Can You Clean Your Own A/c Ducts
EPA 402-Thou-97-002, October 1997
On this page:
- Summary
- What Is Air Duct Cleaning?
- Deciding Whether or Not to Accept Your Air Ducts Cleaned
- Suggestions for Choosing a Duct Cleaning Service Provider
- What to Expect of an Air Duct Cleaning Service Provider
- How to Determine if the Duct Cleaner Did a Thorough Chore
- How to Prevent Duct Contagion
- To Forbid Dirt from Entering the System
- To Preclude Ducts from Condign Wet
- Unresolved Issues of Duct Cleaning
- Does duct cleaning preclude health problems?
- Are duct materials other than bare sail metallic ducts more than likely to be contaminated with mold and other biological contaminants?
- Should chemical biocides be applied to the inside of air ducts?
- Do sealants prevent the release of dust and clay particles into the air?
- To Acquire More About Indoor Air Quality
- To Learn More Well-nigh Air Duct Cleaning
- Other Useful Resource
- Consumer Checklist
Summary
Knowledge nearly air duct cleaning is in its early on stages, so a blanket recommendation cannot be offered every bit to whether you lot should have your air ducts in your home cleaned. The U.S. Ecology Protection Bureau (EPA) urges you to read this certificate in it entirety equally information technology provides important information on the subject field.
Duct cleaning has never been shown to actually foreclose wellness problems. Neither exercise studies conclusively demonstrate that particle (e.grand., dust) levels in homes increase because of muddy air ducts. This is because much of the dirt in air ducts adheres to duct surfaces and does not necessarily enter the living infinite. It is important to continue in mind that dirty air ducts are only one of many possible sources of particles that are nowadays in homes. Pollutants that enter the home both from outdoors and indoor activities such as cooking, cleaning, smoking, or just moving around tin crusade greater exposure to contaminants than dirty air ducts. Moreover, in that location is no show that a lite corporeality of household dust or other particulate thing in air ducts poses any risk to your health.
You should consider having the air ducts in your home cleaned if:
There is substantial visible mold growth inside difficult surface (eastward.1000., sheet metal) ducts or on other components of your heating and cooling system. At that place are several important points to sympathize apropos mold detection in heating and cooling systems:
- Many sections of your heating and cooling system may not be accessible for a visible inspection, so ask the service provider to prove y'all whatever mold they say exists.
- Y'all should be enlightened that although a substance may look like mold, a positive determination of whether it is mold or non can be made only past an proficient and may require laboratory analysis for final confirmation. For near $l, some microbiology laboratories tin tell you whether a sample sent to them on a clear strip of sticky household tape is mold or just a substance that resembles it.
- If you have insulated air ducts and the insulation gets wet or moldy it cannot be effectively cleaned and should be removed and replaced.
- If the weather condition causing the mold growth in the get-go place are not corrected, mold growth will recur.
Ducts are infested with vermin, eastward.yard. (rodents or insects).
Ducts are chock-full with excessive amounts of grit and debris and/or particles are actually released into the home from your supply registers.
If whatever of the weather identified above exists, information technology commonly suggests one or more underlying causes. Prior to whatsoever cleaning, retrofitting, or replacing of your ducts, the cause or causes must exist corrected or else the problem volition likely recur.
Some research suggests that cleaning heating and cooling system components (e.g., cooling coils, fans and heat exchangers) may improve the efficiency of your arrangement, resulting in a longer operating life, as well as some free energy and maintenance cost savings. Even so, little evidence exists that cleaning but the ducts will better the efficiency of the system.
You may consider having your air ducts cleaned simply because information technology seems logical that air ducts will get dingy over time and should exist occasionally cleaned. Provided that the cleaning is washed properly, no evidence suggests that such cleaning would be detrimental. EPA does not recommend that the air ducts exist cleaned routinely, but only equally needed. EPA does, however, recommend that if yous have a fuel called-for furnace, stove or fireplace, they be inspected for proper functioning and serviced before each heating flavor to protect confronting carbon monoxide poisoning.
