Certain areas of your air conditioning system can be more prone to attracting and accumulating dust and dirt, and one of these areas is your ductwork system. You don’t need to have your ductwork cleaned every year, but it is recommended that you schedule your ductwork for cleaning every 3-5 years. This is because dust and dirt can build into a significant layer that can, and will, adversely affect your air conditioning system. The experts at Bartels Heating & Cooling have been cleaning ductwork for a long time, and they have the latest tools and training to ensure that the job is done thoroughly and correctly. If it’s been more than 5 years since your last duct cleaning appointment, give us a call today!
Bartels Heating & Cooling Blog: Archive for the ‘Indoor Air Quality’ Category
Can Duct Cleaning Help My AC?
Monday, June 8th, 2015It’s All About That Air: Energy Recovery Ventilators
Monday, April 13th, 2015Advances with home products, including better insulation, insulated windows and doors and better ductwork construction have made homes so air-tight that a new problem has developed: there’s a lack of good ventilation. Opening a window in the middle of winter or at the height of summer is not a solution to this problem, but we have something that is: an energy recovery ventilator, also known as an ERV.
The Benefits of Professional Sheet Metal Ductwork Installation
Wednesday, February 25th, 2015Most modern AC and heating systems require a set of ducts for air delivery. Air is conditioned at the indoor air handler, and a blower fan pushes this air into the ducts, which serve as a pathway to the different rooms in your home. But these ducts may potentially suffer from a number of different problems. Poor duct installation and care leads to problems such as uneven heating and cooling, poor energy efficiency, and broken HVAC equipment.
Only allow your new ductwork to be installed and serviced by a sheet metal ductwork specialist in Fairfield. Call Bartels Heating & Cooling for your ductwork installation, repair, and cleaning needs.
The Benefits of Sheet Metal
Sheet metal ductwork is the most common type of ductwork found in home. There are other options, however, including ductboard and flexible ducts. But sheet metal is proven to be effective, standing up to damages. Fiber ducts can be difficult to install, and the potential exists for fiberglass to move into your ducts. Sheet metal is tough and effective, plus it comes in many different shapes and sizes for ease of installation.
Why Choose Professionals
If you pick a professional for ductwork installation, you can feel assured that the ducts in your home are tightly sealed. When ducts are first installed in a new home, the job is not always completed by HVAC professionals. This is why so many homes suffer from leaky ducts—most homes, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. In fact, the EPA estimates that the typical home HVAC system loses about 20-30% of its heating and cooling power in the ducts.
HVAC professionals will make sure that the ducts are sized properly for your home and for your HVAC system. They will install the ducts in an efficient way, establishing the most direct route possible between the air handler and the vents in your home. After installation, they will test the ducts with an air pressure test and they may do a test run of your heating and AC system as well. Professionals have all the tools and expertise to ensure that all of the parts are just right.
Call Bartels Heating & Cooling for quality ductwork services in Fairfield today!
Ways to Determine That Your House Needs Duct Cleaning
Wednesday, January 21st, 2015A disturbing percentage of homeowners with forced air systems are completely unaware that their ducts need to be cleaned on a semi-regular basis. If you’re asking this question, then you probably already know that your ducts need to be cleaned, but are unsure of when to act on that knowledge. There are a few ways to determine that your house needs duct cleaning. Let’s examine some of those ways together.
You Haven’t Had Your Ducts Cleaned Before
If you have just recently become aware of the need for duct cleaning, but you haven’t had it done yet, get it done as soon as possible. Some pretty frightening things have likely built up in your ducts over the years that they haven’t been cleaned, and you’ll want to get rid of those things as quickly as possible. There’s no point in waiting until a preset time; ducts have no optimal time of year for cleaning, like heating systems do. Just get it done as soon as you can to start reaping the benefits of duct cleaning. Ducts should be cleaned every 1-3 years after the first time.
