The quality of air within your home is very important to the health of your family, especially if any of your family members suffer from allergies or asthma. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, indoor air pollution is now the fourth greatest environmental threat here in America. If you are running your furnace or your air conditioner, airborne impurities are being drawn into your duct system. Over time, these harmful contaminants build up. The impure air circulates around your home approximately 5 to 7 times per day. Indoor air contaminants can be anything from dust mites, cooking odors, mildew, chemicals, airborne allergens, bacteria, animal dander to carbon monoxide. Having an air duct cleaning performed helps to eradicate these issues.

On average, a 4 bedroom home accumulates 40 pounds of dust each year. The majority of people spend most of their time indoors. The American College of Allergists reported that half of all illnesses are either caused or aggravated by polluted indoor air. Air pollution also contributes to lung disease, the third leading cause of Death in the United States. Exposure to the fungi and bacteria in the air duct system are the contributing factors for one in every six people that suffer from allergies. Don’t be fooled by your air filter, the standard fiberglass filters are only 7% effective in stopping contaminants from entering the duct work.

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) especially recommends you have a duct cleaning performed if:

• If there is mildew in or on any component of your heating and cooling system
• Ducts are infested with vermin
• Ducts have excessive amounts of dust, debris or particles

                                                                                Before                                                  After

Important Questions to Ask When Scheduling a Duct Cleaning

#1: What is your procedure?                                                                                                                     You want a company, like Accutemp, that uses a vacuum system rather than brushes. Brushes can cause damage to your duct work. You also want to make sure that the company cleans out each and every supply, return and the blower housing.

#2: What costs will I incur?                                                                                                                         If a company quotes you a price that sounds too good to be true, it is. Cleaning out duct work is no easy job therefore it is not cheap. Some companies will quote you one price and fail to mention that it only includes a certain number of vents and returns. If the price is extremely cheap and they say it includes unlimited vents and returns, ask more questions. At this point, they can add hundreds of dollars to your bill for things like cleaning out the blower housing or getting rid of mold. Rest assured, if AccuTemp tells you that there is mold present, we will refer you to a mold remediation company. We do not profit from from this lead.

#3: Do you have an HVAC license?                                                                                                        Many companies that perform air duct cleanings actually have no knowledge of HVAC. You DO NOT want this. They could potentially cost you more money by creating issues with the operation of your unit.

For more information: http://www.accutempair.com