A. GO TO YOUR RETURN FILTER GRILL. REMOVE THE FILTER FROM BEHIND THE GRILL. RUN YOUR HAND OR A CLOTH ACROSS THE BOTTOM SIDE OF THE RETURN. THEN LOOK TO SEE WHAT COMES UP ON YOUR HAND OR CLOTH. THIS WILL BE AN INDICATION OF WHAT IS THROUGHOUT THE REST OF YOUR DUCTING SYSTEM.

A. ABOUT EVERY 7-10 YEARS

A. 80% OF THE TIME, IT IS CAUSED BY BURNING CANDLES IN THE HOUSE.

A. IT COULD BE FROM THE FIBERGLASS-LINED PLENUM BOX ON THE ROOF OR GROUND BREAKING DOWN WITH AGE, OR IT COULD BE THE RESULT OF INSTALLING A NEW HVAC SYSTEM TO AN EXISTING PLENUM BOX. THE MORE LIKELY POSSIBILITY IS THAT YOU HAVE RODENT DAMAGE OR A CRUSHED FLEX DUCT.

A. IT DEPENDS ON HOW DIRTY THE INSIDE COOLING COILS AND FAN ARE. IF YOU LOOK THROUGH MY PHOTO GALLERY, YOU CAN SEE CONTRASTING BEFORE AND AFTER PICTURES OF THE INSIDE OF SOME HVAC UNITS. ALSO THERE ARE MANY TIMES WHERE DUCTING IS SEPARATED, BUT NOT COMPLETELY FROM THE JOINTS SO THE AIR IS WASTED IN THE HOT ATTIC OR UNDERNEATH A HOUSE. DRIED-UP DUCT TAPE AND OLD DUCTING OR DUCTING THAT IS NOT PROPERLY INSULATED WILL CAUSE YOUR UNIT TO RUN EXCESSIVELY. 

A. THE AIR QUALITY IN YOUR HOME CAN BE WORSE THAN THE AIR QUALITY OUTSIDE. THE LEVELS OF INDOOR AIR POLLUTANTS ARE OFTEN 2 TO 5 TIMES HIGHER THAN OUTDOOR LEVELS ACCORDING TO THE EPA. IN FACT, THESE LEVELS CAN EXCEED 100 TIMES THAT OF OUTDOOR LEVELS OF THE SAME POLLUTANTS IN SOME INSTANCES. WHETHER YOUR SYSTEM IS ON OR OFF, YOU HAVE CONSTANT AIR FLOW GOING YOUR SYSTEM. THE COMBINATION OF TEMPERATURE AND HUMIDITY FLUCTUATIONS ALONG WITH DIRTY DUCTWORK CAN CAUSE VARIOUS CYCLES OF MOLD SPORES AND MOLD BLOOMS IN YOUR DUCTWORK.

A. THERE ARE NEW TECHNOLOGIES COMING OUT EVERY YEAR FROM AIR SCRUBBERS TO LIGHT PATHOGEN ELIMINATORS. DEPENDING ON YOUR BUDGET, YOUR LOCAL HVAC CONTRACTOR CAN OFFER THE BEST CHOICE. 

I PERSONALLY HAVE SEEN GREAT RESULTS WITH A WASHABLE ELECTROSTATIC FILTER THAT REPLACES YOUR NORMAL AIR FILTER. LOWER-END FILTERS CAN BE PURCHASED AT HOME IMPROVEMENT STORES. HIGHER QUALITY FRAMES ARE AVAILABLE THROUGH MOST HVAC CONTRACTORS. USE THE SAME SIZE AS YOUR EXISTING FILTER.

A. DRYER VENTS SHOULD BE CLEANED WHEN YOU NOTICE YOUR LAUNDRY TAKING TOO LONG TO DRY. MOST DRYER VENTS ON SLAB HOUSES NOW ARE VENTED OUT THROUGH THE ROOF, RUNNING AN AVERAGE OF 18-30 FEET IN LENGTH. WE HAVE THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT TO CLEAN THESE.