You’d be sadly mistaken if you think your ducts are blowing nothing but pure conditioned air. The freaky fact is, the ductwork in your home could be harboring all sorts of nasty things that are contaminating the air you breathe.
Here are three culprits of unhealthy indoor air quality that may be lurking in your ducts.
Mold
Warm air and water vapor move through your ducts, creating the perfect breeding ground for mold. Mold spores will find plenty to feast on in there, including dust and debris.
Here’s how to tell if your ducts are growing mold:
- There’s a musty odor. If it’s particularly strong in a certain room, the duct serving that space is likely where the majority of the mold can be located.
- Your nose, throat and eyes feel irritated after your turn on the AC.
- You often feel nauseous, fatigued and dizzy when your home.
- You can see mold growing around the intake vents and the drain pan.
Rodents
Critters can make themselves at home within your ducts. This is especially true during winter when they seek warmth. Amazingly, pests can actually crew their way through the flexible tubing that supplies your air. The problem is once they’re in, they’re usually stuck. Then they die in there. How gross is that?
Insects
Cockroaches are especially fond of ducts because it’s dark and cool. You might even hear them scuttling about, which is just plain creepy. Cockroaches should be unwelcome anywhere in your home, but when they’re in your ducts, forced air carries allergies created by their feces. Not exactly a breath of fresh air.
Dust and dander
Your ducts help distribute more than air. Dust and debris are picked up through the intake vents, pass through your HVAC system and settle on the interior of the ducts. Each time the central air system kicks on, it blows these particles into your home. Dust all you want, as long as your ducts are dirty your home will never be clean.
Bottom line: Foreign objects and pollutants can make for a funny story, but they negatively impact indoor air quality. Contact our team online or by phone at (609) 205-3813 for indoor air quality services!
