Are Your Home's Air Ducts on Your Spring Cleaning Checklist?

GALLATIN, TN--(Marketwired - Mar 27, 2015) -  Whether you are looking out your window at a blanket of snow or a grove of palm trees, March is the month when spring finally arrives. And traditionally, this is the time when homeowners begin to make a list of spring cleaning chores to prepare for warmer weather ahead. This year, remediation specialist SERVPRO^® suggests including heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) duct maintenance on your to-do list.

"At the very least, performing some simple maintenance on the ducts in your home will help your HVAC system work at maximum efficiency," said Sue Steen, Servpro Industries, Inc. chief executive officer. "In some cases, it may highlight a problem you need to address."

Steen offers the following guidelines based on Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommendations for routine maintenance of the HVAC system in your home:

1. Maintain filters.
Use the highest efficiency air filter recommended by the manufacturer of your HVAC system and change filters regularly. If your filters become clogged, change them more frequently. Also, be sure you do not have any missing filters and that air cannot bypass filters through gaps around the filter holder.

2. Minimize dust.
Dust and vacuum your home regularly, using the highest efficiency filter bags your vacuum cleaner can take -- preferably HEPA bags. If you undertake dusty construction or renovation work in your home, seal off supply and return registers and do not turn your HVAC system on until you have cleaned up the dust.

3. Clean cooling coils and drain pans.
Cooling coils, which are designed to remove water from the air, can be a major source of moisture contamination that can lead to mold growth in your HVAC system. Make sure that the drain pans under these coils drain properly and check any nearby insulation for wet spots. If you see substantial standing water and/or debris in these pans, contact a qualified service professional immediately. If your system includes an in-duct humidifier, be sure to follow manufacturer operating instructions.

For some homeowners, this routine maintenance may uncover evidence of a larger problem, like mold growth, rodent or insect infestation, or ducts so clogged with dust and debris that particles are being released into the home through air supply registers. Steen says this is the time to call in the professionals for an expert evaluation of the problem and, if necessary, a cleanup plan.

"Restoration and remediation specialists like the technicians at SERVPRO can help you determine how serious the problem is," says Steen. "In many cases, routine maintenance is all that is required. But if the problem could pose a health threat to people living in the house, you need to call in the professionals. SERVPRO technicians are trained to use specialized cleaning and disposal techniques to remove any contaminants from your ducts safely and completely, without releasing them into your home." 

For more information on air duct cleaning and other related cleaning services, please visit https://www.servpro.com/airduct-cleaning.

About SERVPRO^®
Founded in 1967, the SERVPRO^® Franchise System is a national leader and provider of fire and water cleanup and restoration services and mold mitigation and remediation. SERVPRO's professional services network of nearly 1,700 individually owned and operated Franchises responds to property damage emergencies ranging from small individual disasters to multi-million dollar losses. Providing coverage in the United States and Canada, the SERVPRO System has established relationships with major insurance companies and commercial clients, as well as individual homeowners.