Frequent Allergy Attacks and/or Illnesses
The primary reason that duct cleaning is necessary is that all the microscopic contaminants that circulate through the air often find a home and a means of transportation in the ducts. Things like dust, pollen, viruses, bacteria, insect dander, and mold are all common pollutants that can be found in the common home’s air ducts. These pollutants are circulated throughout the house whenever the air conditioning or heating is turned on, infecting the occupants of the house in the process. If you are an allergy sufferer, or if you find that you get sick often throughout the year, then you could definitely reap the benefits of having your ducts cleaned out. That’s not to say that duct cleaning will solve all of your health problems, but it can remove a lot of the organisms that contribute to things like the common cold and the flu.
If you haven’t had your ducts cleaned in a while, call Bartels Heating & Cooling to schedule an appointment today. We provide professional duct cleaning services throughout West Chester.
How Can a Humidifier Keep You Comfortable and Healthy?
Sunday, January 4th, 2015Ways to Tell Your Ductwork Needs Sealing
Wednesday, October 29th, 2014Calling for professionals to seal holes and gaps in the ductwork of your home’s ventilation system is important to maintain efficient heating and cooling, as well as to protect your indoor air quality from a decline due to contamination entering through the breaks. However…how can you know that your ductwork is in need of sealing when most of the air ducts in the ventilation system remain unseen behind walls and ceilings?
It can be a bit of challenge to detect ducts that are leaking air, but if you know what signs to watch for, you should be able to catch the warnings and call up Bartels Heating & Cooling in time to have the holes sealed before the problem grows worse. Below we’ve listed some of the more common indications that you need to call for repairs on your ductwork in Hamilton, OH.
Warning Signs of Leaking Air Ducts That Need Professional Sealing
- Odd smells from the vents: When ductwork develops holes, they will usually appear in places that are dusty and musty, such as between walls or in crawl spaces. This will allow air with unpleasant smells into the ducts and then out the vents into your living spaces. Any unpleasant odor emanating from your vents is something you should have professionals investigate right away.
- Drop in airflow: It only takes a small hole in a duct to cause the airflow inside it to drop noticeably. (Ducts have airtight sealing in order to prevent this air pressure loss.) When you notice lower airflow from the vents into the rooms, it usually means that something is wrong somewhere along the ventilation system, and air leaks are one of the main suspects.
- High heating/cooling bills: A drop in air pressure will also lead to an increase in your heating and cooling costs, since the heater/air conditioner will need to strain harder to reach its normal temperature. You can expect both higher comfort costs and also an increase in repairs for the system because of the extra stress.
Don’t ignore any of these warning signs. Even if they are not due to leaking air ducts, they definitely point to trouble somewhere in your HVAC system. Call for the professionals at Bartels Heating & Cooling right away. We can handle any repairs for your ductwork in Hamilton, OH, and we also take care of air conditioning and heating repairs. Make us your first stop for indoor comfort.
Duct Cleaning Question: Why Do the Ducts Get Dirty in the First Place?
Wednesday, October 1st, 2014You have probably heard that the ductwork in your home requires regular cleaning—usually once every three or four years—in order for the heater and air conditioner to work at their most efficient, and to prevent the indoor air quality from plunging. Regular professional duct cleaning is crucial for maintaining health, comfort, and energy-efficiency in a home.
However, people often wonder how a ventilation system can reach a level of dirtiness where it becomes necessary for trained experts with special equipment to come to a home to clean it. It’s easy to look over a clean house and think that it’s impossible the ducts could have enough contamination in them to create problems.
But no matter how clean a home appears, dust and dirt and other pollutants will find a way into the ventilation system until they reach a level that makes it necessary to call professionals to remove them. Bartels Heating & Cooling is available to handle the job of duct cleaning in Fairfield, OH when you need it.
Why Ducts Develop Contamination
To understand how your ducts become dirty, you need to first understand how the ventilation system operates. There are two types of ductwork in a home’s ventilation system: the return ducts and the supply ducts. The return ducts draw air in from the rooms in a home, where the blower sends the air through the heating/cooling system. The supply ducts then distribute the conditioned air to the registers around the home and into the rooms. The air is eventually drawn back into the return ducts.
