American Power Vac – Duct Cleaning Michigan

It can be difficult to determine if the air you are breathing in your home is as clean as you may think it is. The following are some facts about the air quality in your home according to various experts.

• According to the American Lung Association, people spend 60 to 90 percent of their time indoors.
• Polluted indoor air contributes to 20% of all illnesses according to the American College of Allergists.
• USEPA says that the levels of some hazardous pollutants in indoor air has been found to be up to 70 times greater than in outdoor air.
• Studies have shown that two out of three indoor air quality problems involve the HVAC/Air Duct System.
• More than 50 million Americans suffer from allergies.
• Total Health and Better Health Magazines wrote that one out of six people who suffer from allergies do so because of the direct relationship to fungi and bacteria in air duct systems.
• According to the Department of Consumer Affairs children and the elderly are especially affected by polluted indoor air.
• ASHRAE finds that most commercially available fiberglass furnace filters are less than 7% efficient.

Restricted airflow, lint build-up and moisture cause overheating and prevents fast drying action. Since the problematic area is usually hard to reach, keeping it clean can be a challenge (or knowing if it even needs to be cleaned). When dryer vents become too dirty or have poor airflow, the temperature limit safety switches cycle on and off continuously and will fail over a period of time. Because of this, you may face higher costs of operation and risk the possibility of a dryer fire.

Some signs to watch out for are:

1. Drying time for your clothes is longer than normal.

2. Clothes are much more hot to the touch when finished drying.

3. Vent hood flapper doesn’t open when dryer is on.

According to the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA), heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems have been shown to act as a collection source for a variety of contaminants that have the potential to affect health, such as mold, fungi, bacteria, and very small particles of dust. The removal of such contaminants from the HVAC system and home should be considered as one component in an overall plan to improve indoor air quality. Now you may be wondering how often or when should you consider having your air ducts cleaned. It depends on several factors, not the least of which is the preference of the home owner. Some of the things that may lead a home owner to consider more frequent cleaning include:

• Smokers in the household.
• Pets that shed high amounts of hair and dander.
• Water contamination or damage to the home or HVAC system.
• Residents with allergies or asthma who might benefit from a reduction in the amount of indoor air pollutants in the home’s HVAC system.
• After home renovations or remodeling.
• Prior to occupancy of a new home.

If air ducts are not cleaned regularly, they may become a breeding ground for mold, mildew, and bacteria that may affect the well-being of family members or residents. The following is the process we take to make sure your air ducts are as clean as possible.

First, all corners leading from your garage to your basement will be tarped. Then a large 10″ vacuum hose will be brought to your furnace and connected. When the truck is engaged and the twelve large airbags pop out the top, your whole house will be placed under negative pressure. This means you will actually be able to hear and feel a tremendous vacuum coming from each of your vents.

While this is taking place, we will go to each of your registers with pushrods and compressed air (300psi) and actually push the debris down your lines and into the trunks where it will be cleaned and sucked out to the truck. Most people enjoy coming down into the basement when we’re cleaning their main trunks and are amazed at how much debris the giant vacuum hose pulls from their home. The process is now complete. You can enjoy the benefits of clean air in your home.

INDOOR AIR QUALITY FACTS

Keeping the air in your house clean is essential. Even if you don’t notice or smell anything abnormal, there may be hidden contaminates such as allergens and molds lurking about in your ventilation system, dryer vents, and other hard to reach areas. Here are some facts showing the importance of keeping the air indoors clean:

• Indoor air pollution is ranked among the top 5 environmental dangers to the public. (EPA)
• Studies have shown that two out of three indoor air quality problems involve the HVAC/Air Duct System.
• Children and the elderly are especially affected by polluted indoor air. (Department of Consumer Affairs)
• Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in indoor air can be 2 to 5 times greater than in outdoor air. (EPA)
• 20% of all illnesses are either caused by, or aggravated by, polluted indoor air. (American College of Allergists)
• The levels of some hazardous pollutants in indoor air has been found to be up to 70 times greater than in outdoor air.

