The role air ducts play in keeping the air inside the house clean and healthy is immense. Over time, they collect a lot of dirt and dust among other particles and hence need to clean regularly. One of the times you absolutely have to clean your air ducts is after renovating your home, since the remodeling process causes the air ducts to collect unnatural amounts of dust particles.
There are a few good reasons for air duct cleaning after renovation. First, the accumulated dust and dirt can cause a lot of health issues, so you must clean them. In addition to that, an air duct not cleaned after renovation can clog up the HVAC system, which can hurt the efficiency of the system.
Let’s take a detailed look at why you should clean your air ducts after remodeling.
Why is air duct cleaning after remodeling important?
When you renovate your home, the process involves tearing down walls, floorings a lot of other parts of your home. You also have to install a lot of new items in your home, all of which create a lot of dust, dirt, and other particles inside your home. All of this dirt, sawdust, and particles deposit in the air ducts via the air vents all over the house.
To make sure these particles don’t cause any problems down the line, it is mandatory to clean the air ducts once the renovation work is done. Here are the main reasons why:
1. Preventing health hazards
When the renovation work goes on, it produces a lot, and I mean A LOT of sawdust, dirt, and other particles. If the air vents are kept open during that time, this dust, dirt, and other particles enter the air ducts via these vents. These particles then get recirculated through the house via these vents.
If the ducts are not cleaned after a home remodeling, the dust and dirt remain in the air inside the house and are inhaled by everyone present. These then can cause allergies and other breathing problems which can even turn fatal.
2. Clogging the HVAC system
All the air inside the house goes through the HVAC system and is filtered by it. Due to the unnatural amount of dirt present in the air of a newly renovated house, the filters of the HVAC system are overworked, and in turn, get clogged up by these particles. The efficiency of the system continues to go down until it fails completely.
As a result, your appliances will continue to consume more and more energy and they will become energy inefficient. This will not only increase your discomfort, but you also have to pay a lot for energy bills.
3. Keeping the house dirty
If the air ducts are not cleaned after renovation, all the stored dirt and dust inside the ducts will be circulated through the entire house. This will result in your house and its furniture being constantly covered in dust. No matter how much you clean them, the layer of dust will not go away, which is both an annoyance and results in the loss of money, time, and effort.
Cleaning air ducts after renovation: How to prepare
Now that you know why you must clean your air ducts after your house is renovated, you now need to know how to prepare for cleaning your air ducts. Here are the steps you need to take before and after duct cleaning:
1. Closing all the air vents
Before you start cleaning the air ducts, (which must be done by professionals) you must clean all the air vents in your home. This will prevent any more dirt from entering the air duct system via these vents.
2. Install vent covers
The next step in air duct cleaning preparation is to ensure the vents are inaccessible to the specks of dirt. You need to install vent covers over all the vents in the house for this purpose.
Learn in detail How To Prepare For Air Duct Cleaning?
3. Upgrading the HVAC system
This can be done before or after your air ducts are cleaned. As is with everything, the older the HVAC system of your house gets, the less efficient it becomes. As a result, energy efficiency goes down increasing energy bills. So, if your HVAC units are manufactured before 2006, consider upgrading them to improve the air quality as well as the energy efficiency of the house.
Also, Read How Often Should need a clean dryer vent?
Final Words
Air ducts play a very big role in keeping the air inside the house clean as well as keeping its inhabitants healthy. This is why air duct cleaning after renovation is so important. Make sure you prepare for the cleaning procedure before hiring a professional air duct cleaning service to clean the air ducts in your home.
FAQ
1. What is the best time to clean air ducts?
The best time to clean air ducts is when the use of the HVAC system is at a minimum. So, you can go for cleaning your air ducts during the early fall or in the spring. The temperature during these two seasons is moderate and you won’t feel too bothered by the lack of use of the HVAC systems.
2. Is cleaning air ducts worth it after renovation?
It is absolutely worth it to clean your air ducts after renovation. Not only do you clean the air immediately when the air ducts are cleaned, but you ensure the air inside the house will remain clean for at least a year or 18 months. This will save you a lot of money as well, since you won’t fall ill due to the dust and will not have to change or repair your HVAC system later.
3. What happens if you don’t clean your air ducts?
There can be some severe consequences for not cleaning your air ducts after renovation. First, you might suffer from some serious health conditions, such as shortness of breath, allergies, chest pain, and asthma. Also, your house will always be dirty due to all the dirty air being circulated through the home. Additionally, your HVAC system will fail to do its job properly.
