When you turn up the thermostat on a cold Oklahoma day, you want to feel the heat coming outside of your vents. But have you ever thought about the dirt and grime buildup that lurks inside your vents, and how it could be affecting the air you breathe? There is a lot that happens between turning up the thermostat and your heating vents, especially in the winter time here in Oklahoma. As a responsible homeowner, you owe it to the health of your family and your home to clean and sanitize your ductwork with the indoor air quality professionals at DeHart. We at DeHart can tell you the benefits of winter duct sanitization.
WHY WOULD YOUR DUCTS NEED CLEANING?
As your ductwork switches from delivering the cool air from your air conditioner to the hot air from your furnace, it will expand and contract. This constant back and forth (along with poor design or installation of your ductwork) will eventually lead to leaks and holes. These leaks allow for the dust, pollen, bacteria, and other allergens to infiltrate your ductwork and in turn, your living space. Dirty ductwork is a prime breeding ground for mold, and can even attract pest and vermin infestations. This is far from an “out of sight, out of mind” situation, as these contaminants will severely impact the indoor air quality (IAQ) of your home and exacerbate any allergy symptoms.
Ductwork is installed in dark, and hard to reach places, which makes cleaning your ducts a tough DIY job. And when you combine that with the risk of causing further damage to your ducts, duct cleaning and sanitization is best left to the professionals!
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS OF DIRTY DUCTWORK?
There are a few things to look and listen for before you know it might be time to clean and sanitize your ducts, like:
- FOUL ODORS COMING FROM YOUR VENTS
- AN INCREASE IN ALLERGY SYMPTOMS
- VISIBLE SIGNS OF DUST BUILDUP OR MOLD
- SIGHTS OR SOUNDS CONSISTENT WITH PEST INFESTATIONS
DUCT CLEANING WITH DEHART
So you’ve determined you’re tired of the foul odors and sneezing, and you want to bring in the pros to clean your ductwork. What will your local Dehart technician do to make sure you are breathing clean, warm air in your home again? This is broken down into two parts: cleaning and sanitizing.
DUCT CLEANING
Your DeHart duct technician will begin by removing all dust and buildup. This is done using industry-leading Rotobrush equipment to stir up and completely remove dust, dirt, and debris from air ducts. This cleaning process will also uncover any obvious issues, like pest infestations or excess mold growth, that will need to be thoroughly sanitized.
Though these small obstructions may seem negligible, it can have a lasting effect on how hard your heating and cooling equipment have to work in order to keep your home comfortable all year round. After your ducts are clean, your technician will move on to duct sanitization, if necessary.
DUCT SANITIZATION
Making sure your ducts are 100% clean and sanitary takes a little smoke and mirrors — but there are no tricks here. We will “fog” a sanitizing mist through your ductwork. This kills germs and bacteria throughout the system, so you can breathe easy knowing that your ductwork is 100% free of dust, debris, bacteria, and other harmful airborne substances.
Your DeHart ductwork technician will also perform a thorough visual inspection, to ensure that there are not any additional leaks in your ductwork, or ductwork design issues that will lead to lead to more dust and mold buildup in the future.