Photo by Simon Blackley
Okay, I can’t help it but I like making duck jokes about air conditioning ducts. And I also happen to know a great deal about these ducts, though not necessarily about ducks. Since you’re still reading, even after being subjected to yet another one of my duck jokes, I would like to tell you all about the care and cleaning of your air conditioning ducts.
Let us begin with the basics: your duct system is the conduit through which the conditioned air is delivered to different parts of your home. Over time, this duct system can become dirty or starts to leak air. Contaminants, which I have mentioned on several occasions in my other articles, can also build up in you’re a/c and duct system. This can be an unhealthy environment for your family and for your ducks, if you have any living with you that is. When your duct system starts to build up contaminants, it provides an ideal breeding ground for microorganisms. These little critters can wreak havoc on sensitive respiratory systems, not to mention make dusting a never-ending chore.
There are a couple different solutions for dealing with a dirty duct system. The first is to clean the duct system. This can be done by a state-certified air conditioning contractor. A contractor will use advanced equipment to remove the contaminants from the interior surfaces of the duct system. First a very powerful h.e.p.a. vacuum system the size of a small fridge is brought in and hooked up to your duct system. The next step is to send brushes through the duct system and work them back to the h.e.p.a. filtration system. Once all the ducts have been cleaned it may be necessary to clean the air handler components, however it’s not necessary for every cleaning.
The only other option is to replace the ductwork. This is usually only done in extreme cases. Once we have the duct system cleaned or replaced, we want to keep it as clean as possible. This is achieved through filtration, but that’s a topic for another article.
Thanks for reading,
Bryan
Bryan Hayes, along with his brother Todd, is a co-owner of a Sanibel Air Conditioning company on Sanibel, FL. They also own and operate an island-based electrical service company Sanctuary Island Electric, Inc. Bryan can be reached at Bryan@Sanibelair.com
