How often should HVAC ducts be cleaned? The short answer is every 3-5 years, according to the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA).
But, in select situations, the above number can extend to every 6-8 years. Avoid cleaning your HVAC air ducts, and you could end up with respiratory health issues.
So, with such a wide recommendation of time for cleaning (3-8 years, specifically) how do you know when an HVAC air duct should be cleaned? What factors influence the NADCA’s recommendation?
Streamline Heating and Air here: our HVAC specialists dived deep into the research and found five tell-tale signs that indicate when you should clean your HVAC air ducts. We’ll discuss these signs below to help you with your future HVAC and A/C repair and maintenance jobs.
Yes, regular air duct cleaning is necessary (5 warning signs and indicators)
The research is clear: indoor human activity — particularly smoking cigarettes and cooking — can impact the cleanliness of indoor air (Tran, Park, and Lee, 2020). All the more reason to have air ducts cleaned on the regular.
But besides tobacco smoke and particulate matter from cooking, recognizing that regular ductwork is needed to help stave off the worst effects of poor indoor air quality is a must. You may need to schedule an emergency HVAC air duct cleaning if you notice the following warning signs and indicators of dirty air ducts in your indoor space.
5 Warning signs that show your HVAC air ducts need cleaning
| 1. Visible mold or musty smell 2. A preponderance of household pests 3. Excessive amounts of dust and debris 4. Excessive allergy and cold-like symptoms 5. If you’ve changed homes, facilities, or properties (or if your property underwent a major renovation — or if your property was just built) |
1. Visible mold or musty smells
Especially in our humid and damp Florida climate, mold finds its way into the most damp and cluttered spots. In fact, mold loves to grow in difficult-to-reach places like air ducts.
So, if you see mold, smell mustiness in the air, or experience physical symptoms like itching or coughing, you’ll want to check out the ductwork on your property.
A reliable HVAC technician — or air duct cleaning service — can eliminate and prevent the mold from growing again. A reliable HVAC team will sanitize the area and kill the source of the mold growth.
2. A recent proliferation of pests
Roaches, June bugs, and other creepy crawlers: they call your air ducts home if you haven’t cleaned them in recent years. As such, air- and land-born pests can contaminate indoor air with debris, droppings, and odor (yuck!).
If you notice pests in and around your HVAC system’s ductwork — or if you notice a decline in your system’s performance — you may have bugs and pests on your hands and therefore be due for a proper air duct cleaning.
3. Large amounts of dust and debris
Dust, pet dander, and dead skin cells and flakes: these dust and debris particles can build up inside air ducts.
You’ll know you have an excessive debris problem on your hands if you notice plumes of dust blowing out of your air vents.
Worst of all, large build-ups of dust and debris can cause respiratory problems and health issues for all parties involved. What’s more, dust and debris can decrease a system’s airflow and performance.
Wasted airflow can decrease the integrity of an HVAC system and can be a huge drain on your wallet.
To fix a debris and dust problem, you’ll want to call a professional cleaning service to sweep out your air ducts. Doing so will help ensure your HVAC system operates at maximum efficiency and in as safe a manner as possible for you and your loved ones.
4. Excessive allergy and cold-like symptoms
Dust mites feed on human debris. These pests can make your air ducts their home.
What’s more, dirty and dusty air ducts can impact health and trigger asthma among other respiratory conditions.
If you notice you’re experiencing allergy and cold-like symptoms while in your indoor space, you’ll want to check in with an HVAC technician or professional air duct cleaner. Especially for newborns, young children, and the elderly, conducting regular air duct cleaning will ensure healthier indoor air quality for them.
5. Recent property/facility changes, renovations, or builds
Whether you’re moving into a new home, changing business locations, building a new home, or building a new business facility, you’ll want to conduct air duct cleaning as part of the process.
Especially if you’re moving into an indoor space where the previous tenant or owner was a smoker, or pet owner, or didn’t service their air ducts within the last three years, you’ll want to jump on air duct cleaning pronto.
When building or moving into a new space, air duct cleaning can help rid a property of construction debris that accumulates during the building, remodeling, and property maintenance process.
Since indoor construction tends to stir up dust, whenever you’re moving into or building a new property, air ducts should be cleaned. Doing so will remove any sawdust or other pollutants caused by construction that can clog your HVAC system’s air ducts.
Streamlined, straightforward facts
Air duct completion isn’t always as straightforward and streamlined as it may seem. But with us, no job is too large or small.
We pride ourselves on transparency, clarifying how we completed each air duct jobs. To understand what our streamlined process for air ducts looks like, check out our recent spiral air duct jobs in one of our client’s homes.
How often HVAC ducts should be cleaned
In summary, air ducts should be cleaned every three to five years. In special circumstances, you might be able to push your air duct cleaning timeline to every six to eight years.
But, the devil is always in the details.
If you or a loved one are sensitive to indoor air quality, have respiratory health issues, or live with asthma, you can never go wrong with cleaning your air ducts every three to five years.
What’s most important is that you’re in touch with a reliable, efficient, and experienced HVAC professional. Having an honest and hard-working HVAC team will ensure that your air ducts remain in tip-top shape throughout the year regardless of the weather.
To learn more about air duct cleaning services — or to request a complimentary quote on an air duct cleaning job — don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our knowledgeable and friendly HVAC specialists. They’d be happy to help.
