There is a growing trend in the air conditioning and heating industry for homeowners to have their ducts cleaned. This trend is due in part by increased indoor air quality awareness. The first question a homeowner must ask themselves is do I need my ducts cleaned and what has caused my ducts to get dirty in the first place? It is a simple question, but one that is most often overlooked.

Poor filtration and inadequate moisture removal are the two most common causes of dirty ducts in Houston and surrounding areas. If you have your ducts cleaned and do not address the cause why you are having you ducts cleaned your problem will more than likely return. Plus, most of the ductwork in the Houston area is made up of flex duct. Flex duct is generally made up of three components:

  1. Plastic inner liner: This inner liner is used to provide the main pathway for air flow. It is basically a metal slinky that is stretched and wrapped in plastic. The inner liner is fragile and can easily be punctured causing air to escape to the attic, between floors and walls.

    If this happens the home wants to make up the lost air and turns into a large vacuum pulling foreign air from doors, windows, wall plugs, attic staircases, recess lighting cans, etc. Bringing in air from outside the home usually causes increased dirt, dust and humidity levels which can greatly effect the homes indoor air quality.

  2. Insulation: As of today, the required insulation rating of ductwork is R-6. Insulation is important in preventing heat transfer to and from the inner plastic liner.

  3. Radiant Barrier/Outer liner: Since most of the ductwork in the Houston area is installed in the attic it is important to combat radiant heat. Most of today’s flex duct uses a radiant barrier to reflect radiant heat away from the inner liner. This helps to keep temperature differences to a minimum. Make sure that your ductwork has a radiant barrier. Some of the older homes in Houston have a grey/black outer liners that absorb radiant heat. This has a tendency to make the inner liner brittle increasing the risk of air leakage.

    Duct cleaners use brushes to nock dirt and debris off the inner liner then the dirt particles are sucked into a large vacuum. The problem with flex duct is that it is ribbed and thorough cleaning is near impossible. Plus, the plastic inner liner is fragile and has a tendency to break when poked with a brush. When the inner liner is broken it allows air to escape into the attic, between floors and walls. This leakage will negatively impact indoor air quality.

    The best solution to having clean ducts is to first find out what is causing your ducts to get dirty then, fix the problem and replace contaminated sections of ductwork. This approach is by far the best way to improve your indoor air quality and prevent wasting money on duct cleaners who can make the problem worse.

    Kyle Jeane
    Labrador Mechanical, Inc.
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