WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR DUCTWORK

(NAPS)—Your health and your wealth. Those are the two major reasons you should have your HVAC system inspected by a reputable, certified professional. Consider this:

Your Health

Your heating and cooling system is essentially the lungs of your home. The system takes air in and “breathes” air out. Through normal living in a house, a great deal of contaminants and air pollutants—dander, dust, chemicals— get pulled into the HVAC system and recirculated an average of six times a day. Over time, this causes a buildup of contaminants in the ductwork.

While dirty ducts don’t necessarily mean unhealthy air, they can contribute to health issues, especially for people with respiratory problems, autoimmune disorders or allergies.

Your Wealth

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 25 to 40 per cent of the energy used for heating or cooling a home is wasted. Contaminants in the heating and cooling system cause it to work harder and shorten its life. Even though there are filters, the system still gets dirty. When an HVAC system is clean, it doesn’t have to work as hard to maintain the temperature you desire. As a result, you save energy and money.

What You Can Do

A qualified contractor can meet your duct cleaning needs. Here are seven things to ask for:

1. Insurance and licenses.

2. An assessment and explanation of the service to be provided.

3. Information on which components will be cleaned as part of the service: air ducts (supply and return), coils, drains, registers, grilles and so on.

4. A limit on the amount of dust, dirt and debris released into your home during the cleaning.

5. Both agitation and vacuum collection while cleaning.

6. Information about any chemicals used as part of the cleaning, including a safety data sheet for the products used.

7. Proof of National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) membership and certification. NADCA members follow the industry standard for HVAC system cleaning and must:

• Have at least one NADCA-certified Air Systems Cleaning Specialist (ASCS) on staff.

• Maintain general liability insurance.

• Agree to clean according to ACR, the NADCA standard.

• Comply with NADCA’s code of ethics.

• All ASCS-certified individuals must acquire continuing education credits to maintain certification each year.

It’s this dedication to quality and a higher standard of performance that can mean peace of mind for you.