If you lot do decide to take your air ducts cleaned, have the same consumer precautions yous normally would in assessing the service provider's competence and reliability.
Air duct cleaning service providers may tell you that they demand to apply chemical biocide to the inside of your ducts as a ways to kill leaner (germs) and fungi (mold) and prevent futurity biological growth. They may too propose the application of a "sealant" to forestall grit and dirt particles from existence released into the air or to seal air leaks. Y'all should fully understand the pros and cons of permitting application of chemic biocides or sealants. While the targeted use of chemical biocides and sealants may be appropriate nether specific circumstances, research has not demonstrated their effectiveness in duct cleaning or their potential adverse health furnishings. No chemical biocides are currently registered by EPA for use in internally-insulated air duct systems (see Should chemical biocides be applied to the inside of air ducts?).
Whether or not you decide to have the air ducts in your dwelling cleaned, preventing water and dirt from inbound the system is the near effective way to forestall contamination (see How to Prevent Duct Contamination).
What is Air Duct Cleaning?
Most people are at present aware that indoor air pollution is an event of growing concern and increased visibility. Many companies are marketing products and services intended to improve the quality of your indoor air. You have probably seen an advertisement, received a coupon in the mail, or been approached straight past a visitor offering to make clean your air ducts equally a ways of improving your dwelling house's indoor air quality. These services typically — but not e'er — range in toll from $450 to $1,000 per heating and cooling system, depending on:
the services offered
- the size of the system to be cleaned
- arrangement accessibility
- climatic region
- level of contagion
If y'all decide to have your heating and cooling organization cleaned, it important to make certain the service provider agrees to clean all components of the organization and is qualified to do so.
Duct cleaning more often than not refers to the cleaning of diverse heating and cooling organisation components of forced air systems, including the supply and return air ducts and registers, grilles and diffusers, heat exchangers heating and cooling coils, condensate drain pans (drip pans), fan motor and fan housing, and the air handling unit housing (See diagram).
If not properly installed, maintained and operated, these components may become contaminated with particles of grit, pollen or other debris. If moisture is present, the potential for microbiological growth (e.g., mold) is increased and spores from such growth may exist released into the home's living space. Some of these contaminants may cause allergic reactions or other symptoms in people if they are exposed to them. If you decide to have your heating and cooling organization cleaned, it is of import to make sure the service provider agrees to clean all components of the system and is qualified to practice then. Failure to clean a component of a contaminated arrangement can result in re-contamination of the entire organization, thus negating any potential benefits. Methods of duct cleaning vary, although standards accept been established past industry associations concerned with air duct cleaning. Typically, a service provider volition use specialized tools to dislodge clay and other debris in ducts, then vacuum them out with a high-powered vacuum cleaner.
In addition, the service provider may propose applying chemical biocides, designed to kill microbiological contaminants, to the inside of the duct work and to other system components. Some service providers may also advise applying chemic treatments (sealants or other encapsulants) to encapsulate or cover the inside surfaces of the air ducts and equipment housings because they believe information technology will control mold growth or forestall the release of dirt particles or fibers from ducts. These practices have yet to be fully researched and you should be fully informed before deciding to permit the use of biocides or chemic treatments in your air ducts. They should only be applied, if at all, after the system has been properly cleaned of all visible dust or debris.
Note: Apply of sealants to encapsulate the inside surfaces of ducts is a unlike practice than sealing duct air leaks. Sealing duct air leaks can aid salve energy on heating and cooling bills. For more information, see EPA's Energy Star website.
Deciding Whether or Not to Have Your Air Ducts Cleaned
Cognition almost the potential benefits and possible problems of air duct cleaning is limited. Since conditions in every home are unlike, information technology is impossible to generalize near whether or not air duct cleaning in your home would be benign.
