Air ducts play an important role in your HVAC system’s operation. When something happens to your ducts, the consequences can be felt and sometimes heard throughout your home. As your HVAC system ages, duct connections can loosen and separate, allowing conditioned air to escape.

Loose ducts can happen for a variety of reasons, but adhesive failure brought on by old age or excess humidity is one of the most common causes. Accidental damage caused during repairs and remodeling, as well as damage caused by small rodents, can also lead to loose ductwork.

                The following takes a look at how loose ducts can impact your HVAC system and its ability to keep your home comfortable.

Reduced Comfort

Your heater or air conditioner might be up and running, but loose ducts can make your HVAC system feel as if it’s barely working. Loose ducts can cause conditioned air to go elsewhere, resulting in very weak airflow. In most cases, you’ll feel only a faint breeze as you place your hand against the supply air vent.

Without strong and steady airflow through your ducts, you’ll end up with one or more rooms that simply aren’t heated or cooled effectively. These hot or cold spots make it hard to stay comfortable in your home.

Increased Noise

You might not be able to see loose ductwork, but chances are it’ll make itself heard at some point. Loose ducts often create a variety of strange noises, especially as conditioned air travels through the duct system. Keep your ears open for the following noises:

• Rattling sounds – Loose metal ducts can knock and rattle against each other, leading to tell-tale rattling noises.
• Wheezing sounds – Gaps caused by disconnected ducts can lead to wheezing or low-pitched whistling as air rushes through.
• Shakes and vibrations – Some shakes and vibrations are caused by normal metal expansion and contraction, but loose ducts can also cause those noises.
• Other noises, like occasional popping and ticking noises, are perfectly normal. However, additional insulation and damping can help reduce or even stop these noises completely.

Poor Indoor Air Quality

A stuffy, uncomfortable home isn’t the only downside of living with loose ducts. Ductwork that’s properly sealed not only keeps conditioned air in but also keeps dust and debris out. Your HVAC air filter acts as a gatekeeper of sorts, preventing dust and debris from entering the HVAC system and the ductwork in the first place.

Loose ducts can siphon dust-laden air from attics, crawl spaces, and inner walls directly into the duct system, bypassing the air filter entirely. The end result is contaminated air that spreads to nearly every room in your home. Your home’s indoor air quality takes a hit, and those suffering from allergies and asthma can end up with itchy eyes, runny noses, and a host of other unwanted symptoms.

Higher Energy Bills

Loose air ducts not only make your home feel uncomfortable but also cost you more when it comes to your annual energy consumption. Loose ducts cause your HVAC system to work harder and longer to keep your home at a comfortable temperature. The more energy your HVAC system uses, the more you’ll pay in energy costs.

Loose ducts can cause as much as 30 percent of your HVAC system’s airflow to vanish into crawl spaces, walls, and other unconditioned spaces.

By Carolina Ductmasters

BY AGENCY-IT

The clothes dryer is a modern convenience that is one of the most commonly owned household appliances. As with all appliances, proper maintenance and inspection are essential, both for the health of the machine and the safety of the owners. Even with correct and regular dryer use, dryer vents can become clogged over time. When this happens safety issues can arise, so it’s important to schedule a dryer vent cleaning. Owners researching dryer vent cleaning services typically ask how to tell if a vent needs cleaning and what is included in the dryer vent cleaning cost.

Dangers of a Clogged Dryer Vent

A clogged dryer vent presents several dangers and some are more subtle than others. The major danger associated with a dryer vent that needs to be unclogged is fire. Clogged vent systems that cannot properly allow air to escape to the outside might lead to a buildup of exhaust gas inside the laundry room, creating a fire hazard. Other dangers are also associated with clogged dryer vents.

• Overheating. Dryer vent clogs can also lead to chronic overheating, damaging the machine in the process.
• Electrical issues. In some cases, a frequently overheating dryer can cause short-circuiting and electrical issues that can affect the general electrical system of the home.
• Increased energy bills. Although it is more subtle and might take longer to notice, a clogged dryer vent can cause financial damage through increased utility bills. When a dryer is not as efficient as it should be, it can be a drain on energy. The excess heat from a dryer can even lead to increased temperature in adjacent rooms, further driving up energy costs.

What Causes a Clogged Dryer Vent

A household clothes dryer is an appliance that is typically used on a regular basis. Even a perfectly performing dryer collects lint as it is expelled from clothing during the normal drying process. For this reason, all dryers are equipped with a lint trap to catch the excess lint and prevent clogging of the vent.

