Have your allergies been on the attack more so than ever lately, especially when you’re at home? And do you find yourself feeling achy and tired on days when you don’t get a chance to leave the house? If the answer to either of these questions is a resounding “yes,” then dirty air ducts might be to blame.
Dirty or clogged air ducts can have a seriously negative impact on household air quality, and in some cases, the only way to fix the problem is to bring in a service to have such problematic ducts cleaned. However, not all situations are this simple. Under some circumstances, the act of cleaning one’s air ducts might not do much good, especially if the duct system in question is in truly bad shape. Nick Sidon is the proud owner of Nick’s Dryer Vent Cleaning, a company that offers dryer vent and air duct cleaning services to the San Diego area, and according to him, some homeowners are actually better off replacing their air ducts than paying to have them cleaned.
If your home is equipped with old metal ducts that have been there for numerous decades, then replacing them might be the best way to go – especially if a technician can pinpoint multiple spots with oxidation. Additionally, air ducts that are unusually moldy might not respond to a series of cleanings in the long run (in which case replacing them is a wise idea).
While age is not an automatic factor when debating the idea of air duct replacement, generally speaking, older ducts tend to wind up in worse shape than newer ones. If your house is 50 years old, then chances are that its duct system is also 50 years old – in which case an air duct inspection might reveal problems that will prompt any cautious professional to advise you to price out replacement options. On the other hand, if your house is fairly new, then it’s doubtful that your air ducts will need to be replaced entirely.
If an air duct cleaning service recommends that you replace your ducts rather than go the cleaning route, then you might want to listen. After all, there’s no sense in paying to have air ducts cleaned when doing so won’t solve the underlying problem. Instead, you might as well put that money to good use by saving it for your air duct replacement project.
While air duct replacement isn’t a cheap undertaking, there are a few key benefits to having it done. First of all, by replacing your air ducts, you’ll be taking an important step to improve the overall quality of your household air. Considering the amount of time you’re likely to spend breathing in that indoor air, air duct replacement is essentially an investment in the preservation of your good health.
Another advantage of air duct replacement is that while you will pay a bit to have it done, it can end up saving you significant amounts of money on heating and cooling throughout the years. When air ducts are moldy or degraded beyond the point of repair, then they don’t tend to do a good job at helping your heating and cooling systems bring warmth or cool air to your house as applicable. As such, your energy bills are likely to be higher as long as those older air ducts are in place. By swapping out your existing ducts in favor of new ones, you can help your heating and cooling systems operate more efficiently, which will easily translate into extra dollars in your pocket via utility savings.
The decision to have your air ducts replaced is a significant one, so before you jump into it, consider bringing in several experts to inspect your system and offer up their respective opinions. And if you do end up opting for air duct replacement, then be sure to find a company with solid experience along these lines. Remember, a good set of air ducts can improve not only your household air quality, but your overall quality of life. So as much as it might pain you to spend the money, you can rest assured that in the long run, the investment will be more than worth it.
The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your healthcare provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate healthcare provider.
