It’s important to clean the interior components of your HVAC system annually and their related ductwork every few years. These are great ways to protect the integrity of your equipment while promoting optimal air quality. You also need to check your air filters often and clean or change them every 30 to 90 days. The frequency depends on your filter type, manufacturer’s recommendations, system runtime, and whether you have smokers or furry pets in your home. Let’s look more in depth at the benefits of cleaning your HVAC system and other important maintenance tasks.
Maintain Equipment Integrity
The interior of your HVAC system has several parts that aid in its function. This includes motors, fan blades, impellers, belts, and electrical connections. If you allow these parts to become caked with debris, they can wear out much more quickly than if they were clean. Increased system wear and tear can shorten the lifespan of your HVAC system, requiring premature repairs that can be expensive.
Boost Efficiency
Heating and cooling equipment that is dirty has to work harder to function and keep your home comfortable. This increases the risk of system wear and tear, but you may also see a shift in the efficiency of your HVAC system. Your energy bills may be higher than normal as your HVAC system runs more frequently to reach the temperature you’ve set on your thermostat.
Spot Issues Early
During the process of cleaning the interior components of your HVAC system, our team will be able to keep an eye out for issues such as frayed wires or damaged parts. If they find any problems, they can make repairs before they turn into major issues that could shut down your system.
Improve Indoor Air Quality
There are all kinds of particulate matter that can contribute to poor indoor air quality. In many cases, the air inside our home is worse than what is outside. This is because of things like pollen, dust, dust mites, pet dander, mold spores, and volatile organic compounds VOCs). The longer you go between HVAC cleanings, the more particulate matter that will accumulate and circulate. You may even notice that your home smells fresher after you’ve had a professional HVAC cleaning. If anyone in your home deals with allergies, respiratory issues, or chronic health conditions, this is a task you should schedule regularly.
Signs It’s Time for an HVAC Cleaning
The United States Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that 25% to 40% of the energy that we use for heating or cooling our homes is wasted. We recommend that you stay on top of annual maintenance to minimize this waste. Here are some signs you can watch out for that can indicate you’re behind schedule with your HVAC cleanings.
Particle Accumulation
Even though you’ve been keeping up with your household chores, does it seem like surfaces in your home are frequently getting dirty? There may be a lot of particulate matter in your HVAC system that is being circulated into your living space. You also need to check to see if your vents and return registers are becoming coated in dust.
Shortened Filter Life
Assess the type of HVAC filter that you have and how often it’s supposed to be replaced. Does it need changing much sooner than the manufacturer recommends? If your filter is caked with debris after just a few weeks, excessive particle buildup in your HVAC system may be to blame.
Increase in Allergy Symptoms
It’s common for allergy symptoms to increase when your HVAC system is dirty. If you’ve been suffering from itchy eyes, sneezing, a cough, or itchy skin, it’s time to schedule a professional cleaning and possibly an indoor air quality assessment.
Spotting Mold Growth
If you’ve found mold growing anywhere in your home, it’s important that you have your HVAC system inspected and cleaned. It’s very easy for mold to spread into your entire home by way of your HVAC system. Mold can settle on the interior components of your heating and cooling equipment as well as your ductwork. You also need to ensure you’re dealing with the mold issue using professional remediation.
How to Prevent a Dirty HVAC System From Developing
While it’s impossible to completely prevent all particulate matter from accumulating in your HVAC system and ductwork, there are steps you can take to minimize debris buildup.
Changing Your Filter
Make sure that you’re changing your filter regularly. You need to check your filter every 30 days to see if it is dirty.
Installing Whole-House Filtration
You can consider having a whole-house air purification device installed on your HVAC system. This equipment will help trap particulate matter, in addition to your traditional filter. You can use an upgraded filter in your filtration device, such as a high-efficiency particulate (HEPA) air filter. A HEPA filter can trap as much as 99.97% of the particulate matter in your home and HVAC system. Using one is a great way to protect your heating and cooling equipment while supporting healthy indoor air quality.
Cleaning After Construction Work
If you’ve had any kind of construction work or remodeling done in your home recently, consider scheduling a one-off cleaning. There is a lot of debris and dust that gets circulated during building or renovation. During the process, you may want to consider sealing off your registers and vents to prevent particulate matter from entering your system.
Regular Housecleaning
Make sure to keep up with your household cleaning routine. This includes vacuuming and mopping floors, dusting surfaces, and washing laundry and dishes. This can greatly cut back on the amount of particulate matter that passes through your HVAC system.
Controlling Relative Humidity
Control the amount of moisture that is in your home. It’s recommended that indoor relative humidity remain at a level between 35% and 50%. Anything higher than this can promote the growth of mold on the interior components of your HVAC system and elsewhere.
Investing in New Equipment
If it’s time to invest in a new furnace or air conditioning unit, work closely with our team to choose equipment that is properly sized. This can prevent your system from cycling on and off frequently, which can decrease its ability to remove particulate matter and moisture.
If you would like to schedule professional service or learn more about the benefits of cleaning your HVAC system, reach out to our team at White Mechanical, Inc. in Orange County, CA. In addition to routine AC maintenance, we can install and repair various types of heating and cooling equipment. We can address the quality of your indoor air with an air quality assessment and, if it seems necessary, the installation of purification equipment. We can also install ventilation systems, whole-house dehumidifiers and humidifiers, and more. We offer commercial refrigeration services as well.
Contact [company_name} in Orange County today to schedule an appointment or find out more about any of the services we’ve mentioned above, including our maintenance agreement!