For the most part, this is a closed loop. Modern homes have heavy air sealing on them to prevent heat loss and gain. But this means scant fresh air enters the house to clear away dust, dirt, pollen, dander, and other debris. The contamination in a home enters the return vents along with the air, and then circulates in the closed loop through the ventilation system and the home. Over the space of a single year, the average six-room home will circulate more than 40 lbs. of dust through its ventilation system.
This amount of contamination will start to catch along the sides of the duct walls, beginning a process of accumulation that increases as more dust, dirt, lint, etc. gathers. It only takes about a year for a layer of dust to coat the insides of ducts, and another one or two for this buildup to start creating serious airflow issues for the HVAC system. At this point, cleaning is necessary.
Professionals must handle duct cleaning because it takes special equipment and training to access all of the ventilation system and change the pressure inside it in order to agitate the contamination from the ductwork walls. The process only takes a few hours, and it will restore the ducts to like-new condition, resulting in energy savings and a healthier indoor environment.
Since 1973, Bartels Heating & Cooling has delivered quality duct cleaning to Fairfield, OH and the rest of Southwest Ohio. Give us a call to schedule your duct cleaning with us today.
How Does Duct Cleaning Help Your Heating and Air Conditioning System?
Wednesday, September 17th, 2014Fall is a great time to clean and maintain your heating and air conditioning systems, including your ductwork. Ductwork can often be overlooked, mostly because it isn’t as visible as the other parts of your system. But like the other parts of your HVAC system, your ductwork can become dirty, and the best way to remove dirt and dust build-up is with a professional duct cleaning service in Fairfield, OH. Bartel’s Heating & Cooling has been servicing heating and cooling clients since 1973, and we have the trained technicians to help you with all your ductwork needs.
What Happens During a Professional Duct Cleaning?
Here is a general overview of what to expect during a professional duct cleaning appointment:
- The technician will connect a vacuum hose to your air duct system via access ports. Each outlet is sealed off to ensure no contamination occurs during the cleaning.
- The technician will remove each grill and thoroughly clean it. He/she may also air-blast the first few feet of the duct to clean the entrance area.
- The technician then inserts a tool called an air sweep, which is fastened to a high pressure air hose, and sends it down the entire length of distribution ducts. The air sweep breaks loose sticking contaminants like dirt, dust, grime, fungus, and other material that may be inside the ducts. This material is then sucked along the duct to the trunk lines.
- The technician will replace the grills and clean around them with a HEPA vacuum cleaner, ensuring all supply and return lines have been completed cleaned.
- The trunk lines (lines which carry the air between the furnace and the lateral ducts) are swept and brushed clean in the same manner as above.
- The technician will clean the fan, blower compartment, plenum, AC coil, return air compartment and the air handling side of the furnace with an air pressure tool and a vacuum.
- The technician will check the entire system again to ensure all vent work has been cleaned.
- The technician will complete a thorough clean-up of the entire work area.
How Does Duct Cleaning Help Your HVAC System?
- Better energy efficiency – if the build-up in your ductwork was substantial, it may have reduced air flow; this can cause your HVAC system to use more energy as it struggles to achieve the temperature you’ve set. Removing this build-up helps the system to operate normally again.
- Less stress for your air conditioner – a dirty system is a system under stress; when an HVAC system operates under stressful conditions for long periods of time, it can age the system prematurely. Keeping your ductwork clean helps reduce this effect.
It’s recommended that your ductwork is cleaned every 3-5 years. How long has it been since you’ve had a duct cleaning in Fairfield, OH? If it’s been longer than this, call Bartel’s Heating & Cooling today and schedule an appointment.
Here’s How Professionals Clean Your Ductwork
Wednesday, August 27th, 2014Professional duct cleaning employs the use of tools that are most likely not readily available to the average person. Moreover, ducts can be tricky to clean; it can be difficult to see the entire duct without the help of visual aid tools, and removing certain contaminants, like mold, can be challenging. These are just a couple of reasons why it’s best to call professionally-trained experts, like the ones at Bartel’s Heating & Cooling, for your duct cleaning service in West Chester.
