Duct Cleaning: What’s In Your Ducts

Duct cleaning may not be at the top of your to do list, but it should be something you do every single year. It is a basic requirement when it comes to ensuring the longevity of your HVAC system. Regular HVAC preventative maintenance will help keep your HVAC running smoothly. The main problem with neglecting your ducts is that a wide variety of things may end up being found in your ducts, things you may not have been aware of at first.

Common Things Found in Ducts

Naturally, neglected ducts will have a few common things inside of them. It may still leave you wondering how it all got there, but it’s not as perturbing as the weirder finds. A few common items include dust, mold, dead skin cells, dander, hairballs and perhaps a dead insect or two. Aside from mold spores and bacterium, these aren’t really things that you need to worry about, even though it can affect your indoor air quality. Remember, without regular duct maintenance you will end up creating a breeding ground for bacterium, mold and dust mites. This can affect and worsen any respiratory problems you may have.

Uncommon Things Found in Ducts

We have seen some odd things in ducts including clothing, magazines, the odd toy or two and even coffee cups. It may be exciting to find these sort of things, but all they really do is clog your vents, preventing you from getting cooler air. Old clothing can also become a breeding ground for vermin which includes various insects as well as rats and mice.

So why are these things in the ducts? People have a tendency to hide things that are precious to them or things such as magazines that they don’t want anyone else to find. The least likely place that anyone would think to look would be the air duct system. This is often how many of the more uncommon and weird things end up in the duct system. Other strange items found in ducts, have included cashboxes, jewelry boxes, precious collector’s cards and the like. Without regular duct cleaning you may not have a chance to rediscover these forgotten old things.

The problem with hiding treasured items in your ducts and forgetting about them is that it will lead to duct deterioration as these things simply should not be in your ducts. This then leaves you with costly repairs or even a total duct replacement due to the deteriorating state of your duct work. Duct cleaning will also ensure that the more uncommon and unwanted finds are less likely to occur.

The really disturbing finds we have come across in a household duct system have included mammal corpses, live snakes and at one point a technician even found a live duck in the household duct system. In some instances, tiny household pets such as hamsters, snakes and spiders may escape from their cages and into the ventilation systems. If animals are found in your ducts please remember that technicians may need to call animal control for extra assistance.

You never know exactly what you’ll find inside a neglected ductwork system, which is why regular preventative duct and attic maintenance is so important. You may have inherited the previous homeowner’s neglected ductwork and while you may find treasure, you may also find a breeding ground for vermin and mold.

By making the investment in regular duct and attic maintenance, you’ll save yourself money on costly repair work or even duct replacement as it will help ensure the longevity of your household duct system. If you’re unsure about the state of your duct work, don’t hesitate to give the friendly and reliable team at Art Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Electric a call – Art Can Fix It!