If no one in your household suffers from allergies or unexplained symptoms or illnesses and if, after a visual inspection of the within of the ducts, y'all run across no indication that your air ducts are contaminated with large deposits of dust or mold (no musty odor or visible mold growth), having your air ducts cleaned is probably unnecessary. Information technology is normal for the return registers to become dusty as dust-laden air is pulled through the grate. This does not indicate that your air ducts are contaminated with heavy deposits of grit or debris; the registers can be easily vacuumed or removed and cleaned.
On the other paw, if family unit members are experiencing unusual or unexplained symptoms or illnesses that you think might be related to your habitation environment, yous should hash out the situation with your doctor. EPA has published the following publications for guidance on identifying possible indoor air quality problems and ways to prevent or fix them.
- Indoor Air Quality: An Introduction for Wellness Professionals
- The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality
You may consider having your air ducts cleaned simply because it seems logical that air ducts volition get dirty over time and should occasionally be cleaned. While the debate near the value of periodic duct cleaning continues, no prove suggests that such cleaning would exist detrimental, provided that it is done properly.
On the other hand, if a service provider fails to follow proper duct cleaning procedures, duct cleaning tin cause indoor air issues. For example, an inadequate vacuum collection system can release more grit, clay and other contaminants than if you had left the ducts alone. A careless or inadequately trained service provider tin harm your ducts or heating and cooling system, possibly increasing your heating and air workout costs or forcing y'all to undertake difficult and costly repairs or replacements.
You should consider having the air ducts in your home cleaned if:
There is substantial visible mold growth inside difficult surface (e.g., sheet metal) ducts or on other components of your heating and cooling system. In that location are several important points to understand concerning mold detection in heating and cooling systems:
- Many sections of your heating and cooling arrangement may not be accessible for a visible inspection, and then ask the service provider to show yous any mold they say exists.
- You lot should exist aware that although a substance may look similar mold, a positive determination of whether it is mold or not can be made only past an expert and may require laboratory analysis for terminal confirmation. For nigh $50, some microbiology laboratories can tell y'all whether a sample sent to them on a clear strip of gluey household record is mold or simply a substance that resembles it.
- If you lot have insulated air ducts and the insulation gets wet or moldy information technology cannot be effectively cleaned and should be removed and replaced.
- If the conditions causing the mold growth in the first place are not corrected, mold growth will recur.
Ducts are infested with vermin, e.grand. (rodents or insects)
Ducts are clogged with excessive amounts of grit and debris and/or particles are actually released into the dwelling from your supply registers.
Other Important Considerations
Duct cleaning has never been shown to actually foreclose wellness problems. Neither do studies conclusively demonstrate that particle (east.g., dust) levels in homes increase because of muddied air ducts or get downward after cleaning. This is because much of the clay that may accumulate inside air ducts adheres to duct surfaces and does not necessarily enter the living space. It is of import to continue in heed that dirty air ducts are only one of many possible sources of particles that are present in homes. Pollutants that enter the home both from outdoors and indoor activities such equally cooking, cleaning, smoking, or just moving around can crusade greater exposure to contaminants than dingy air ducts. Moreover, there is no evidence that a light amount of household dust or other particulate matter in air ducts poses whatsoever adventure to health.
EPA does not recommend that air ducts exist cleaned except on an as-needed basis considering of the continuing incertitude about the benefits of duct cleaning under most circumstances. EPA does, withal, recommend that if you have a fuel burning furnace, stove, or fireplace, they be inspected for proper functioning and serviced before each heating season to protect against carbon monoxide poisoning. Some inquiry also suggests that cleaning dirty cooling coils, fans and heat exchangers can improve the efficiency of heating and cooling systems. However, little evidence exists to betoken that simply cleaning the duct arrangement will increase your system'southward efficiency.
If y'all think duct cleaning might exist a good thought for your dwelling house, but you are not sure, talk to a professional person. The company that services your heating and cooling system may be a good source of advice. Y'all may also want to contact professional duct cleaning service providers and ask them virtually the services they provide. Remember, they are trying to sell y'all a service, so inquire questions and insist on complete and knowledgeable answers.
