditioned air all around the house via the air ducts. To keep this process running smoothly, you need to periodically get your ductwork professionally cleaned and inspected. Many contaminants can build up inside the ducts, including dust, mold, pest droppings, and others. When the air ducts get dirty enough, you will start to notice a variety of negative effects in your home. Here, we’ll cover a few of the clearest warning signs that your air ducts need cleaning.

1. Unpleasant Odors in Your Home

The appearance of strange, unpleasant smells in your home is a common indicator of dirty ductwork. Because your HVAC system must push all of the conditioned air through the ducts, it’s inevitable that pollutants will get picked up and distributed throughout the house. So, if the ductwork hasn’t been cleaned in several years, there will be numerous contaminants for the hot and cool air to pass through. Substances like mold, mildew, and pest droppings are often the culprits for foul odors.

If your air ducts are causing unusual smells in your home, then the scents will likely be their strongest in the areas around your air vents. Additionally, the smells may be most prevalent when your heater or air conditioner is cycling. When you schedule professional duct cleaning, our team will clear all of the contaminants out of your ductwork. This should immediately give your house a cleaner, fresher scent.

2. Breathing Issues for You or Your Family

Have you or anyone else in your home been experiencing recent breathing issues? If you have and aren’t sure why, it could be the result of dirty air ducts. Put simply, the dirtier your ductwork is, the more contaminants will be present in the air you’re breathing every day. Over time, this can negatively affect your quality of life and even cause significant health symptoms. Typically, people who suffer from asthma, allergies, or other respiratory issues will be most impacted by dirty ducts.

• Fatigue
• Coughing
• Shortness of breath
• Headaches
• Irritated eyes, nose, ears, or throat
• Sinusitis

Whether your home’s indoor air quality is currently poor or not, you can bet that professional duct cleaning will improve it. If you want to keep your air consistently clean and healthy, it’s important to get your duct cleaned at least once every two to three years.

3. Hot and Cold Spots

When your air ducts are clean, they provide clear pathways for your heating and cooling appliances to distribute conditioned air. Generally, each area of the house will be around the same temperature, assuming you don’t use a zoning system. However, when enough contaminants are allowed to accumulate in the ductwork, they can form obstructions to the airflow. As a result, your HVAC unit will have trouble evenly distributing conditioned air to every room of the house. This can cause certain parts of your dwelling to regularly be colder or warmer than others.

Although several issues can lead to hot and cold spots, ductwork issues are among the most common culprits. Fortunately, scheduling duct cleaning should help restore an even, consistent climate to your home.

4. Rising Utility Bills

If you’re overdue for professional duct cleaning, you might start noticing an increase in your monthly utility costs. When your air ducts are packed with pollutants, your heater and air conditioner need to work substantially harder to effectively do their jobs. To successfully push the conditioned air through the ducts, the appliances will require more energy, which will directly impact your electricity bills each month. This is one of the reasons why getting your air ducts cleaned can save you money down the road.

Your Local Ductwork Experts

At KW Lang Mechanical, we’ve been a trusted provider of home comfort services in the Cleveland area since 1927. In addition to comprehensive duct cleaning, our skilled HVAC technicians offer a full scope of heating and cooling services. This includes maintenance, repair, and installation. We also offer top-tier indoor air quality solutions, commercial HVAC services, and green technology. If you’d like to schedule an appointment, simply contact us at KW Lang Mechanical today!