If you have noticed that your building tends to have insufficient air flow, it is likely that your building is uncomfortable. It won’t be heating or cooling properly without the proper air flow to allow it to do so. Taking the steps to improve air flow through your vents can help to keep your home more comfortable and provide an array of other benefits to your building. Here are a few things you need to know about the air flow of your building.

Why it’s Crucial to Improve Air Flow

When you don’t take the steps to improve air flow in your building, it can cause serious problems to the HVAC system. For one thing, insufficient air flow won’t be able to properly heat or cool the building. This results in the HVAC system working much harder to provide heating and cooling services. The excessive work can cause energy bills to skyrocket while simultaneously resulting in more wear to the system. The more wear that the system maintains, the more expensive repairs and maintenance will be to keep it in good condition. It is important to understand what is causing the insufficient air flow so that you can take the steps to improve air flow through your vents.

Common Causes of Insufficient Air Flow

In order to resolve the insufficient air flow through your building, you will need to identify the issue that is causing the reduced pressure in air flow. There are many common causes that result in less than ideal air flow to the vents of the building. Here are a few of the most common causes of insufficient air flow to the vents of a building.

Crushed or Otherwise Blocked Ductwork

Ductwork that is in good condition will usually allow air to pass through without any issues. However, when ductwork sustains damage, it can cause severe issues with the air flow. In many situations, air flow is slowed through too much friction, which happens when damage is present to a duct system. In addition, when ductwork is crushed, it will be more difficult for air to be pushed through the ducts. There are many other things that can cause ductwork to become blocked, which can also damage the air flow.

Leakage in the Duct System

Leaks are incredibly common in the ductwork of your building. When leaks are present, they allow the air to trickle out of the system. This substantially reduces the pressure of the air as it makes its way to its destination. When leaks are present in the duct system, it is likely to have a substantial impact on the amount of air that makes it to the vents of your building. It is important to regularly check for leaks and have them sealed to ensure that your heating and cooling system is able to properly regulate the temperature within your building.

Improperly Planned Ductwork

It is essential to have ductwork planned by an experienced professional. When ductwork isn’t installed according to specifications, it can result in a large array of problems. Ductwork that is too large will make it extremely difficult to effectively move air throughout the building. However, the converse is far more common. Ductwork is more likely to be too small to effectively move air throughout the property, which causes the air to become constricted. It is similarly important to ensure that the ductwork is installed correctly. This can go a long way toward preventing issues from arising with the HVAC system of the property.

Vents that are Blocked or Closed

This is often the easiest fix for an HVAC system that is unevenly heating or cooling the home. If you notice that one room isn’t staying at a comfortable temperature, you should check the vents in that room. Ensure that they aren’t blocked by any furniture or covered by curtains. In addition, you will want to ensure that the vents are open in order to allow air to flow through them. Thoroughly clean the vents to allow air to more efficiently enter the room. Though these steps may seem obvious, they can go a long way toward restoring the comfortable environment within the room.

Too Efficient Air Filters

It is common knowledge that efficiency is a great thing for the various systems of your house. However, too efficient air filters can actually be problematic. These thicker air filters become clogged very easily when dirt builds up. This can reduce the air pressure that is allowed to flow through your system. It is important to consult with a professional to identify the best kind of air filter for your specific system and property. This can help you to ensure that your property remains comfortable while simultaneously maintaining high quality air.

Clogged or Dirty Air Filters

Air filters are intended to protect the quality of the air within your building. They filter out dust, allergens, and harmful particles from circulating throughout the building. This also means that the air filter will accumulate all of these particles, which can cause it to become clogged over time. At this point, it is more difficult for air to penetrate through the filter, which causes poor air flow. Regularly replacing your air filters can help to prevent insufficient air flow, as well as improve the quality of the air within your building. It is also useful to have your duct system cleaned regularly. This will put less wear on the filters, as well as allow air to flow more freely through the system.

Here at Fresh Ducts, we strive to ensure that your ducts and vents remain clean and capable of protecting your property. The appropriate maintenance and leak sealing can go a long way toward ensuring that your HVAC system continues to function as efficiently as possible. Clean ducts and vents will also help to ensure that the air inside of the building stays high-quality. This can help to protect the health of those that are regularly within the building. To learn more about our air duct cleaning services and how they can improve the efficiency of your duct system, contact our experts at Fresh Ducts today!