Suggestions for Choosing a Duct Cleaning Service Provider
To discover companies that provide duct cleaning services, bank check your Yellowish Pages under "duct cleaning" or contact the National Air Duct Cleaners Clan (NADCA) at the address and telephone number in the information section located at the end of this guidance. Do non assume that all duct cleaning service providers are every bit knowledgeable and responsible. Talk to at least 3 different service providers and get written estimates before deciding whether to have your ducts cleaned. When the service providers come to your home, ask them to show yous the contagion that would justify having your ducts cleaned.
Do non rent duct cleaners who brand sweeping claims about the health benefits of duct cleaning — such claims are unsubstantiated. Practice non hire duct cleaners who recommend duct cleaning as a routine part of your heating and cooling system maintenance. You should likewise be wary of duct cleaners who claim to be certified by EPA. Notation: EPA neither establishes duct cleaning standards nor certifies, endorses, or approves duct cleaning companies.
Do not permit the use of chemical biocides or chemical treatments unless you fully understand the pros and the cons (Meet "Unresolved Problems of Duct Cleaning).
Cheque references to exist sure other customers were satisfied and did not experience any problems with their heating and cooling system afterwards cleaning.
Contact your canton or city office of consumer diplomacy or local Better Business Bureau to determine if complaints take been lodged confronting any of the companies you are considering.
Interview potential service providers to ensure:
- they are experienced in duct cleaning and have worked on systems like yours;
- they will use procedures to protect you, your pets and your abode from contamination; and
- they comply with NADCA's air duct cleaning standards and, if your ducts are constructed of fiber glass duct board or insulated internally with cobweb glass duct liner, with the North American Insulation Manufacturers Clan'south (NAIMA) recommendations.
Ask the service provider whether they concord any relevant country licenses. As of 1996, the post-obit states require air duct cleaners to hold special licenses: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan and Texas. Other states may crave them as well.
If the service provider charges by the 60 minutes, request an judge of the number of hours or days the job volition take, and find out whether there will be interruptions in the work. Brand certain the duct cleaner you choose will provide a written agreement outlining the total cost and scope of the job earlier work begins.
What to Wait From an Air Duct Cleaning Service Provider
If you lot choose to have your ducts cleaned, the service provider should:
Open access ports or doors to allow the entire system to be cleaned and inspected.
Audit the arrangement before cleaning to be sure that there are no asbestos-containing materials (e.g., insulation, annals boots, etc.) in the heating and cooling system. Asbestos-containing materials crave specialized procedures and should non be disturbed or removed except by specially trained and equipped contractors.
Use vacuum equipment that exhausts particles outside of the home or apply only loftier-efficiency particle air (HEPA) vacuuming equipment if the vacuum exhausts inside the home.
Protect carpet and household furnishings during cleaning.
Use well-controlled brushing of duct surfaces in conjunction with contact vacuum cleaning to dislodge dust and other particles.
Utilize only soft-bristled brushes for fiberglass duct board and canvass metal ducts internally lined with fiberglass. (Although flex duct tin can also be cleaned using soft-bristled brushes, it tin exist more economical to simply replace accessible flex duct.)
Take care to protect the duct work, including sealing and re-insulating any admission holes the service provider may have made or used so they are airtight.
Follow NADCA'due south standards for air duct cleaning and NAIMA'due south recommended practice for ducts containing fiber glass lining or constructed of cobweb glass duct board.
How to Determine if the Duct Cleaner Did A Thorough Task
A thorough visual inspection is the best style to verify the cleanliness of your heating and cooling system. Some service providers use remote photography to document conditions inside ducts. All portions of the system should be visibly make clean; yous should not be able to notice whatever debris with the naked eye. Show the Mail service-Cleaning Consumer Checklist to the service provider before the work begins. Later completing the task, ask the service provider to testify you each component of your system to verify that the job was performed satisfactorily.
