If you’ve ever looked inside your air ducts, you were probably amazed at how dirty they’d gotten. They might've looked harmless at first, as you may have just seen a thick layer of dust, but should you be concerned? Unfortunately, the answer is yes. In this article, we are going to cover everything you need to know about duct sanitation to disinfect the hidden dangers in your air duct.
Studies show that there’s more lurking in your air duct than a simple layer of dust and debris. A lot more. In fact, there are things lurking in there that you probably didn’t think about!
What kinds of things are hiding in your air ducts?
Bacteria, mold, viruses, and other microorganisms could be camped out without you realizing. And that means that if they’re in your air ducts, they're negatively affecting your air quality. One reason for having them in your home in general is if you do not have a whole-house dehumidifier installed.
What's Circulating Through Your Home or Work Office Air Duct?
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, we’ve become aware than ever that the air we breathe can be contaminated. All those tiny droplets, bacteria, and other nasty stuff have nowhere to go. Sure, they’ll disperse if you're outside, but what about indoors? These microorganisms - along with dust mites, pollen, and more - get trapped within your home’s circulatory system, which, you guess it, is your air ducts. And what's more, if bio-growth forms in your ducts, it can make your AC air smell musty when it flows into your house's rooms.
So, while we love climate control, that air conditioning system may not provide the best air quality if your air ducts aren’t clean. And we’re not talking simply dusted and wiped down clean, but sanitized.
What is Duct Sanitization?
One of the services that our certified air duct technicians provide is offering sanitization for your air ducts. They do this by using an EPA approved cleaner. These cleaners are sprayed onto hard surfaces and can be “fogged” as well.
Because of how the air flow works within your HVAC system, it uses negative air pressure. That means that when the technician uses the proper sanitizing ingredients, it can completely coat the inside of your air ducts. This process can last up to six months and have you breathing easier.
Why Should You Get Your Air Ducts Sanitized?
With COVID-19 and quarantines, scientists have been learning about how the virus spreads. Air quality is vital, but with germs, bacteria, and viruses, they can get trapped within our homes from droplets via sneezing and coughing. The air that circulates through our homes can be contaminated and we may not know it until it’s too late.
And the more we learn, the more we can tackle the issue at the source—our air circulatory system. Stop the spread of bacteria, pet dander, dust mites, pollen, microorganisms, bio-growth/fungi, and more by disinfecting your air ducts.
You’ll have peace of mind and breathe easier knowing you’re doing everything you can to keep your home environment safe.
What's the Difference Between Duct Cleaning and Air Duct Sanitization?
It comes down to two main things—the first being that cleaning the ducts simply means blowing out the dust and debris such as pollen that’s built up. It “cleans” visually the air duct system. Sanitization uses a specially approved disinfectant as approved by the EPA. This tackles 99.9 percent of the nasties like bacteria, mold, and other germs that live in your air ducts. With sanitizing, you’re breathing easier with fewer germs in your home for up to six months.
What Disinfectant is the Best to Disinfect Your Air Ducts?
For our duct sanitization service, we utilize Sporicidin. We do this with the help of a ULV fogger to make it stick to hard metal ducts. It’s important to point out that Sporicidin is a disinfectant solution registered with the EPA. It’s approved by both the FDA and the OSHA compliant.
An interesting fact to note here is that Sporicidin is one of the few chemicals approved by the EPA to be applied to hard metal ducts, although the EPA so far has not approved any chemical to be used on porous ducts. Sporicidin has been labelled for HVAC use since other chemical solutions not specifically labeled so can be harmful to your HVAC units.
For those that love the finite details, Sporicidin is an intermediate level disinfectant with a broad-spectrum kill. What that means is that it cleans, disinfects, and deodorizes. To get more technical, Sporicidin has been proved to kill pathogenic vegetative organisms, including VRE, MRSA, and Avian Influenza A Virus with a 100% efficacy.
Is Sporicidin Safe To Disinfect Ductwork?
This sanitizer solution is extremely safe. It’s been used in other applications, including duct sanitization, in large hospitals with centralized HVAC systems. The important thing to point out is that in this situation, you don’t have to leave the building during or after the spraying of the ducts.
Chances of Blowback?
A common question that has regularly been asked about duct sanitization is about whether there will be any blowbacks? To answer this simply, no.
Advantages of Duct Work Sanitization
- Duct sanitization can kill mold or mildew inside your air ducts. It is the only way to deal with this hidden, unwanted bio-growth.
- Duct sanitization can kill germs including bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms. Keep people healthy inside your home and office.
- Duct sanitization can help people breathe easier, especially those with allergies, asthma, or other breathing issues.
- An added bonus…duct sanitization can help rid your ducts of annoying (possibly musty) odors that may be lingering.
- Duct sanitization lasts up to 6 months, making it extremely cost effective.
Interested in having your air ducts sanitized? Please give us a call! Here at SuperTech - Baltimore's top-rated HVAC company - our air duct experts take care of all your worries. We even have a permanent solution that will work all year long. We’re a full-service HVAC company offering heating and air conditioning maintenance, repair or replacement. Schedule an appointment with our technicians now!