The air ducts in your O’Fallon, MO home help deliver conditioned air from your HVAC system to areas like your living room, bathroom, kitchen and hallways. This is an important part of maintaining healthy indoor air quality. If your indoor air quality suffers, this can increase allergies, asthma, respiratory issues and other chronic problems. Closely considering the condition and setup of your ductwork can help you improve your indoor air and overall comfort.
How Much Ducting You Have and Its Placement
Many homes are constructed with not enough ducting or ducting that is not evenly spread out. This can prevent proper circulation of conditioned air. Air in certain areas can become quite stagnant and have a high concentration of particulate matter and contaminants. Regarding comfort, you may experience hot and cold spots. This can result in running your HVAC system more frequently, which increases the need for repairs, places strain on your heating and cooling equipment and drives up your energy bills. Over time, your indoor air quality will continue to suffer.
Gaps and Cracks in Ducting
As your ducting breaks down or experiences damage, small gaps and cracks can allow particulate matter, pests and moisture to enter. This can diminish your indoor air quality quickly and cause problems with your HVAC system. You can address this problem by scheduling a routine inspection of your ductwork at least once per year. If we notice damage, we can perform repairs using sealants or mastic tape. Larger areas of damage may require ductwork replacement.
Issues With Moisture
The relative humidity in your home should remain between 35% and 50%. If humidity increases, this can allow moisture to enter your ductwork. This moisture will circulate through your residence, impacting comfort and indoor air quality. Humid air can allow for more particulate matter to be present, impacting respiratory health and allergies.
Also, moisture in your ducting promotes the growth of mold and mildew. Exposure to mold can be devastating to your health, causing symptoms like fatigue, headaches, joint pain and brain fog. Unfortunately, many people don’t realize they have issues with mold in their ductwork if they’re skipping routine inspections.
Not only is it important to have mold removed from your ductwork, but you should also address high levels of humidity. We can install a whole-home dehumidifier onto your HVAC system to remove excess moisture from the air as it circulates.
Considering Ductwork Insulation
It’s important to have ample insulation around your ductwork. This helps retain the temperature of the air inside your ducts, promoting a more comfortable interior environment. However, lack of insulation can also impact indoor air quality. Contaminated air can enter your ducting and circulate through your home. These conditions can also cause an accumulation of debris in your ducting. Conditioned air can also escape easier when not enough insulation is present. This forces your HVAC system to run more frequently and shortens its lifespan.
Blocking Airflow
If your ducting is extremely dirty, this can cause obstructions that block airflow. This uneven distribution of air and stagnant air can impede the ability to achieve healthy indoor air quality. If you’ve never had your ductwork inspected or cleaned, now is the time to do so. This helps determine what the condition of your ductwork is, allowing for necessary repairs and maintenance to improve your IAQ.
Scheduling Ductwork Cleaning
You should schedule a professional ductwork cleaning once every one to three years. We recommend that you keep up with more frequent cleanings if you have pets in the home or have severe allergies. We use specialized camera equipment to see in the depths of your ducting, determining how dirty they are and if there are other problems to contend with, like pest infestations or mold growth.
For more information on how ductwork can impact your indoor air quality or to schedule expert indoor air quality support, Swiss Air Heating & Cooling, LLC in O’Fallon is available. We can assist with ductwork inspections and cleanings, the installation of air filtration systems, humidifiers and dehumidifiers and we offer support with the use of heat energy recovery ventilation systems. Contact Swiss Air Heating & Cooling, LLC for more information or to schedule an appointment for ductwork support in O’Fallon today.