If you respond "No" to any of the questions on the checklist, this may indicate a problem with the job. Inquire your service provider to correct whatsoever deficiencies until y'all can reply "yep" to all the questions on the checklist.
| Post Cleaning Consumer Checklist | Yes | No | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full general | Did the service provider obtain access to and clean the entire heating and cooling organization, including ductwork and all components (bleed pans, humidifiers, coils and fans)? | ||
| Has the service provider fairly demonstrated that duct work and plenums are clean? (Plenum is a space in which supply or render air is mixed or moves; can be duct, joist space, attic and clamber spaces, or wall cavity.) | |||
| Heating | Is the estrus exchanger surface visibly make clean? | ||
| Cooling Components | Are both sides of the cooling coil visibly clean? | ||
| If you bespeak a flashlight into the cooling ringlet, does light smooth through the other side? It should if the coil is make clean. | |||
| Are the coil fins directly and evenly spaced (as opposed to being bent over and smashed together)? | |||
| Is the coil drain pan completely clean and draining properly? | |||
| Blower | Are the blower blades make clean and costless of oil and debris? | ||
| Is the blower compartment free of visible dust or debris? | |||
| Plenums | Is the return air plenum free of visible grit or debris? | ||
| Exercise filters fit properly and are they the proper efficiency every bit recommended by HVAC system manufacturer? | |||
| Is the supply air plenum (direct downstream of the air treatment unit) costless of moisture stains and contaminants? | |||
| Metal Ducts | Are interior ductwork surfaces free of visible debris? (Select several sites at random in both the return and supply sides of the system.) | ||
| Fiber Glass | Is all fiber glass material in skillful condition (i.e., free of tears and abrasions; well adhered to underlying materials)? | ||
| Access Doors | Are newly installed admission doors in sheet metallic ducts fastened with more than than just duct tape (due east.thou., screws, rivets, mastic, etc.)? | ||
| With the system running, is air leakage through access doors or covers very slight or not-real? | |||
| Air Vents | Have all registers, grilles and diffusers been firmly reattached to the walls, floors and/or ceilings? | ||
| Are the registers, grilles and diffusers visibly clean? | |||
| Arrangement Operation | Does the system part properly in both the heating and cooling modes later cleaning? | ||
How to Prevent Duct Contamination
Whether or non you lot decide to have the air ducts in your home cleaned, committing to a good preventive maintenance program is essential to minimize duct contamination.
To prevent dirt from inbound the system:
Utilize the highest efficiency air filter recommended by the manufacturer of your heating and cooling system.
Change filters regularly.
If your filters become clogged, alter them more ofttimes.
Be sure yous practice not have any missing filters and that air cannot bypass filters through gaps around the filter holder.
When having your heating and cooling arrangement maintained or checked for other reasons, be sure to ask the service provider to make clean cooling coils and bleed pans.
During construction or renovation piece of work that produces dust in your home, seal off supply and return registers and do non operate the heating and cooling arrangement until after cleaning up the grit.
Remove dust and vacuum your habitation regularly. (Use a high efficiency vacuum (HEPA) cleaner or the highest efficiency filter bags your vacuum cleaner can have. Vacuuming tin can increase the corporeality of grit in the air during and after vacuuming as well as in your ducts).
If your heating system includes in-duct humidification equipment, be sure to operate and maintain the humidifier strictly as recommended by the manufacturer.
Whether of non you decide to have the air ducts in your home cleaned, committing to a practiced preventive maintenance program is essential to minimize duct contamination.
To prevent ducts from becoming moisture:
Moisture should not be nowadays in ducts. Controlling moisture is the well-nigh effective way to prevent biological growth in air ducts.
Wet can enter the duct system through leaks or if the system has been improperly installed or serviced. Research suggests that condensation (which occurs when a surface temperature is lower than the dew bespeak temperature of the surrounding air) on or near cooling coils of air conditioning units is a major factor in moisture contamination of the system. The presence of condensation or high relative humidity is an important indicator of the potential for mold growth on any type of duct. Controlling moisture tin can often be difficult, but here are some steps yous can take:
Promptly and properly repair any leaks or water damage.
