5 Reasons to Clean Air Ducts after Construction

5 Reasons to Clean Air Ducts after Construction or Renovation

Home renovation or construction is an exhilarating phase. Right? You can’t wait to walk right into your freshly built dreamy house. But here is a twist. Maybe some other bad boys snuck into your house before you. Yes, that’s correct! Construction dust and debris slip into your ducts infiltrating your HVAC system and defiling your indoor air. We overlook this key factor and don’t consider ducts cleaning after construction.

It is vital to include after construction air duct cleaning in your post-construction cleaning checklist. Let’s look closely at the 5 reasons that call for instant ducts cleaning after construction.

5 Reasons Why You Need Ducts Cleaning After Construction or Renovation

Home remodeling and construction have a few pros and cons. All you have to do is understand the cons and how to deal with them. To handle the shortcomings, you simply need a professional air duct cleaning company.

1. Hazardous Dust Particulars Penetrating Your HVAC Ducts

Construction and renovation activities like drywall installation, sanding, demolition, cutting, sawing, drilling, and other operations produce copious amounts of dust. The real problem is that construction dust is immensely toxic and enters your ductwork.

Construction dust contains perilous toxins including sawdust, silica dust, asbestos, and VOCs. Sawdust exposure is associated to allergic reactions and asbestos is connected to lung cancer.  Generally, these substances do not harm when left alone, however, renovation work may discharge them into the air, letting the occupants breathe them in.

Usually, the contractor’s team cleans up all the mess after the project. But if your HVAC system had been left on during the entire construction, the dust would have already sneaked into air ducts. Consequently, the HVAC system would have blown back the polluted air several times. The cycle will only stop when you get the air ducts cleaned.

2. Renovation Debris Can Cause A Fire Incident

If your renovation includes some major tasks, for instance, painting all walls, tiling, or building another bathroom, you should be prepared for a lot of construction dust settling on your home surfaces.

To be honest, your builder should cover your HVAC vents to keep dust out of your ductwork during renovation. Unfortunately, some builders follow this standard while others don’t. In case HVAC vents are not sealed off, an ample quantity of silica dust, sawdust, asbestos, and VOCs may permeate your ductwork.

The aftermath of this doesn’t only end up with impairing ductwork, impuring indoor air, and exposing occupants to progressive diseases. The consequences become more serious when the pollutants pose a major fire hazard. The elements in the system may burst into flames during system heating. You can keep your family and property safe from this grievous risk by including an air duct cleaning service when you are planning for a renovation.

3. After Construction Air Duct Cleaning Can Protect Your HVAC System

As already discussed, construction dust harms you in multiple ways. The lingering construction dust clogs up your HVAC system and impels the system to put in extra effort to give optimal performance. You only realize this when you get uneven heating temperatures (indicating its reduced efficiency), system malfunctions, and climbing electricity bills.

A renovation or construction project involves a significant investment of time and money. Don’t let this construction dust add up to your renovation expenses. Air duct cleaning service is the best solution to save your money!

4. Mold Growth May Appear In Air Ducts

If your renovation plan includes activities involving the usage of water, like cementing or construction of a new bathroom, and other related activities, you must follow after renovation air duct cleaning procedure. In the absence of proper air duct cleaning, moisture in your air ducts can result in mold growth.

Mold comes in different forms, each of them having health impacts including allergic reactions. Black mold is the most contagious one, which can be extremely malicious to your family’s health. It can cause:

1. Respiratory issues and breathing issues
2. Neurological symptoms, including headaches, dizziness, and cognitive impairment
3. Dermatitis, skin rashes, and itching
4. Chronic Fatigue
5. Weaken immune system
6. Fatal systemic fungal infections for people with compromised immune systems.

Since dust or mold in the ducts is less visible, they go unnoticed. But they have such adverse effects that it’s crucial to address dirty ductwork issues promptly. Mold-eliminating strong chemicals are mostly used by professional air duct cleaners for after renovation air duct cleaning.

5. Stop the Spread Of Precarious Particles And VOCs

Various materials like adhesives, insulation, sealants, and paints are used during construction activities. The trouble starts when these materials discharge VOCs into the air. The disturbing fact is that the VOCs can stick to dust particles hiding in your ductwork. HVAC system recirculates VOCs filled air causing occupants to get exposed and experience coughing, sneezing, watery eyes, and other respiratory conditions. After construction air duct cleaning can protect you from this problematic phase even before it starts to affect you!

Control Exposure from Construction Residue and Debris

Your HVAC system can face unintentional consequences during any sort of construction or renovation going on in your home. Taking some precautionary steps before renovation can keep your HVAC safe.

1. Seal off your HVAC vents

One of the most important preventive steps is to seal off your HVAC vents, and supply and return registers. You can use painter’s tape, magnetic vent covers, or plastic sheeting to cover all supply and return vents in the renovated or constructed section.

This will obstruct dangerous construction dust from entering your ductwork. Ensure that all the sealing remains tightly closed and monitor them during the project to make sure they stay intact. Once the project ends, remove all the coverings and clean the vent sections so that there are no dust traces.

2. Create A Temporary Barrier Around The Construction Zone

Using plastic sheeting or zip walls you can make a temporary containment barrier to keep the construction area at a safe distance from the rest of your property. This will help to reduce dust dispersion particularly if the HVAC system is not sealed off.

3. Don’t Turn On The HVAC System During Construction

You should really keep in mind that your system should not run while the renovation work is under process. To protect your system from all the possible damages, turn off your HVAC system. It is essential during dusty jobs like drywall installation, cutting wood, and other such jobs.

If you leave it working, the system will pull in all the toxic construction dust particles and store them in the ductwork. The mountain of dust inside can impact the system’s efficiency, clog air filters, and eventually end its life before the due time. Simply turning off the HVAC system will prevent pollutants from being drawn into the ducts and recirculated throughout your home.

4. Close and Seal off Unused rooms

You may be completely or partially renovating your space, so the sanest thing to do is to close doors and use plastic sheeting to isolate any rooms that are not being renovated but may still be linked to the HVAC system.

This minimizes the dispersion of dust and other noxious particles in these isolated areas and substantially eliminates the probability of the particles being pulled into the HVAC system through interconnected ductwork.

5. Maintain a Clean Workspace

You can request the contractor’s team to maintain a clean workspace by regularly sweeping and vacuuming. Ask them to dispose of dust and debris at the day’s end.

This will largely help in preventing dust particles from settling in the home surfaces, permeating into your ductwork, and consequently recirculating through your HVAC system.

Following these precautionary steps will massively hinder contaminated construction dust from infiltrating your HVAC system.

However, even after doing so, somehow these tricky culprits may get inside your ducts. Air duct cleaning after construction can effectively deal with these criminals, as they’ve got. HEPA-filtered equipment to eliminate the particles from every nook and cranny of the HVAC system. BenzVac is just a call away to maintain your system’s safety!

 

Wrap up

After construction air duct cleaning isn’t a choice; rather, it’s a necessity. It keeps your family’s health safe, enhances indoor air quality, and ensures your HVAC system and property safety.

Out of sight and out of mind, hidden criminals can disturb your mental peace when you’re supposed to enjoy the fresh vibe of your newly renovated home. Don’t let the contaminants ruin your comfort! Call a professional air duct cleaning company now to get rid of virulent construction dust.