8 Ways Dirty Air Ducts Are Affecting Your Family’s Health

Air ducts work tirelessly to move heated or cooled air throughout your home. But how clean are those ducts that your family breathes from every day? As your air ducts circulate air constantly, they become clogged over time, airflow diminishes and pollutants build up, gradually making their way into your living areas. This could make your loved ones sick without you even realizing it. Here are 7 ways dirty air ducts could be affecting your family.

1. Poor Indoor Air Quality

Dirty and unmaintained air ducts negatively impact your indoor air quality. As dust, dirt, and debris build up in your air ducts over time, pollutants get circulated throughout your home each time the HVAC system turns on. These pollutants include dust mites, mold, pet dander, construction materials, and volatile organic compounds that get trapped in the air ducts. Poor indoor air quality from dirty air ducts can lead to allergic reactions, respiratory problems, and other health issues in your family members.

2. Increased Allergies And Asthma Symptoms

For people with allergies and asthma, dirty air ducts can make symptoms worse. As air is circulated through air ducts, allergens like dust mites, pet dander, and mold spores get dispersed into the air. These allergens then get inhaled, causing sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, and allergy attacks. Asthma symptoms may also be aggravated by the germs, pollutants, and allergens coming from dirty air ducts. Air duct cleaning helps remove these allergy and asthma triggers from your ductwork.

3. Sickness From Mold And Bacteria

Mold and bacteria thrive in the dark, damp environment of dirty air ducts. Black molds such as Stachybotrys chartarum and Aspergillus fumigatus grow on dust and debris inside air ducts and then get circulated through the house as air moves through the ducts. Exposure to these molds and bacteria can cause symptoms like sneezing, runny nose, wheezing, and other respiratory irritation. They may also lead to more serious illness, especially in young children, elderly people, or those with a weakened immune system. Air duct cleaning helps eliminate mold, bacteria, and the conditions they need to grow inside your HVAC system.

4. Coughing And Respiratory Problems

As dust, dirt, and germs build up in dirty air ducts, they get blown into the air you breathe every time your furnace or air conditioner turns on. Inhaling these pollutants can lead to coughing, sneezing, chest tightness, shortness of breath, and other respiratory symptoms. Sensitive individuals and those with respiratory conditions like COPD may experience more frequent or intense respiratory issues caused or aggravated by the pollutants coming from dirty air ducts. Air duct cleaning helps remove these contaminants from your ductwork to improve respiratory health.

5. Dust Buildup In The Home

Dirty and dusty air ducts spread debris, dust, and dirt throughout your home. As the HVAC system operates, all that built-up dust gets blown back into the air and then settles on surfaces like furniture, floors, shelves, and countertops. Aside from looking unsightly, excess dust in the home can lead to allergic reactions in sensitive individuals and requires more frequent cleaning. Air duct cleaning helps eliminate the dust and grime clogging up your ducts so it is not recirculated back into your living spaces.

6. Higher Energy Bills

Dirty, clogged air ducts make your HVAC system work harder to heat and cool your home. The airflow impediments inside the ducts reduce efficiency, so your furnace and air conditioner have to run longer and consume more energy to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures. The harder your HVAC equipment has to work, the higher your utility bills will be. Air duct cleaning improves airflow and efficiency so your heating and cooling system does not have to cycle on as long or as frequently, thereby lowering energy costs.

7. Musty Smells In The Home

Dirty air ducts are breeding grounds for mold, bacteria, and other contaminants that can cause musty smells in your home. As air circulates through dirty ducts, those musty smells get carried throughout the house. The smells may be more noticeable when the HVAC system first turns on or in certain areas where more moisture builds up. Musty smells caused by uncleaned air ducts may indicate underlying mold or bacteria growth that needs to be addressed. Air duct cleaning wipes out the source of musty smells by removing mold, bacteria, and debris from your ductwork and vents.

8. Reduced Lifespan Of HVAC Equipment

When air ducts are dirty and clogged, your HVAC system has to work harder to heat and cool your home. The additional strain and reduced airflow damage components like blowers, compressors, heat exchangers, and air filters over time. The buildup inside air ducts also acts as additional insulation, causing overheating that speeds up the deterioration of parts. Unmaintained air ducts and an overworked HVAC system lead to higher repair and replacement costs to fix or replace failing equipment. Air duct cleaning improves the lifespan of your HVAC system by allowing it to operate more efficiently.