Pay particular attention to cooling coils, which are designed to remove h2o from the air and tin be a major source of wet contamination of the system that can lead to mold growth. Make sure the condensate pan drains properly. The presence of substantial standing water and/or debris indicates a problem requiring immediate attention. Check any insulation most cooling coils for moisture spots.
Brand sure ducts are properly sealed and insulated in all non-air-conditioned spaces (e.g., attics and crawl spaces). This will help to forbid moisture due to condensation from inbound the organisation and is important to make the system work as intended. To prevent water condensation, the heating and cooling system must exist properly insulated.
If y'all are replacing your air conditioning organisation, brand sure that the unit is the proper size for your needs and that all ducts are sealed at the joints. A unit of measurement that is too big will cycle on and off frequently, resulting in poor wet removal, particularly in areas with loftier humidity. Besides make sure that your new system is designed to manage condensation effectively.
Unresolved Problems of Duct Cleaning
Does duct cleaning prevent health issues?
The bottom line is: no 1 knows. At that place are examples of ducts that take become badly contaminated with a variety of materials that may pose risks to your health. The duct organisation can serve as a ways to distribute these contaminants throughout a home. In these cases, duct cleaning may make sense. Nonetheless, a light amount of household dust in your air ducts is normal. Duct cleaning is not considered to be a necessary part of yearly maintenance of your heating and cooling system, which consists of regular cleaning of drain pans and heating and cooling coils, regular filter changes and yearly inspections of heating equipment. Research continues in an effort to evaluate the potential benefits of air duct cleaning.
In the meantime
Brainwash yourself almost duct cleaning by contacting some or all of the sources of data listed at the finish of this publication and request questions of potential service providers.
Are duct materials other than bare sheet metal ducts more probable to be contaminated with mold and other biological contaminants?
You may exist familiar with air ducts that are constructed of sheet metal. Notwithstanding, many modern residential air duct systems are constructed of fiber glass duct lath or sheet metallic ducts that are lined on the inside with fiber drinking glass duct liner. Since the early 1970's, a significant increase in the apply of flexible duct, which by and large is internally lined with plastic or some other type of fabric, has occurred.
The employ of insulated duct material has increased due:
- to improved temperature control
- energy conservation
- reduced condensation
Internal insulation provides ameliorate acoustical (racket) control. Flexible duct is very low cost. These products are engineered specifically for use in ducts or every bit ducts themselves, and are tested in accordance with standards established by Underwriters Laboratories (UL), the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), and the National Fire Protection Clan (NFPA). Many insulated duct systems accept operated for years without supporting significant mold growth. Keeping them reasonably clean and dry out is generally adequate. However, there is substantial debate almost whether porous insulation materials (e.yard., fiber glass) are more than prone to microbial contagion than bare sheet metallic ducts. If enough clay and moisture are permitted to enter the duct arrangement, there may be no pregnant difference in the charge per unit or extent of microbial growth in internally lined or blank canvas metal ducts. However, treatment of mold contamination on bare sheet metallic is much easier. Cleaning and handling with an EPA-registered biocide are possible. Once fiberglass duct liner is contaminated with mold, cleaning is not sufficient to prevent re-growth and there are no EPA-registered biocides for the treatment of porous duct materials. EPA, NADCA and NAIMA all recommend the replacement of moisture or moldy fiber glass duct material.
In the concurrently
Experts do agree that moisture should not exist nowadays in ducts and if moisture and dirt are present, the potential exists for biological contaminants to grow and be distributed throughout the home. Controlling moisture is the near effective way to preclude biological growth in all types of air ducts.
Correct any water leaks or standing h2o.
Remove continuing h2o under cooling coils of air handling units past making sure that drain pans slope toward the bleed.
If humidifiers are used, they must be properly maintained.
Air handling units should be constructed and then that maintenance personnel accept easy, direct access to heat substitution components and drain pans for proper cleaning and maintenance.
Fiber glass, or any other insulation fabric that is moisture or visibly moldy (or if an unacceptable odor is present) should exist removed and replaced by a qualified heating and cooling organisation contractor.