If you have allergies, you know that constantly experiencing allergy symptoms can be incredibly difficult to live with. By reducing the allergens that are present in your home, you can substantially reduce the impact that these allergies have on your daily life. You likely spend the majority of your time in your home, so it can be particularly beneficial to limit the allergens that you are exposed to while you are there. For one thing, it is important to take the steps to maintain your air duct system to minimize allergens and ensure that your air duct system continues to function effectively.

What are Allergies?

Allergies occur when the immune system has an overreaction to a foreign protein, also called allergens. This overreaction leads to a multitude of symptoms that can be extremely dangerous. Understanding allergens and how to remove them can go a long way toward protecting you from the symptoms of allergies.  

Symptoms of Allergies

Allergies convey many common symptoms. It is easy to confuse allergy symptoms with those of the common cold, so it is important to pay careful attention to your symptoms if you suspect that you may have allergies. Allergies often involve itchy eyes, sneezing, a runny nose, coughing, and a scratchy throat. In more severe cases, allergies may display symptoms such as hives, rashes, difficulty breathing, lower blood pressure, asthma attacks, and even death.

Common Allergens

There are many common allergens that result in allergic reactions. Pet dander is one of the most common allergens. It is important to note that, contrary to popular belief, animal fur isn’t the cause of allergic symptoms. It is the dander that sheds from the animal’s skin that causes the allergies. Mold, cockroaches, rodents, pollen, and dust mites are some of the other common allergens that cause individuals to experience allergies.

Methods for Reducing Allergens

Implementing the methods for reducing allergens in your home can substantially improve your quality of life. When you have to regularly live with allergies, the last place you want to have to deal with allergies is in your own home. Following the right steps can substantially reduce allergens in your home, improve your comfort, and protect your health.  

Clean House Regularly

It is important to clean properly to ensure that you remove allergens from your building. It is important to vacuum on a regular basis to minimize the likelihood of allergens taking root in your carpeting or rugs. This should generally be done at a minimum of once a week, but twice or more a week in homes that have pets or other factors.

Replace Filters

The filters in your HVAC system need to be replaced on a regular basis. This is because they serve to keep the air clean as the HVAC system delivers the air throughout the building. When they become dirty or clogged, the air quality within the building will substantially decrease. In addition, this also causes damage to your HVAC system. A dirty filter will make it more difficult for your HVAC system to effectively move air, which causes more wear and possible damage to the system. Replacing your filters both reduces allergens and keeps your HVAC system in better condition. In most situations, these filters need to be replaced once a month or more frequently in homes with pets or those with severe allergies.

Air Duct Cleaning Services

Though air filters serve to keep the air inside of your building clean, dust and debris can still accumulate in the air ducts of your building. It is important to have your air ducts cleaned regularly to prevent this from occurring and ensure the cleanest possible condition for the air inside of your building. Contact our experts at Fresh Ducts for all your air duct cleaning needs!

Change Bedding

Dust mites, in particular, accumulate on the bed area. It is important to change your sheets once a week and ensure that the dirty sheets are washed in hot water to provide thorough cleaning. These steps can substantially lower the likelihood of allergens accumulating in your bed. You spend a good deal of your time asleep in your bed, so it has a significant impact on your allergies.

Bathe Pets

Bathing your pets weekly can help to reduce the amount of dander that they shed. However, it is important to take care not to bathe them much more often than this, because that can cause their skin to dry out, which may just exacerbate dander issues. Taking the steps to groom your pets can reduce the presence of dander and other allergens in your building.

Manage Humidity Levels

When humidity is present in a building, it is likely that mold will develop. Mold is one of the most common allergens, so it is important to take all of the steps necessary to prevent it from accumulating in your building. In addition, some kinds of mold can be toxic, which can be incredibly detrimental to the health of those present in the building. Managing humidity levels and regularly inspecting your building can go a long way toward preventing mold from accumulating in your building.  

Add an Air Purifier

Though air filters can substantially help to protect the quality of the air in your home, they may not quite be sufficient at reducing allergens. In these situations, you may want to consider adding an air purifier specifically to your building. These appliances can substantially improve your air quality and help to protect you from allergens. The ideal air purifier can go a long way toward reducing your allergies.  

Here at Fresh Ducts, we are dedicated to ensuring the best possible environment inside of your building. Our duct cleaning services can help to keep your air ducts clean and improve the overall quality of your air. Our experts can inform you regarding the benefits that air duct cleaning can provide to your building. To learn more about our air duct cleaning services, contact our experts at Fresh Ducts today!