(USEPA)

• Most people spend 60% to 90% of their time indoors. (American Lung Association & EPA)
• The average 6-room house collects 40 pounds of dust each year. (Discover Magazine)

You should consider having the air ducts in your home cleaned if:

	There is substantial visible mold growth inside hard surface (e.g., sheet metal) ducts or on other components of your heating and cooling system.
	Ducts are infested with vermin, e.g. (rodents or insects); or
	Ducts are clogged with excessive amounts of dust and debris and/or particles are actually released into the home from your supply registers.

Other Important Considerations…

Duct cleaning has never been shown to actually prevent health problems. Neither do studies conclusively demonstrate that particle (e.g., dust) levels in homes increase because of dirty air ducts or go down after cleaning. This is because much of the dirt that may accumulate inside air ducts adheres to duct surfaces and does not necessarily enter the living space. It is important to keep in mind that dirty air ducts are only one of many possible sources of particles that are present in homes. Pollutants that enter the home both from outdoors and indoor activities such as cooking, cleaning, smoking, or just moving around can cause greater exposure to contaminants than dirty air ducts. Moreover, there is no evidence that a light amount of household dust or other particulate matter in air ducts poses any risk to health.

EPA does not recommend that air ducts be cleaned except on an as-needed basis because of the continuing uncertainty about the benefits of duct cleaning under most circumstances. EPA does, however, recommend that if you have a fuel burning furnace, stove, or fireplace, they be inspected for proper functioning and serviced before each heating season to protect against carbon monoxide poisoning. Some research also suggests that cleaning dirty cooling coils, fans and heat exchangers can improve the efficiency of heating and cooling systems. However, little evidence exists to indicate that simply cleaning the duct system will increase your system’s efficiency.

If you think duct cleaning might be a good idea for your home, but you are not sure, talk to a professional. The company that services your heating and cooling system may be a good source of advice. You may also want to contact professional duct cleaning service providers and ask them about the services they provide. Remember, they are trying to sell you a service, so ask questions and insist on complete and knowledgeable answers.

Source: epa.gov

Call us today to get an estimate, or to set up an appointment.

American Power Vac has the equipment that is powerful enough to get the job done right and that equipment is a Power Vac truck. It is the most powerful equipment in the industry. This is where the entire truck is the vacuum and the truck motor powers the equipment.

American Power Vac – Duct Cleaning MI – Where does dust come from in new homes?

Cold air returns are also the reason new homeowners are experiencing dust. While your drywall was being sanded, your cold air returns sucked all of the dust through the system and it settled on the bottom of the duct lines where a little at a time gets blown back into your home. To prove it, take a walk down into your basement, look up at the ceiling for thin sheets of tin nailed between your floor joists. These are your cold air return lines. Give them a good pounding. You’ll see puffs of dust seeping out of the edges. That my friends, is the reason you have uncontrollable dust problems!

I’m Keith Meadows, owner and operator of American Power Vac, Inc. For years, I’ve been improving our community’s health one family at a time. By now we’ve all heard the statistics: 50% of all illness is a direct relation to dirty indoor air and our indoor air is up to 90 times more polluted than outdoor air. Yet, 90% of the calls I receive everyday are from desperate people complaining about dust. They tell me they dust the T.V. on Friday, but by Sunday they are pushing the dust out of the way again so they can watch Desperate Housewives, and none of them know exactly where it’s coming from. Well, I’m here to tell you that it’s not because you’re a bad housekeeper, I tell people that by simply having your ducts cleaned will drastically reduce household dust, and the reason is, your cold air returns.

Cold air returns suck in dirty air, and over time it builds up until you have the same type of debris that you would find in your vacuum bag.

American Power Vac – APV – Duct Cleaning in Michigan and the Metro Detroit Area. Call Today 248-656-0600

Dirty Dryer Vents Cause Household Fires!

American Power Vac provides Southeast Michigan with expert commercial and residential air duct and dryer vent cleaning.

(248) 656-0600 or (888) 61-POWER