Steam cleaning and other methods involving moisture should non be used on whatsoever kind of duct work.
Should chemical biocides exist applied to the inside of air ducts?
Air duct cleaning service providers may tell y'all that they need to apply a chemical biocide to the within of your ducts to kill leaner (germs) and fungi (mold), and prevent future biological growth. Some duct cleaning service providers may propose to introduce ozone to kill biological contaminants. Ozone is a highly reactive gas that is regulated in the outside air as a lung irritant. Notwithstanding, there remains considerable controversy over the necessity and wisdom of introducing chemical biocides or ozone into the duct piece of work.
Among the possible problems with biocide and ozone application in air ducts:
- Petty inquiry has been conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of most biocides and ozone when used inside ducts. Simply spraying or otherwise introducing these materials into the operating duct organization may cause much of the material to be transported through the organization and released into other areas of your home.
- Some people may react negatively to the biocide or ozone, causing agin health reactions.
Chemical biocides are regulated by EPA under Federal pesticide law. A product must be registered past EPA for a specific use before it can be legally used for that purpose. The specific apply(due south) must appear on the pesticide (due east.k., biocide) label, along with other of import information. It is a violation of federal law to use a pesticide product in any manner inconsistent with the characterization directions.
A small-scale number of products are currently registered past EPA specifically for use on the inside of blank sheet metal air ducts. A number of products are also registered for utilize as sanitizers on hard surfaces, which could include the interior of blank sheet metal ducts. While many such products may be used legally inside of unlined ducts if all label directions are followed, some of the directions on the characterization may be inappropriate for utilize in ducts. For example, if the directions indicate "rinse with h2o", the added moisture could stimulate mold growth.
All of the products discussed above are registered solely for the purpose of sanitizing the smooth surfaces of unlined (blank) canvas metallic ducts. No products are currently registered every bit biocides for use on fiber drinking glass duct board or fiber glass lined ducts, then it is important to determine if sections of your system contain these materials before permitting the application of whatsoever biocide.
In the meantime
Before allowing a service provider to use a chemical biocide in your duct work, the service provider should:
Demonstrate visible evidence of microbial growth in your duct work. Some service providers may endeavor to convince you that your air ducts are contaminated by demonstrating that the microorganisms institute in your habitation grow on a settling plate (i.e., petri dish). This is inappropriate. Some microorganisms are always nowadays in the air, and some growth on a settling plate is normal. Every bit noted before, only an practiced can positively identify a substance as biological growth and lab analysis may be required for final confirmation. Other testing methods are not reliable.
Explain why biological growth cannot be removed by physical means, such every bit brushing, and further growth prevented by decision-making moisture.
If you lot decide to allow the employ of a biocide, the service provider should:
Show you the biocide characterization, which will describe its range of approved uses.
Utilize the biocide only to un-insulated areas of the duct system after proper cleaning, if necessary to reduce the chances for re-growth of mold.
E'er employ the product strictly according to its label instructions.
While some low toxicity products may be legally applied while occupants of the home are present, you lot may wish to consider leaving the premises while the biocide is being practical as an added precaution.
Do sealants prevent the release of dust and dirt particles into the air?
Manufacturers of products marketed to glaze and encapsulate duct surfaces claim that these sealants foreclose grit and dirt particles inside air ducts from existence released into the air. As with biocides, a sealant is often practical past spraying it into the operating duct system. Laboratory tests betoken that materials introduced in this style tend not to completely coat the duct surface. Application of sealants may also bear upon the acoustical (noise) and fire retarding characteristics of fiber glass lined or constructed ducts and may invalidate the manufacturer's warranty.
Questions about the prophylactic, effectiveness and overall desirability of sealants remain. For example, picayune is known virtually the potential toxicity of these products nether typical use weather or in the upshot they grab fire.
In addition, sealants accept nevertheless to be evaluated for their resistance to deterioration over time which could add together particles to the duct air.