It is important to take all of the steps possible to maintain your air ducts effectively. The appropriate maintenance can provide an array of benefits, both to the level of comfort and the quality of the air in your building. Air ducts that aren’t maintained appropriately will inevitably require more repairs and will create much higher energy costs.

Signs that your Air Ducts Require Maintenance

It is useful to know the signs that your air duct requires maintenance to ensure that you can provide the appropriate maintenance. A few general signs that an air duct requires maintenance include rattling noises, an unexpected increase in energy-related expenses, and excessive dust present in the home. A home with uneven temperatures or an HVAC system that has difficulty heating or cooling the building may also indicate that air ducts require maintenance.

Benefits of Effective Air Duct Maintenance

When you provide the appropriate air duct maintenance, your home will ultimately be much more comfortable. A well-maintained air duct system will provide healthier air throughout the home, as it won’t redistribute harmful particles throughout your air. Effective air duct maintenance will work properly for longer and will work much more efficiently. Appropriate air duct maintenance can improve the comfort of your home, while minimizing your related expenses.

How to Maintain your Air Ducts

There are many steps that are required to ensure that you are able to maintain your air duct system. Here are a few of the best steps to appropriately and effectively maintain your air ducts and keep them in superior working condition.

Obtain Professional Cleanings

A professional cleaning should be obtained on a regular basis to help protect your air duct system. These cleanings will help to remove all traces of dust and other pollutants from the interior of your air ducts. It will also ensure that a professional will be able to find potential issues with the system in the early stages, which will go a long way toward minimizing possible escalation of issues and expensive repair costs. A professional cleaning is a great way to enhance the air quality of your home and keep your air duct system operating as effectively as possible.

Basic Cleaning

In addition to professional cleanings, you need to clean your air duct system regularly. Ensure that you clean grilles in the ceiling to prevent dust from circulating throughout the building. It is also important to clean all the interior pieces within the system. Cleaning dust and debris from these components will help to keep them operating efficiently and as effectively as possible. Ensure that you clear the coils, condensate pan and drain, and blower motor of dust and other issues. Without the appropriate cleanings, these pieces may develop and cultivate mold. This will circulate these harmful particles throughout the building, which can be incredibly detrimental to the health of those who regularly breathe the air within the home.

Inspect and Change Air Filters Regularly

Air filters need to be changed regularly to ensure that they continue to operate efficiently and effectively. These filters help to prevent pollutants and harmful particles from circulating through the air of your building. Unfortunately, this debris can build up over time and block the air filter. This will slow the flow of your air and decrease the efficiency of your heating and cooling systems. It may also result in more polluted, low-quality air circulating through your building. In general, air filters should be changed about every 30 to 90 days. However, there are several factors that may adjust this amount. For example, a home with pets that shed may require more frequent air filter changes. A home that houses people with allergies or asthma may also benefit from much more frequent air filter changes than the average.

Find and Seal Leaks

Air leaks in your air duct system can cause the system to operate more inefficiently. This will increase your energy expenses, put more wear and tear on the heating and cooling systems, and cause uneven temperatures throughout your building. If you are noticing these signs, it is possible that you have air leaks in your air duct system. You can detect air ducts by feeling for breezes around the air duct system. You may also wish to use a piece of toilet paper or incense to help you detect the air leaks. Paper or smoke blowing away unexpectedly likely indicates an air leak.

There are multiple options for sealing an air leak after you have located it. Take care to thoroughly clean the area prior to sealing. This will help to keep the sealing on the area for longer, as well as enhance its effectiveness. Then place your sealing solution over the air leak to fix the issue.

Use Caution During Home Renovations

Home renovations inevitably cause significant amounts of dust and debris to be present in the air of the building. It is vital to use caution whenever you use your HVAC machine during home renovations. This can cause issues with the dust circulating throughout your air duct system, which ultimately results in clogs, strain, and other problems. It will also damage the air quality of the building. Refrain from using your HVAC system as much as possible when you are currently undergoing home renovations.

Never Block Vents

It is important to refrain from putting furniture or curtains in front of or over vents. Unnecessary blockage will put more strain on the heating and cooling systems. This will raise energy costs, as well as make repairs necessary more often. It will also make it difficult for the air duct system to redistribute air.

Implementing the appropriate maintenance for your air duct system will go a long way toward improving air quality and ensuring that your heating and cooling systems operate more efficiently. This will improve the comfort of your home, as well as prolong the lifetime of your relevant heating and cooling systems. It is incredibly important to have your air ducts cleaned regularly by a professional. To obtain your air duct cleaning, contact us at Fresh Ducts today!