In order for this process to continue to function properly, owners should be diligent about cleaning out the lint trap. Cleaning the lint trap after every use is recommended. Unfortunately, some owners skip this step or do not perform it as frequently as necessary to keep the machine maintained. Over time the lint screen can no longer filter out the excess lint so the excess begins to make its way into the dryer vent ductwork, leading to the potential for dryer vent clogging. In rare cases, birds or other animals can build nests inside improperly protected vents on the exterior of the home, causing a blockage.

Signs To Look for When Needing a Dryer Vent Cleaning

If regular dryer vent cleaning of the lint trap is not a part of the daily maintenance routine, chances are the dryer vent has some amount of debris buildup. Even with proper usage, lint traps can become less efficient over time, so keeping an eye out for signs of dryer vent blockage can help save the owner time and money. The most noticeable signs involve the functioning of the machine itself such as:

• Clothes remaining damp after a regular cycle has completed
• Taking several cycles for clothes to dry completely
• Odd smells on freshly-dried clothing, such as a musty odor or burnt smell
• Dry clothes might feel hotter than usual, which could mean the dryer is using more energy

Dryers that are experiencing decreased efficiency can also put off so much extra heat that it makes the surrounding rooms warmer, leading to a utility bill increase.

When to Call in a Professional for Dryer Vent Cleaning Services

When symptoms of a dryer vent clog have become evident, when is it time to call a professional company to help? What is involved in cleaning, and how much does it cost? Some owners choose to have regular annual inspections and cleanings to prevent any symptoms from occurring. Not only does this mitigate most of the risks, but it also prevents an increase of utility bills, and those savings can add up. A simple cleaning is extremely affordable and involves the disconnection the hose from the dryer and a clearing out of the vent, as well as checking for signs of excessive wear or damage.

Remodeling your home can be incredibly beneficial – it can add function, form and value to your home, not to mention increase your quality of life. However, larger remodeling projects tend to create a lot of dust. Dust can cause serious problems for anyone living in your home that has asthma, suffers from respiratory illnesses or has severe allergies. In addition to making sure you have a professional come perform an air duct cleaning not soon after your renovations are finished (to help clear any dust that has gotten into your air ducts and has built up within them), you should also take preventative measures to keep as little dust from getting into the air during the remodel as possible. The following are a few ways to minimize dust during renovations:

• Put up dust barriers – At the very minimum, you should have plastic sheets applied to the different entry points leading to the room that is under construction. These plastic sheets are known as zip walls. Zip walls will help keep dust and debris inside the room that is being worked on, preventing it from spreading throughout your entire house.
• Use sticky mats – Sticky mats should be placed right outside the area of construction. This way, workers won’t track dust and debris throughout your home when they enter and exit the construction space. If the room being worked on is in the middle of the house, line the path to the exit with floor paper.
• Use dust extractors – Power tools tend to cause quite a mess when used in a renovation. This is because they create a lot of sawdust and other debris when they are being used. A number of power tool companies have begun adding dust extractors to their power tools that suck up the dust as soon as the power tool creates it. This means that a power saw with a dust extractor will collect sawdust while it’s cutting, thereby helping prevent much of it from getting into your air.

Use these tips to help minimize dust during a remodel and don’t forget to get a professional air duct cleaning.

This time of year, we have many new clients whose problem with mold generates from their HVAC not running properly. We want to make sure you are aware of this issue so that you can safeguard your home. It has been said that more than 50% of mold issues have been caused by HVAC systems. But why is this HVAC mold so common?

First of all, it wants to have a party every time it encounters an area with high humidity levels and warm temperatures. These conditions are created during the heating and cooling of HVAC systems. That makes both over-sized and under-sized systems the perfect atmosphere for active growth. Improperly sized unit has to work harder than it should. This creates more condensation than usual and can easily cause a moisture issue. Condensation lines with standing water is a big problem. Not only will mold grow here, but an excessive amount of spores will be blown throughout your home every time your HVAC system turns on. Rain, snow and other precipitating substances can also create a mold-friendly environment in HVAC systems.

