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Experienced
Our professional team takes pride in maintaining your air ducts and answering your questions. All of our technicians are factory-trained, courteous and dependable.
Available
We value clear, cut communication and dependability for all customers. As a family-owned business, we understand the importance in keeping your close ones safe and healthy and will go above and beyond to keep your home maintained.
Reliable
24/7 – Our team will gladly take your call any day, any time. Our professionals are equipped to solve any problem that may arise.
Locations We Serve
Sonoma County
- Cotati
- Healdsburg
- Petaluma
- Rohnert Park
- Santa Rosa
- Sebastopol
- Sonoma
- Windsor
Napa County
- American Canyon
- Calistoga
- Napa
- Oakville
- Rutherford
- St Helena
- Union
- Yountville
Marin County
- Novato
- San Rafael
The Importance of Air Ducts
Everybody wants to breathe clean air, but many people throughout the United States remain unaware of the factors that affect air quality in their homes and offices.
The truth is, there may be more contaminants in the air you breathe than you think. Don’t let that trouble you, though – fortunately, it’s easy to gain a certain degree of control over the air quality in your building.
Learn more below about air ducts and the benefits of keeping them clean.
Table Of Contents
What Is Duct Cleaning?
HVAC systems deliver heated or cooled air to rooms within a building via metal tubes called ducts. At one end of these ducts the furnace and/or air conditioner is connected, and at the other vents or ‘registers’ are positioned to distribute treated air into the structure.
Over time, ducts accumulate dust, hair, mites and other matter and require cleaning through the use of specially designed brushes, vacuums and powerful blowers.
Duct cleaning can take several forms, depending on the nature of the ducts and the condition they are in when you call for service.
Most Service Providers Begin by Gaining Access to the Ducts, Which Occurs in One of Two Ways:
1. They make small holes for optical imaging and minor cleaning
2. Remove entire panels for more intensive procedures
Once access has been established, your duct cleaners will use specific tools to remove large items that are clogging the ducts. Here are a few examples of equipment used:
- Duct Cleaning Brushes
- Hand-Held Mirrors
- Blowguns, Air Skippers or Air Whips
- Powerful Vacuums
Because many of the tools used to dislodge dirt are pneumatically powered, duct cleaners will also need to be equipped with air compressors.
Additionally, cleaners may carry HEPA vacuums to remove collected liquid from ducts as well as solid particles.
Find Out More Information About Our Air Duct cleaning Services
The Main Causes of Polluted or Unhealthy Air
Before you can learn much about how to make your air cleaner, you’ll need to know what’s lowering its quality in the first place.
The leading causes of indoor air pollution in residential and commercial buildings throughout the United States are as follows – take care to familiarize yourself with each of them and look out for their signs.
Asbestos
FORMALDEHYDE
RADON
SMOKE
MOLD, MILDEW & BACTERIA
DUST MITES & PET DANDER
CARBON MONOXIDE
CHEMICAL FUMES
Statistics on Air Quality In The USA
We’ve covered some of the numbers above, but here’s a little more data to help you understand the importance of improving indoor air quality in US homes and offices.
These statistics show a pressing need for families, business owners and facility managers throughout the country to take a more proactive approach when it comes to cleaning the air in their buildings and protecting their health.
Secondhand smoke contains more than 7,000 substances and causes over 3,000 lung cancer deaths in the United States each year among non-smokers.
Wet, damp, or water-damaged areas need to be dried and cleaned in under 48 hours to reduce the likelihood of mold growing in them.
Reducing the humidity in your building by 30-60% is an excellent way to control mildew growth.
The average mattress can hold anywhere from 100,000 to a million dust mites, depending on how old it is and how well it has been maintained.
Radon is the second most common cause of lung cancer in the US, besides smoking. An estimated 15,000-22,000 lung cancer deaths in the US each year are radon-related.
12,000-15,000 people in the US are estimated to die each year because of their exposure to asbestos.
Formaldehyde levels in both indoor and outdoor air throughout the United States are generally below 0.03 parts per million.
84% of US Homes Have Detectable Levels of Dust Mite Allergens in Their Beds.
Why Do Your AC Ducts Need Cleaning?
It turns out that one of the best ways to improve indoor air quality is to make sure there’s always fresh and treated air circulating through your home.
Proper circulation not only removes airborne contaminants from the air you breathe but also reduces humidity in the atmosphere within your building and mitigates the conditions in which mold and dust mites thrive.
The ducts in your HVAC system provide some of the most vital infrastructures for air circulation in your entire building.
Clean ducts will allow stale and humid air to travel through the system and be treated while letting fresh air flow freely into various rooms so that the inhabitants can breathe easy and enjoy comfortable conditions. If the ducts become dirty, they can affect the quality of the air traveling into your building before it even reaches its destination. If dirty ducts are left for too long, it can also create buildups that clog them and block airflow entirely.
