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Preparing for My Dream Home

My husband and I have spent a lot of time consulting with an architect. After living in our cramped, starter home for the past 11 years, we were finally ready to make some needed changes to it. We have added an extra 600 square feet of space onto our house. Before the construction began, we finalized the plans for our new heating and air conditioning unit with our HVAC contractor. Because our home was going to be substantially bigger than it is now, we purchased a larger HVAC system. We also installed a new, digital thermostat inside my home. On this blog, I hope you will discover the best types of HVAC units to buy for mid-size homes. Enjoy!

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Preparing for My Dream Home

3 Ways Dirty AC Ducts Can Affect Your Health

by Rita Richardson

Dirty AC ducts will affect your system's efficiency. The clogged ductwork will restrict proper airflow, which means your home won't have sufficient air to cool your home. The dirty ductwork can also cause overheating in your equipment, damaging components like the compressor. This problem can lead to a cascade of other repair issues in your unit.

Besides affecting your unit's performance, do you know dirty ducts can adversely impact your health? Here are ways dirty ductwork will affect your well-being.

Worsen Disease Symptoms

Your ductwork can trap various particles such as dust, debris, and pet dander. These contaminants will be re-circulated back into your indoor air. Breathing in polluted air can be hazardous to your health. The contaminants can worsen your symptoms if you have pre-existing conditions like bronchitis or emphysema. You may have breathing difficulties as your lungs struggle to purify the dirty air you breathe.

Mold Contamination

Dirty ductwork will hinder your system's ability to eliminate humidity from your home's air. The clogs in the duct will interfere with proper airflow. Restricted airflow will cause your cooling system to struggle to remove humidity from your indoor air, leading to a moisture buildup. Increased moisture levels will trigger mold and mildew growth. 

The spores from the mildew will be blown into your home through the ductwork. Breathing in air with pollutants can worsen allergies. If you have a mold allergy, you may experience secondary conditions like hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and allergic fungal sinusitis. If you struggle with asthma, your symptoms may worsen, and you may have to seek immediate medical intervention.

If you experience symptoms like coughing, sneezing, sore throats, and nasal congestion, you may have contracted a respiratory disease due to pollutants from your AC ducts.

Sick Building Syndrome

This term refers to a condition where occupants of a building develop various symptoms or contract a particular disease due to breathing in the indoor air. Pollutants from your AC ducts can put you at risk of this medical condition. Also, dirty ductwork can contribute to the spread of chemicals and volatile organic compounds (VOC). These substances can emanate from items like cleaning products.

As your body fights off diseases or allergies from the pollutants, you may feel constant chronic fatigue. You may strain to do simple tasks like cleaning your home. You may also feel stressed and overwhelmed. 

Prolonged periods of stress can trigger depression. If you always feel like you are in a bad mood, the AC ducts may have something to do with it. For more information on air conditioning, contact a contractor near you.

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