Ductwork: how it can be making you unwell？

Good indoor air quality is vital to ensuring a healthy home environment.

While many elements affect the air quality in your home, the air ducts in your HVAC can have a significant impact on indoor air quality because dirt and other dust particles accumulated in them can pollute the air in your home.

Having your air ducts, vents, and filters free of growth and pollutants can improve air circulation in your home and ensure good indoor air quality.

Good air quality can also help you keep many health hazards at bay, as indoor air pollutants like dust, pollen, pet dander, mould, mildew, bacteria, and viruses can cause many health issues when inhaled.

Here are a few common health issues that you may be at risk of due to poor indoor air quality caused by dirty ducts and vents in your home.

Allergies

Poor air quality is one of the biggest triggers for allergies.

Dust, mould, and pet dander that accumulate in air ducts and vents can contaminate indoor air and cause allergies.

When inhaled, these contaminants can lead to prolonged asthma attacks, hay fever, breathing problems, and trigger allergic reactions, leading to a deterioration in your overall health.

Respiratory infections

The microscopic contaminants in the air can lead to respiratory issues like bronchitis, pneumonia, sinus infections, and the common cold.

If you see anyone in your family showing symptoms like excessive sneezing, sore throat, congested nose, headaches, and mild fevers more often than expected, this could mean that the ducts and vents in your HVAC system require thorough cleaning.

Skin infections

With dirty ducts, you are exposed to polluted air every day, and if you have sensitive skin, your skin may react badly to the pollutants in the air.

Mould and mildew, for example, can cause itching and skin irritations. These particles also tend to clog up pores in your skin, causing conditions like acne.

They can also cause skin inflammation, rashes, eczema, or hives for those with hypersensitive skin.

Although these conditions are easily treatable, you could prevent them with regular cleaning and maintenance of your HVAC systems and air ducts.

Stress and anxiety

Dirty ducts do not just cause physical problems; constant health issues and general uncleanliness you may feel around the house due to poor indoor air quality can also ruin your peaceful time at home.

Coming home every day to an unclean and unhealthy space – which you have to put extra effort to keep clean- can take a toll on your mental health and lead to stress and anxiety.

How to avoid health hazards caused by dirty ducts

With a few upgrades to your HVAC system, you can improve the air quality in your sanctuary.

Using an efficient air filter

If your HVAC system does not have a filter, this is the first thing you need to upgrade, as indoor air quality is more susceptible to pollution than outdoor air due to the confined nature of our homes.

Invest in a good filter, like the MERV-13 filter that rids most air large and microscopic pollutants particles.

Replace and rejuvenate

Replacing your old filter can remove accumulated allergens, dirt, and dust.

Replacing the filters in your HVAC system at least once every 90 days is recommended to maintain an acceptable level of air quality in the house.

If your family members are extra sensitive to polluted air, make sure to replace the filter earlier than the recommended period.

Clean, clear, and keep it under control

Cleaning the air ducts helps get rid of growth, dust, allergens and other microbes before they spread—or worse, start spreading diseases.

In addition to making the HVAC system function better, regular cleaning will keep your body and mind healthier and fitter.

Inspect your ducts regularly and say no to indoor air pollution

Prevention is always better than cure.

Regular inspection of your HVAC system lets you find any issues early and prevent them from becoming problematic.

Get the services of an HVAC professional for better inspection and repair. With their expertise and experience, they can take care of even the most complex issues.