Is Your House Dusty? It’s Time For HVAC Maintenance

Here in Colorado, most homes rely on gas-forced heating and cooling systems. You have a centralized furnace and air conditioner that pushes heated and cooled air through ductwork installed throughout your home. 

Over time, dust settles onto ductwork surfaces. Every time the furnace or air conditioner turns on, it picks up dust in the airflow, redistributing it to another section of your home. Sometimes inside the ducts, and sometimes out in your room, on your furnishings and personal belongings. 

Dusting is a part of your regular chore list. But occasionally, you might notice more dust than usual. What does that mean? 

It might be an indication it’s time for an HVAC maintenance visit from one of our technicians. 

Start with your air filter

Air filters are designed to pick up dust, pollen, and other airborne particles before they move through the vents and registers and setting in your rooms. Air filters should be replaced every season under normal conditions, or more frequently if you have a busy household. Pet dander and hair may be a contributing factor. When an air filter is dirty, it can no longer trap small dust particles, meaning they are left to circulate throughout your home. 

Leaky ductwork

While your air filter is a good place to start, it isn’t the only place that can cause dust to circulate throughout your home. While most homeowners understand their furnace and air conditioner will need replacing after years of hard work, many forget that ductwork has a useful life as well. Every time your heating or cooling system kicks into action, the ductwork expands and contracts as air moves through it. Over time, joints can fail, causing leaks throughout the system. That allows air to move where it’s not intended. That can allow dust to accumulate in greater quantities. 

Dryer air means more dust

You only have to look at Mother Nature to understand how this works. When rainstorms move through an area, the ground holds moisture. When an area goes without rain for weeks – months – it often turns into a dustbowl, with dust flowing freely throughout the area. The same happens inside your home’s ductwork. Colorado is a dry climate, meaning we have greater occurrences of dust. During winter months, you run your furnace regularly, which continues to dry out your home. With lower levels of humidity, it can increase the occurrence of dust inside the ductwork as well as in each room in your home. 

Is your home dustier than usual? 

It could be a clear indication you have a need for a little HVAC maintenance. Changing out the air filter may reduce dust inside your home. But if there’s a bigger problem, the faster you find the root cause, the easier the solution will be. 

Call us today and schedule your HVAC maintenance.