The air duct system in your home maintains a comfortable and healthy indoor environment through proper ventilation and airflow. However, without necessary maintenance, the air duct can degrade indoor air quality, risking the health of your family.
One of the major threats to air ducts is water damage. Water buildup in the duct due to flooding or water leakage leads to mold growth, bacterial infestation, clogged ducts, inconsistent airflow, and various other duct problems.
Luckily, you can easily eliminate the effects of water damage with professional air duct cleaning and restoration services.
In this blog, we will explore more about the signs of damage, the benefits, and the process of cleaning air ducts.
Signs of Water Damage in Your Air Duct
Moisture can enter your house’s air ducts in several ways. Flooding, water leakage, and condensation are some common causes of water buildup in the ducts. If there is water accumulation in the duct, you may notice the following signs of damage:
1. Bad Odor
Water damage in your vent may contribute to a bad odor. Moisture in the air duct may cause a musty or stale odor, which may also result from mold growth inside the vent.
2. Mold Formation
You may observe visible signs of mold growth around the edges of the vent, which may appear green or brown.
Mold spores can easily transmitt through the air duct, contributing to poor indoor air quality. As a result, you may suffer from allergies, skin rashes, asthma, and so on.
3. Strange Noises
Although a slight humming or whirring noise coming from the duct is normal, you should not ignore any other strange noises coming from it.
The unusual noise may be a sign of water damage. If there is water damage, you may commonly hear the sounds of water dripping in the duct.
4. High Energy Costs
Moisture damage in your air duct may result in higher energy bills. If you notice that your household’s electricity costs are higher than usual, it might indicate that there is something wrong with the duct.
Water damage tends to decrease the efficiency of your air ducts by taking up more energy for airflow.
5. Dust Around Air Vents
The moisture buildup in your air duct can lead to dust accumulation around the air vents. The moisture content in the air coming out of the duct will attract dust and let it settle around the vent.
Therefore, the visible sign of dust on the edges of the air vents may indicate there is a moisture problem in the duct.
6. Flaking Paint
If water builds up inside the air duct, the air supplied by the duct will carry moisture. As the moisture-containing air comes into contact with the walls and ceilings of your home, the paint will begin to peel off gradually.
So, if you notice flaking paint inside your house, you should consider contacting a professional for an air duct inspection.
Benefits of Air Duct Cleaning
The quality of our health is significantly dependent on the quality of indoor air. An unhealthy indoor atmosphere can lead to various health hazards, including allergies and bacterial infections.
Therefore, regular air duct cleaning is crucial to protect your family from the risks of dirty air ducts. Here are some of the benefits of professional cleaning of the air ducts in your household:
- Better Air Quality: Cleaning the air ducts in your building helps remove the moisture and debris that have accumulated there. As a result, your home will have a clean and fresh air supply and enhanced indoor air quality.
- Odor Prevention: The odor coming from the air duct is caused by mold or bacterial contamination inside the duct due to moisture. After the cleaning process, the duct remains free of mold or contamination, resulting in a fresh and clean air supply.
- Energy Efficiency: A thorough cleaning of your air duct enhances its performance. As a result, it helps reduce additional energy consumption.
- Mold Prevention: Moisture is the major cause of mold formation in your air duct. Proper cleaning of the duct eliminates the mold and prevents the mold spores from risking the health of your family.
Process of Air Duct Cleaning in Water Damage Restoration
Air duct cleaning is an extensive process of restoring the duct system to its original condition so that you can enjoy a favorable indoor environment. Here are some of the processes involved in air duct cleaning by professionals:
Step 1: Air Duct Inspection
Before starting the cleaning process, a thorough inspection of the air duct is essential. The inspection helps professionals analyze the duct’s severity and adapt a suitable cleaning process.
This inspection process involves a detailed assessment of the access points in the duct, a water leak examination, and other such issues.
Step 2: Application of Negative Pressure
Technicians use a vacuum cleaner to clean the air ducts. This vacuum cleaner is mainly designed for the duct and utilizes negative air pressure to collect moisture, debris, and other harmful buildups.
It gathers the buildup from the walls of the air duct using an airbrush and ensures no pollutant is left behind.
Step 3: Furnace and HVAC Components Cleaning
Water damage restoration can also affect other components of air duct systems, such as evaporator coils, air filters, grills, blower motors, heat exchangers, and so on.
While cleaning the air duct, cleaning the entire unit is essential to getting rid of moisture completely. Professionals make sure to clean all the components of the furnace and HVAC for fresh air supply through the duct.
Step 4: Inspection After Cleaning
After the duct is cleaned, the technicians will carry out a final inspection. They will perform an on-site inspection to ensure there is no debris in any part of the duct.
The process of inspection after duct cleaning involves an examination of the air duct as well as other HVAC components, including the drain pan and blower blades.
Conclusion
Air duct cleaning makes a huge impact on the air quality inside your home. As we generally spend more time indoors, it is important to keep the air inside the house fresh and clean.
The presence of moisture, dust, or mold spores in the air can pose the threat of severe health issues and cause damage to the interior parts of your household. Therefore, experts recommend that regular cleaning be done once every 3 to 5 years.
However, if you have some emergency water damage due to flooding or unexpected water leaks inside the air duct, reach out to certified air duct cleaning experts immediately.