HVAC Mold Symptoms

Health Symptoms – Health symptoms of HVAC mold could be the same health symptoms that you would experience if the mold grows anywhere else in your home. The most common of these health symptoms includes coughing, wheezing, allergies, asthma, sneezing, pneumonia, sinus infections and respiratory illness. While these symptoms do not require a specified location of growth in order to appear, if the mold problem is in your HVAC system, symptoms such as coughing and wheezing may appear more prevalently while the system is in use.

Sensory Symptoms – The two senses can help identify HVAC mold is sight and smell. If you can see a mold-like substance growing around your air ducts, drip pan or intake vents, there is likely a mold problem there. Also, if the smell of mold is most prevalent when the system is in use, there is likely a mold problem.

How to Prevent HVAC Mold

Most importantly, make sure that your HVAC system is the correct size. Many people believe that investing in a larger system will work since the system won’t have to work as hard. This belief is true. In fact, it’s so true that the HVAC system doesn’t only have an easier job, but it gets to only do half of it’s job. The unit does a great job at heating and cooling. It cools down the property and when the ideal temperature is reached, the system shuts off. It does it quickly, but maybe too quickly. The problem is that an HVAC system has two jobs: heating/cooling and dehumidifying. The system kicks on and off so quickly since it reaches it’s ideal temperature in a short amount of time, that it doesn’t have time to dehumidify correctly. It takes a minimum of 15 minutes run time for a unit to start to dehumidify and under normal conditions, an HVAC system runs 2-3 cycles per hour. While running the air conditioning in a larger system, water vapor condenses on coils. There has to be enough of condensation on the coil for the water to drip into the pan below. Also, there has to be an adequate amount of water in the pan for it drain outdoors. This dehumidifying system won’t work if the property space is not large enough to create the correct amount of water vapor. Instead, the moisture will remain indoors. Humidity levels at 60% or higher provide perfect conditions for growth of common species of mold that often looks like dust. Undersized systems will also create a humidity issue. These are usually the hard workers of the HVAC world. They are overworked and have too much on their plate to keep the property cool/hot and dehumidified. Not only will temperature levels almost never reach the ideal temperature, but the indoor environment is likely to become humid. This doesn’t only threaten the air conditioning system with mold, but the entire property.

How to Check Your Humidity Levels

Place a humidity meter and over your HVAC duct to measure the humidity levels of the air blowing out. Humidity readers can be purchased at most home improvement retail stores. If the humidity reads 55-60%, you need to call an HVAC expert. An expert can calculate load and the proper size unit that you should install in your home. Be sure to tell the expert if you have added any changes that would create more efficiency, such as new windows, extra or new insulation, spray foam, etc.

Other Prevention Methods

• Keep your HVAC system clean.
  • Change air conditioning filters monthly
  • Check for leaks regularly
  • Drain any excess water and clean pans regularly
  • Clean air ducts regularly
• Invest in a dehumidifier. Use a dehumidifier anytime there is excess humidity in your home for any reason. Humidity levels can rise due to issues including floods, plumbing issues, humid outdoor conditions, etc.
• Keep windows and doors closed during humid days. Keeping humidity outdoors can not only keep the indoor humidity levels lower, but it can allow your system to work easier, resulting in less condensation and a longer lifetime for your system.
• Check your drip tray regularly. Standing water in drip trays can cause active growth.
• Have an HVAC company come out to inspect and clean your system regularly.
• Do not constantly run your fan. It is common that HVAC technicians and installers will recommend that you run fan constantly to circulate the air. Initially, this seems good, but in reality it will create extra humidity in your home and fuel mold growth.

Mold Removal

If you already have HVAC mold, what do you do? The first thing that you need to do is to STOP using your system. HVAC mold spreads fast! Every time you use your moldy system, mold spores will blow throughout your ventilation system in huge amounts and could begin growing in other areas of your home or business. Once you stop using the HVAC system, below is how you can go about the HVAC mold removal process.

DIY Mold Removal

If you’re dealing with a small amount of mold (less than nine square feet), you can try a DIY removal process. The first thing that you will need to do is protect yourself and your family or employees. After protecting everyone, you will need to find a dependable mold cleaning product that does not use bleach and follow the instructions given by the manufacturer. We go over the details for how to do this, and why not to use bleach on our What is Mold page.

Professional Mold Removal

If you are dealing with more than nine square feet of contamination, or if you just don’t want to clean it yourself, you will need to contact a company that can help with your HVAC mold remediation.

