Should I Have My Ducts Cleaned Because of Wildfires?

If nearby wildfires have impacted the air in and around your home, there’s a good chance that the pollution has also impacted your HVAC system. Sure, there’s pollution in the air every single day. But when you add wildfire smoke to everyday pollution it can make a bad problem worse.

Your family may be suffering by way of allergy or illness symptoms as a result of the nearby wildfires. The good news is, there is something you can do about it. Schedule a duct cleaning service in O’Fallon, MO today. You can also keep reading to learn more about how duct cleaning can help improve your indoor air quality, especially after wildfires.

Risks of Wildfire Smoke

When there is wildfire smoke and pollution in the air around your home, officials will likely encourage you to stay indoors as much as possible. But even then, some of this pollution can make its way into your home. There are particular compounds that are very concerning when it comes to wildfire smoke and your home, and they are called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAH for short.

PAH comes from coal, gasoline, and crude oil. These particles are also produced in excess during wildfires. In fact, the US National Institutes of Health states that there is an alarmingly high number of these particles in the air during a wildfire. And unfortunately, the pollution does not completely disappear once wildfires are gone.

Long Term Effects

Pollution and smoke from wildfires enter your home and inevitably circulate through your HVAC system. Some of the particles can settle inside the ductwork and re-circulate again and again. In fact, pollution may get stuck to dust and dirt particles, making it even more difficult to get rid of.

Duct Cleaning Recommendations

The usual recommendation for duct cleaning is to schedule a service once every 3-5 years. However, when you take wildfires into consideration it may be wise to schedule the service sooner than 3-5 years from your last appointment. You can give our team a call to complete an indoor air quality test to assess the levels of pollution inside your home.

Then we can schedule a duct cleaning service to wipe down and sanitize your ductwork. If you have holes and broken seals that are allowing pollution to get in and mix with clean air, we may also recommend that you invest in duct repairs and duct sealing. These services can go a long way toward improving your indoor air quality now and into the future.

Air Purifiers

If you want to take your indoor air quality to a higher level, we encourage you to invest in a whole house air purifier. This is a great way to eliminate more than 99% of the harmful particles circulating through your air. Yes, even pollution from wildfires. That way, if there are nearby wildfires again in the future, you can rest easy knowing that your whole house air purifier is working around the clock to maintain clean air for your home and family.

Warm People, Cool Ideas, Quality Solutions. Give our team at Swiss Air Heating & Cooling, LLC a call today to schedule an appointment for duct cleaning service.