Dirty ducts are a lurking danger inside your home, but only because they are easy to ignore. You can't see the pet dander, pollen, dry skin cells, insect carcasses, mold spores, and other contaminants accumulating in your ducts. If you have breathing problems, or if you suspect that you are paying too much to condition the air in your home, you need to have your ducts cleaned.

Indoor Air Pollution and Dirty Ducts

Asthma and allergies can be tough to live with. Every day you try to find safe zones that will not trigger a meltdown. You might think that the hypoallergenic air filter in your furnace is enough to turn your home into a safe zone, but sadly this is not the case. Because any contaminate that accumulate in the ducts won't be filtered, you will still have problems if you don't don't clean your ducts. For example, you can leave your home vulnerable to attacks from MRSA, salmonella, e. coli, and other dangerous diseases. Furthermore, if you get water in your ducts, the water can cause mold spores to start to grow, so you will want to clean your ducts before you have an infestation on your hands. A health-conscious homeowner will recognize the dangers associated with dirty ducts and take steps to correct the problem.

Dirty Ducts and System Efficiency

Air flow is at its smoothest when it flows over a smooth surface. The inside panels of your air ducts start out as a smooth surface, but the more dust, dirt, grime, and contaminants that build up in your ducts, the rougher the surface gets. A rough surface can create eddies in the air flowing through your ducts. These eddies then create friction with the rest of the air flowing through your ducts. The combined effect is that the speed of the air flowing your ducts is reduced, and it ends up taking your HVAC system longer to condition the air in your home. Basically, dirty ducts decrease HVAC efficiency. 

Cleaning the ducts in your home is not really a job for a do-it-yourselfer. The problem is that without a high-powered vacuum and extendable brushes, you are hopelessly under-equipped to clean your ducts. While hiring professionals in air duct cleaning to clean your ducts is an extra cost, your health is worth the expense. There is no reason why you should leave yourself vulnerable to another breathing attack when you can easily take a step to rectify the situation. As an added benefit, you can boost your system efficiency. Cleaning your ducts just makes sense.