Equipment Used by Professionals
Following is an overview of the kinds of equipment a technician can bring to a scheduled duct cleaning:
Access Tools
Technicians need access tools to create entry points in the HVAC system in order to properly inspect and clean your system. Access points can range from small holes for optical imaging to entry panels large enough to accommodate bulkier equipment.
Inspection Tools
These tools help the technician assess the scope of cleaning necessary for your ductwork. Tools may include hand-held mirrors, a periscope, closed circuit TV camera or a regular camera.
Hand-Held Cleaning Tools
Hand-held tools can include pneumatic devices that help remove stuck-on debris, as well as power and manual brushes.
Vacuum Collection Devices
Vacuum collection devices are used to collect the dirt and debris from your ductwork without spreading contaminants. The collection device does this by creating negative pressure in the ductwork. There are two main types of collection devices: those mounted on trucks and those that are portable.
Hand-Held HEPA Vacuums
HEPA vacuums are used to help remove debris from small or hard-to-reach places, and the HEPA filter inside the vacuum helps reduce the chances of contamination.
How It Works
The technician will access your ductwork by existing access points as well as any he/she may have to create. Your ductwork will get a thorough inspection, and then the cleaning will begin. Typically, a technician will start the cleaning with the truck-mounted vacuum to remove as much dust and debris as possible, and then focus on the more difficult spots. Once he/she has finished cleaning, your ductwork will be inspected again to ensure that the system was completely cleaned. Upon conclusion of the cleaning, the system will be re-closed and the workspace cleaned up.
A professional duct cleaning can improve your energy efficiency, comfort level and indoor air quality. If it’s been more than 5 years since you’ve had a duct cleaning, or you’ve moved into a new home with ductwork, call Bartel’s Heating and Cooling today and schedule a duct cleaning for your West Chester property.
3 Reasons Why Duct Cleaning Is Necessary
Thursday, June 26th, 2014Try this test right now: Go to one of the vents in your home and unscrew the grate. Now reach inside holding onto a digital camera with a flash (your smart phone should do). Take a photo of the inside, the area just out of your sight. Now look at the image you just captured.
If it isn’t a pleasant sight—something like the lint-catcher of dryer after a large load—then you need to schedule duct cleaning service as soon as possible.
If more than two years have passed since you had your ducts professionally cleaned, you don’t even need to do the test; you’re overdue to have a team come in and use powerful vacuums and agitation equipment to cleanse all the contamination trapped inside your ventilation system. Call Bartels Heating & Cooling today to schedule duct cleaning in Fairfield, OH.
Here Are 3 Reasons Why You Need Duct Cleaning
- Protect your indoor air quality: The U.S. EPA has identified low indoor air quality as a major health threat in the country. Clogged up air ducts filled with dirt, dust, pollen, dander, dust mites, and other debris are a major contributor to the issue. You don’t want all this material collected through the return vents form your home to continue to circulate in the air that you and your family breathe every day. Duct cleaning removes this major reservoir of airborne pollutants from your home.
- Shield your HVAC system: The forced-air heater and air conditioner that use the ductwork of your home can suffer damage due to the contamination inside the ventilation system. Dust that enters the cabinets of air conditioners, heat pumps, and furnaces will increase stress on mechanical components, block up burners, clog filters, and restrict the function of evaporator and condensing coils. This will lead to numerous repairs and a reduced life for your system.
- Maintain energy efficiency: Aside from keeping the HVAC system in good shape, maintaining clean air passages for the air conditioner and heater is crucial for system efficiency. Even a small layer of dust coating the inside of the ductwork will create friction against the airflow that will force the HVAC system to work harder than it need to. As the ducts become more congested, you can expect to see a steep climb in your utility bills. Duct cleaning makes certain that your heater and air conditioner have the least resistance possible to providing you with comfort.
Don’t try this at home (at least, not on your own)
Duct cleaning requires professional equipment and technicians who know how to use them; you cannot clean the ducts are your own by sticking a vacuum hose into an open vent. Call the experienced professionals at Bartels Heating & Cooling when you need duct cleaning in Fairfield, OH. Along with duct cleaning, we also offer other indoor air quality services such as installation of air cleaners, air purifiers, UV sanitizers, and energy recovery ventilators.