The old adage. “Out of sight, out of mind.” Could not ring more true when it comes to certain areas of our homes. In particular, I want to turn your attention to one system in every home and business in the United States that most of us over look, however, is a key component which impacts the well-being and safety of all residential or business occupants: The Air Duct System or also known as, your HVAC System.
Air duct systems and their critical impact on your health are easy to over look! The only real reminders that they are even part of our homes or business’ are the thermostat. The entirety of the system is general conveniently hidden behind our walls, floors, and attics. Most homeowners seldom bother to investigate whether their system is performing in the manner it was intended to and much less so whether it is due for a professional cleaning.
This negligence can cost homeowners and business owners; thousands of dollars in costly repairs or worse, replacement of the entire system itself. So far we have only addressed the fact that we barely think about the crucial role the air duct system and which plays in our lives every single day. On average, most homes can contain approximately 70X times more polluted indoor air when compared to the air quality out doors! How? The answer is quite simple. Most air duct systems are cleaned far too infrequently, what is more concerning is that we find that many homes have never had the system cleaned, ever!
Let us take a moment to consider everything that ends up in the air duct system. When a home is built, a significant amount of building materials such as, wood splinters, drywall dust, saw dust, concrete crumbs, carpeting fibers, and nails can be found inside the duct lines. This occurs because little to no efforts are made by most builders to ensure that the return registers are ever covered up during construction. Further more a large sum of the debris also ends up being commonly swept into the floor registers as a easy means to rid the open areas of debris.
Inevitably the system is turned on when all final finishes are installed in the home and a happy family moves in ready to enjoy their new home! The last thing on anyone’s mind is the air duct system. However, as the system runs and operates as intended, all the air within the home is constantly recirculated. In time the loose debris in the system is expelled into the open living quarters and then recycled back into the system.
Homeowners often make a valiant effort to change their filters frequently and do what they think is supposed to be done. However, often times what homeowners fail to realize is that the system is impacted throughout and that merely changing filters cannot ever properly filter out all the debris contained in their systems. Fast forward 5, 10, 30 years into the future: the same home now has had one or more families enjoying its comforts and amenities over time with little mind being paid to the air duct system. At this point the system is heavily loaded with normal dust, debris, pet hair, allergens, out door pollutants, and a myriad of accumulating years of dirt and remodeling debris build up (lets not forget all that original construction debris)!
We often times forget to address this issue because the system is no something that is in need of our attention until something malfunctions (generally when people call to have their systems cleaned). The problem this creates has a critical impact on every occupants health and well being. Those fine dust, allergens, and pollutant particulates which are dispersed into the air every single day for years and years are also being breathed into our lungs, settle onto all soft furnishings, and everything you come in contact with in the home. The problem worsens, however, when you take into account how this can effect humans long term. The effects such indoor pollutants can have on your immune system and its ability to combat against common colds, allergens, disease, and fast spreading viruses. If your home is an incubator of pollution that you are breathing in for a minimum of 9+ hours during sleep, imagine the health impact this can have over years and years of occupying your home!
To make matters worse, all of that build up and debris within the system can affect the mechanical components and severely hinder their functions in terms of filtration when cycling the air, build up on blower motors, heating and cooling coils, and the overall efficiency and life of the system. Statistics show that the average cost to replace the furnace in an average American home of approximately 1,100 Sq. Ft is $7,000.00 ! These systems should last anywhere from 25- 40 years if maintained properly. Most seldom survive longer than 13.2 years on average. The systems generally do not fall apart all at once, however, critical component failures can lead to anything from systems running up electric costs as they work longer and harder to achieve desired temperatures all the way to flooding or possibly starting on fire! The costs of this unaccounted for affects can cost homeowners and businesses significantly over time and that is before the actual system ever actually gets replaced !!
The proper way to rectify these problems from becoming on going money sappers and major headaches and health hazards is to have your air duct system professionally cleaned. Not only does cleaning of a system in the appropriate NADCA Standardized manner dramatically improve indoor air quality resulting in a healthier environment for your family – but is also can actually save you thousands of dollars in costly repairs and secondary damages created by neglected and over burdened systems.
A vast array of benefits have already been discussed as to why you would want to consider air duct system cleaning. Your system’s cleanliness and overall efficiency can impact your well being, your homes well being, your monthly electric and heating bills, and the safety of your home and family.
If you are considering air duct system cleaning during these unprecedented times contact Wiz Team, Inc. for a ethical, transparent, educational, and honest consultation about the state of your air duct system. Wiz Team, Inc. prides itself on providing the most outstanding service experience to each and every client we serve. Our focus is on maintaining our level of supreme quality above all else because at the end of the day – we want to ensure that the people in your life who are most precious to you are kept safe and healthy above all else. We stop at nothing to ensure we deliver on our promise.
Contact Wiz Team, Inc. to schedule your free in-home consultation. Our office can be reached at 847-526-6060 or via email at [email protected].
Below you can find some frequently asked questions regarding Air Duct System Cleaning and its procedure:
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Why do I need to have my air ducts cleaned? According to the EPA, indoor air can be up to 70 times more polluted than outdoor air. The benefits of a freshly cleaned air duct system include: (1) Cleaner, fresher and healthier air inside your home or office (2) Home and office furnishings will stay cleaner longer (3) Mechanical units will perform more efficiently when coils and blowers are cleaned which means energy and money savings for you.
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Will your equipment damage my air ducts? Absolutely not. While our equipment is designed to be aggressive at removing debris from your air system, it is also gentle enough so that it does not damage your air ducts.
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How will you clean my air ducts? There are two universally accepted methods to clean air ducts. One method is called contact cleaning, which stirs up and collects the debris at the point of contact inside the ducts. The other method is negative air cleaning or the “push-pull method”. This method of air duct cleaning involves putting the air system under negative pressure, disturbing the debris inside the ducts and collecting it in one place.
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Is the process messy? Absolutely not. All of our vacuum equipment is HEPA-filtered to 99.97% so the dirt stays in the machine and out of your home. Our procedures are designed to protect your home and furnishings from dust/dirt and we always leave the home cleaner then when we arrived.
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How long does it take? It typically takes 4-6 hours per air system based on the cleaning method being used (residential customers).
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How often should my air ducts be cleaned? It is recommended to have your home’s air system cleaned every 3-5 years. For commercial customers, we recommend a thorough cleaning every 2 years.
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Can I be at home while the work is being completed? Yes. Our HEPA-filtered machines prevent any debris in your air system from entering the home environment, so you can be home while the work is performed.
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Are you licensed and insured? Yes.