In the concurrently
Nearly organizations concerned with duct cleaning, including EPA, NADCA, NAIMA and the Sheet Metal and Ac Contractors' National Association (SMACNA) practice not currently recommend the routine use of sealants to encapsulate contaminants in any type of duct. Instances when the employ of sealants to encapsulate the duct surfaces may exist advisable include the repair of damaged fiber glass insulation or when combating burn impairment within ducts. Sealants should never be used on wet duct liner, to cover actively growing mold, or to cover debris in the ducts, and should only be applied after cleaning according to NADCA or other advisable guidelines or standards.
To Learn More than Nearly Indoor Air Quality
U.South. Environmental Protection Agency
Part of Radiation and Indoor Air
Indoor Environments Sectionalisation (6609J)
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20460
The following EPA publications are available on this web site, some can exist ordered from NSCEP. (see also: Publications and Resource)
- The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality
- Indoor Air Pollution: An Introduction for Wellness Professionals
- Guide to Air Cleaners in the Home
- Ozone Generators that are Sold equally Air Cleaners
To Learn More About Air Duct Cleaning
National Air Duct Cleaners Clan (NADCA)
1120 Road 73, Suite 200
Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054
Phone: (855) Become-NADCA • (856) 380-6810
Electronic mail: info@nadca.com
Website: NADCA
Notice a NADCA professional person duct cleaner most y'all.
Due north American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA)
44 Culvert Center Plaza, Suite 310, Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: (703) 684-0084
Website: NAIMA
Website: NAIMA Member Visitor Listing
"Cleaning Fibrous Glass Insulated Air Duct Systems; Recommended Practice", NAIMA Pub. No. AH122, 40 pages (Toll is $seven.50 for a printed version, no gratis copies available.)
Other Useful Resources
For a costless list of land consumer protection offices:
State Consumer Protection Offices
For more information on biocides:
Antimicrobial Information Hotline
Phone: (703) 308-0127 / Fax: (703) 308-6467
Monday-Fri 8:00 AM - five:00 PM EST
E-mail: Info_Antimicrobial@epa.gov
Website: Regulating Antimicrobial Pesticides
The Antimicrobials Information Hotline provides answers to questions concerning current antimicrobial issues (disinfectants, fungicides, others) regulated by the pesticide law, rules and regulations. These encompass interpretation laws, rules and regulations, and registration and re-registration of antimicrobial chemicals and products. The Hotline also provide data wellness & safe issues on registered antimicrobial products, product label and the proper and safe employ of these antimicrobial products.
Consumer Checklist
Learn as much as possible about air duct cleaning before you decide to accept your ducts cleaned by reading this guidance and contacting the sources of information provided.
Consider other possible sources of indoor air pollution outset if you doubtable an indoor air quality problem exists in your home.
Have your air ducts cleaned if they are visibly contaminated with substantial mold growth, pests or vermin, or are clogged with substantial deposits of dust or debris.
Inquire the service provider to show you lot whatsoever mold or other biological contagion they say exists. Get laboratory confirmation of mold growth or decide to rely on your own judgment and mutual sense in evaluating apparent mold growth.
Get estimates from at least three service providers.
Bank check references.
Ask the service provider whether he/she holds any relevant state licenses. Every bit of 1996, the following states require air duct cleaners to hold special licenses: Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan and Texas. Other states may also crave licenses.
Insist that the service provider give you knowledgeable and complete answers to your questions.
Find out whether your ducts are made of sheet metal, flex duct, or constructed of fiber drinking glass duct lath or lined with cobweb glass since the methods of cleaning vary depending on duct blazon. Remember, a combination of these elements may be present.
Allow the application of biocides in your ducts just if necessary to command mold growth and only after assuring yourself that the product will exist applied strictly co-ordinate to label directions. Equally a precaution, you and your pets should leave the premises during awarding.
Do non permit the utilise of sealants except under unusual circumstances where other alternatives are not feasible.
Commit to a preventive maintenance program of yearly inspections of your heating and cooling organization, regular filter changes, and steps to prevent moisture contamination.
Source: https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/should-you-have-air-ducts-your-home-cleaned
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