With high humidity levels throughout the property and excess moisture in your HVAC system, Aspergillus could grow. Aspergillus is on of most common mold species and looks similar to dust and floats around like dandelions. When a person inhales an excessive amount of these spores, it causes a health condition known as Aspergillosis, which physicians often overlook.

By American Mold Experts

As we enter the warmer months of spring and summer, it’s a great time to consider installing a programmable thermostat to stay cool while keeping your cooling costs low.

Installing a programmable thermostat allows you to reduce energy usage and save money by scheduling your temperature settings based on when you’re awake, asleep, and away from home. There are additional benefits as well, including that it allows you to control your comfort by managing a more consistent temperature in your home and spending less time adjusting your temperature.

Also, installing a programmable thermostat can increase your home’s efficiency and keep your HVAC system working it’s best.

Plus, a programmable thermostat works just as well in winter to reduce your heating costs and save you money throughout the year, making it an inexpensive upgrade that can be a cost-effective investment for your home and comfort season after season.

Count on Aspen Air Duct Cleaning for all your heating, air conditioning, air duct cleaning and dryer vent cleaning needs. Our team of trained and experienced professionals provide HVAC system services to all makes and models. Aspen Air Duct Cleaning is Massachusetts and New Hampshire’s air quality cleaner choice, specializing in residential, commercial, and industrial ventilation cleanings.

By Mr. Duct

The season of dry hands and sore throats is around the corner. If you’re looking for ways to combat these inevitable winter symptoms, a whole house humidifier might be just what the doctor ordered. When you get a home humidifier, here are some health benefits that you could experience during the long winter months.

Better Sleep

One of the immediate benefits of a whole house humidifier is it may help you stay asleep. When humidity levels are low, your respiratory system dries out quickly causing snoring, sneezing, coughing, and sore throat that can disrupt a good night of sleep. Having a whole house humidifier can potentially relieve these symptoms and make it easier to breathe while you sleep, allowing less disruptions.

Alleviate Dryness

We’ve all experienced that annoying pain of dry, cracking hands. No matter the amount of moisturizer, sometimes dry skin just won’t go away. With a home humidifier, you can bring natural moisture back into the air of your home, which could improve the look and feel of your skin. Not only could a home humidifier benefit dry skin, but it can also help other forms of dryness like cracked lips, bloody noses, and itchy eyes.

Reduce Illness & Allergies

One of the worst side effects of winter is the corresponding health problems that arise with the lower humidity levels. Unfortunately, viruses and allergens thrive in climates with low humidity. When our respiratory systems are already dried out from these low humidity levels, it makes the transfer of illnesses that much easier and harder to get rid of. Additionally, if you have weather-related allergy symptoms, the side effects of low humidity can make your nose and throat feel that much worse. By adding a whole house humidifier to your home, you can restore humidity in the air that could help improve your illness and/or allergies.

Not only are home humidifiers great for your health, they also could save you money in the long run! Adding more moisture to the air in your home with a whole house humidifier can make it feel warmer so you can lower your thermostat and reduce your energy bill during winter.

By Mr. Duct

Air ducts are a key component of any HVAC system. Unfortunately, they don’t receive the recognition they deserve. In fact, air ducts are often overlooked entirely. Many people either wait too long to have them cleaned or avoid the procedure altogether. Both of those practices wreak havoc on your HVAC system and your health.

Not only that, but many people fail to replace their filters on a regular basis, which adds to the dirt and debris that builds up inside the ducts. Before you go another year without cleaning your ducts, take a look at the list provided below. These are the risks you face when you don’t keep the air ducts in your home as clean as they should be.

1. Increased Carbon Monoxide Risks

Carbon monoxide is a serious threat to you and your family. Carbon monoxide exposure can cause headaches, dizziness, and vomiting. Moderate exposure to carbon monoxide, over a prolonged period of time, can be fatal.

Unfortunately, if you don’t have your ducts cleaned on a regular basis, you increase your risk for carbon monoxide exposure. That’s because the dirty ducts cause your heater and air conditioner to overheat, which leads to elevated carbon monoxide levels.

2. Decreased Air Quality

If allergies, asthma, or other breathing-related medical conditions are a problem for your family, you need to have your ducts professionally cleaned. Your ducts attract and trap dirt, allergens, and pollutants.

Once the ducts are clogged with those particles, your air will no longer be clean, which means you and your family will breathe in more of the contaminants. If you have dirty filters, the problem will be exacerbated. That’s because dirty filters increase the amount of dirt and allergens that flow through your ducts.