Systems with Poor Airflow Often Cause the Following Challenges for Their Owners:
1. Loss of Efficiency
If the air treated by the system cannot make its way into the rooms of your building, the thermostat will fail to register that a change is taking place. As such, the system will continue to draw more power than it needs.
2. Frequent Breakdowns
A system that is overworked is much more likely to undergo breakdowns due to component failure. Compressors, coils, and condensers are sensitive parts — if they are forced to work too hard for too long then they are likely to wear out much faster than they would in a well-maintained system.
3. Unpleasant Odors
You may experience strange smells from any treated air that does manage to make its way into the rooms of your building. By the time it reaches you, it may no longer be fit to breathe at all.
Because of these problems, you may face the following expenses:
Expensive Utility Bills
Replacement Costs
Medical Costs
Costs Can Add up, Check Out Our Financial Options
When Should You Have Your Air Ducts Cleaned?
We recommend having the ducts in your home or office cleaned at least once each year to ensure that you will always have open passageways for fresh, treated air to reach you.
What’s the Deal with Asbestos?
If you live or work in an older building, you may find asbestos lurking in several places. Homes that were built before 1980 often have asbestos in at least one of the following places:
- Duct Cladding
- The Ceiling
- Wall Plasters
- Wallboard
- Floor and Ceiling Tiles
- Floor Mastics
- Vinyl Floor Backings
Asbestos only pose risks to human health when miniscule fibers of it break off from the main body and enter the air in your home – where occupants can easily inhale it.
You should be extremely careful not to damage any of the surfaces above when renovating older buildings, and to check them carefully to see if they contain asbestos as you go along. While some of the materials you’ll be examining for asbestos content may be labeled quite clearly, many more will not.
What’s the Best Way to Avoid the Release of Asbesto Particles?
- Get any likely surfaces tested by a professional
- Find someone who offers safe removal services such as encapsulation.
The Importance of Insulation
A few valuable benefits of insulation are as follows:
Insulation prevents heat from being lost through crack and gaps in a building’s structure, or through the gaps present in cavity walls.
It is especially important to insulate ductwork in basements, attics, and other areas where the natural temperature ofthe space may affect the temperature of the treated air passing through the ducts.
Insulating your house properly means more heat stays in your home and therefore your heating system spends less time and fuel keeping you warm. If a green footprint is important to you, insulating your house is one step in the right direction.
Not insulating or under insulating your home means heating dollars are leaking into the great outdoors courtesy of your wallet. It’s not uncommon for these homes to lose 20-30% of their heating energy.
Filtration Systems:
Selecting a Duct Cleaning Service
Many HVAC companies offer specific duct cleaning services, but you’ll achieve the best results when you hire one that embodies the following qualities:
1. Valid C-20 License
The C-20 license is issued by the California State Licensing Board and is required for all HVAC jobs costing more than $500. Practitioners who wish to obtain this license must pass several exams, possess four years of experience at or above a journeyman level, provide a contractor bond and show a certificate of Workers Compensation.
Holding a C-20 license proves that your service technician has invested a certain level of time and money into developing their skills and their business. As such, you will be able to count on them for more detailed and responsible work.
2. Strong Communicators
Ensure that the contractors you choose are willing to talk through their work so that you understand precisely what they intend to do and why it’s necessary before they begin. Their communication skills will allow you to make informed decisions about any work you agree to so that you’ll never feel as though you were talked into service that you didn’t want or understand.
3. Credible and Well-Respected Business
Always look up a business you intend to hire on Yelp or search for testimonials on their website so that you know how they treat their customers.
Conclusion
To recap, here are five things that you can do to better the air quality in your home or office today:
- Change the filters on your HVAC (if you haven’t done so within the last calendar month).
- Clean and dry any damp or wet areas inside your building, taking care to remove any mold that has grown there already.
- Take a walking tour through your home and look for gaps or cracks that might need to be sealed. While you’re at it, inspect the insulation surrounding the ducts.
- Thoroughly clean any surfaces where dust mites could be living: carpets, upholstered furniture, and bedding are three of their most common hideouts.
- Call professionals and make appointments for asbestos testing, radon testing, and air duct cleaning at your first available opportunity.
Valley Comfort Air Duct Services
We’ve seen countless cases where homeowners who believed they lived in clean homes were indeed exposing themselves to potentially harmful conditions daily. You can avoid those risks and breathe easy by keeping your air ducts clean and having regular check-ups.
At Valley Comfort, our professional team will take time to tend to your air duct services with responsibility and care, 24/7.
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We serve Residential and Commercial customers in the following counties and cities
Sonoma County
- Cotati
- Healdsburg
- Petaluma
- Rohnert Park
- Santa Rosa
- Sebastopol
- Sonoma
- Windsor
Napa County
- American Canyon
- Calistoga
- Napa
- Oakville
- Rutherford
- St Helena
- Union
- Yountville
Marin County
- Novato
- San Rafael