3. Diminished Air Flow

Whether you want to stay cool during the summer, or warm during the winter, maximum air flow through the vents is crucial. After all, you can’t keep your home a comfortable temperature when air flow is down to a trickle.

Unfortunately, you won’t get peak airflow through the vents when the ducts are clogged with dirt and other particles. The best way to ensure maximum airflow is to have your ducts professionally cleaned at least once a year.

4. Damage to Limit Switch

Your furnace contains a variety of essential components. One of those components is the limit switch. The limit switch serves two functions. First, the limit switch helps the blower remove excess heat from the heat exchanger.

Second, the limit switch shuts down the system if the heat exchanger does get too hot. A clean air duct system protects the limit switch, and prevents malfunctions. However, if your air ducts are clogged, your limit switch and your heat exchanger are at risk.

5. Increased Energy Bills

If you’re like most people, you look for effective ways to reduce your energy bills. One simple way that is often overlooked, is to have your air ducts cleaned whenever you see dirt on the walls around your air vents. In most cases, that’s once every one or two years.

If you live in a particularly dusty environment, or you deal with high pollen counts on a regular basis, you should stick to the once a year schedule. A clean air duct system helps your HVAC system operate more efficiently, which reduces those monthly energy bills.

If you’ve encountered problems with your HVAC system, the problems could lie with your air ducts. Dirty ducts pose a variety of problems for you. If you haven’t had your ducts cleaned in several years, and you live in Massachusetts or New Hampshire, contact us at 978-681-5023. We’ll come out and remove the dirt that’s got your ducts clogged up.

By Carolina Ductmasters

Your AC system needs more than a yearly coolant top-off to stay healthy and function optimally. It requires great airflow, a functioning duct system, protection from pests, and more. Here are three types of duct-related maintenance you need in order to keep your unit at the top of its game.

1. Duct Cleaning and Testing

In addition to losing cooled or heated air, duct leaks can also allow polluted air into the system. So, if you discover that your ducts have been leaking, that could mean it’s time to have them cleaned out. If your HVAC system has recently been operating with clogged air filters or even without air filters, that could also allow dust and dirt in, meaning a cleaning is a good idea.

Other reasons for duct cleanings include a mold problem or simply needing better indoor air quality. This could be because someone in your home has allergies, asthma, or other respiratory issues affected by air particulates. Your indoor air may be especially high in contaminants if, for example, you have a lot of pets or you don’t open your windows often.

Duct cleaning can be helpful for many allergy sufferers. When used in conjunction with a high-quality AC filter, regular duct cleaning could reduce the severity of allergy symptoms experienced in the home by reducing the amount of pollutants in the air your ducts pump through the house. If you find duct cleaning helps your allergies, consider making it a yearly event.

2. Pest Control

You may be under the impression that you don’t have to worry about pest control if you don’t have a pest problem at the moment. However, thinking ahead can help you avoid a smelly, expensive, and even hazardous infestation.

An HVAC professional or a pest-control expert can help you to check your ductwork and air vents for vulnerabilities. Pests such as cockroaches, mice and rats, ants, and even bats are more common in HVAC ducts than you might expect.

Close up any gaps, place better screens on vents, and use preventive traps to help avoid problems. An HVAC or pest-control expert can help you come up with a detailed and customized plan to avoid housing critters in your HVAC ducts.

3. Duct Sealing and Insulation

Many homes lose a lot of their cool air through ductwork leaks and uninsulated ducts, meaning only some of the cool air produced is actually used. If you haven’t had your ducts sealed and insulated recently, your home could fall into this group.

Problems such as leaky ducts and insulation damage are more common than you might think. Sometimes a more drastic problem, like disconnected ducts, is also present. If you have one room in your house that doesn’t get as cool as it should, this could be why.

Even if you have had your ducts sealed in the past, it could be time to have it done again. Consider getting your ducts inspected and checked for leaks anytime you’re having them cleaned; rodent damage, thermal expansion and contraction, and other factors can cause leaks to appear in ductwork over time.

These three types of maintenance can act as ancillary factors to your yearly professional maintenance visit. With regular professional maintenance for your AC and ductwork and complementary home maintenance, such as changing the filter regularly, you’ll be able to keep your AC unit in top form where efficiency and effectiveness are concerned.

By Carolina Ductmasters