Air Quality Facts

Are Dirty Ducts Adversely Affecting Your Health?

With so much attention these days on one's health one can only wonder how safe is our work environment.

Researchers from the U.S. National Institute Of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH inc.) recently completed a three-year study of 165 buildings which were considered to have Indoor Air Quality problems. As a result of these studies, they have compiled data showing the most common IAQ problems and the relative risk of certain health problems in the presence of different building conditions. The most common problems adversely affecting the indoor environment were found to be dirty HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) components, no written IAQ plan and lack of maintenance - or disrepair - of HVAC systems. As you can see, the HVAC system predominantly contributes to adverse health effects. It was found that dirty particulate filters and dirt found in the OSA (outside air) intake doubled the chance of asthma in building occupants exposed to such, as compared to those not exposed. Exposure to unclean ducts increased the likelihood of health symptoms like runny nose, sneezing or itchy eyes.

With all of these health issues in the workplace, one can only wonder how much this is effecting the health of office workers and tenants, their productivity and the efficiency of one's company.

What is the solution to these health problems? There is something you can do about it.

Having your HVAC systems inspected, cleaned and maintained at scheduled intervals is the best guarantee against employee and tenant complaints and lowered productivity through increased sick days. You can find out today if your system has become a potential health risk.

CAN AIR DUCT CLEANING BRING ME ALLERGY RELIEF?

If you’re a seasonal allergy sufferer, you know that few things can drain the joy out of summertime like the misery of red, itchy eyes, continuous sneezing and post-nasal drip. These types of allergies are common in the Los Angeles area.

Allergies can mean more than general misery for asthma sufferers, whose bouts can be much worse during allergy season—even life-threatening, in some cases. Allergy-driven asthma affects 10 million Americans, rates that have doubled since 1980.

Allergies are your body’s reaction to allergens (particles your body considers foreign), a sign that your immune system is working overtime. These allergens can build up inside your indoor AC duct system. Dirt and allergens inside your air system blow out into your work or living space, and recirculate, each time you turn on your air conditioning or heating system. Due to this factor, some allergy sufferers are more miserable indoors than outdoors.

Most residences we work at to have never had the air system cleaned and if it was cleaned it was cleaned with the brush shown bellow- its just not clean. On Residences you need to use a duct cleaning auger (half inch cable brush 25' long driven by drill) along with a negative air machine (big vacuum that sits outside). Truck mounted equipment is good but not required and sometimes is too big for the driveways.

<----- Rotobrush ? Not professional.

^^^^^ IF YOUR AIR DUCT CLEANING CO. SHOWS UP AT YOUR HOUSE WITH THIS,,,PLAINLY THEY ARE NOT PROFESSIONAL AND THIS TOOL DOES NOT WORK ON HOMES. THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING

AND YOUR AIR SYSTEM WILL BE INCOMPLETELY CLEANED.

See our Residential duct cleaning page for more data .

ARE DIRTY DUCTS

ADVERSELY AFFECTING YOUR HEALTH?

With so much attention these days on one's health one can only wonder how safe is our work environment.

Researchers from the U.S. National Institute Of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH inc.) recently completed a three-year study of 165 buildings which were considered to have Indoor Air Quality problems. As a result of these studies, they have compiled data showing the most common IAQ problems and the relative risk of certain health problems in the presence of different building conditions. The most common problems adversely affecting the indoor environment were found to be dirty HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) components, no written IAQ plan and lack of maintenance - or disrepair - of HVAC systems. As you can see, the HVAC system predominantly contributes to adverse health effects. It was found that dirty particulate filters and dirt found in the OSA (outside air) intake doubled the chance of asthma in building occupants exposed to such, as compared to those not exposed. Exposure to unclean ducts increased the likelihood of health symptoms like runny nose, sneezing or itchy eyes.

With all of these health issues in the workplace, one can only wonder how much this is effecting the health of office workers and tenants, their productivity and the efficiency of one's company. What is the solution to these health problems? There is something you can do about it. Having your HVAC systems inspected, cleaned and maintained at scheduled intervals is the best guarantee against employee and tenant complaints and lowered productivity through increased sick days. You can find out today if your system has become a potential health risk.

AIRFRESH COMMERCIAL AIR DUCT CLEANING.

SICK BUILDING SYNDROME- FULLY DEFINED:

The term "Sick Building Syndrome" is used to describe situations in which building occupants experience acute health and comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent in a building, but no specific illness or cause has been identified.

Signs of Sick Building Syndrome

Building occupants complain of symptoms associated with acute discomfort, e.g., headache; eye, nose, or throat irritation; dry cough; dry or itchy skin; dizziness and nausea; difficulty in concentrating; fatigue; and sensitivity to odors. The cause of the symptoms is not known. Most of the people who complained, reported relief soon after leaving the building.

Solving the problem (Locating the origin)

While investigating remember, that mold generally needs a moisture source and a food source to survive. Poorly configured landscape irrigation or inadequate drainage outside the building can result in moisture inside the building. This can lead to subsequent mold growth.

• • The air conditioning systems may be contaminated with mold. This can be a result of various conditions, such as overflowing drain pans, condensation blowing off the coils onto internal insulation or water incursion into the ducts (leaking rooftop ducts) to name a few.

  • The filters in the HVAC system don’t fit correctly, leaving gaps and allowing contaminants into the system.

  • The outside air intake for the HVAC system is located near a bathroom exhaust or other undesirable locations. Not enough outside (fresh) air. Fresh air is needed to dilute the contaminants typically found within a building.

  • HVAC system not balanced, e.g. too much or not enough air being delivered to a specific location

  • HVAC system has been contaminated. This can be a result of outside sources or conditions within the system.Construction Dust, outside Air intake near a highway and bad filtration ,some of the scenes that can create this.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I GET MY VENTILATION AND AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM CLEANED?

The answer to this question depends on a number of factors, these include:

• • The location of your system. Are you near a large freeway, forest? In a desert climate? On the coast etc. What weather conditions are usual in your area. Is it windy? Do you experience a lot of rain, very dry air or have very moist air? Etc. How old is your system is. How often you change the filters.

  • Normally we recommend cleaning again after 3 years or more.

The way to tell if your system needs cleaning is to have a look at the vents/registers.

Are they dusty or is there accumulated dirt on them?Shine a flash light through the vent/register, do the ducts behind the grill/register look dirty?If so, then you should get your system cleaned.As a general rule of thumb, we say every 5 years. If you live in a dusty place or close to a freeway then maybe as soon as 3 years. If you change the filters regularly and you live in a clean environment then it could be fine for 7 years. Another factor could be if you or anyone in the house has allergies.If you move into a previously owned house you should get the system cleaned. Since dead skin makes up most of what dust is made from then cleaning the system makes hygienic sense and helps anyone with allergies.

<--- A DEBRIS FILLED INTAKE GRILLE.

Airfresh in action at a Commercial job site

14 feet ceiling in a penthouse suite in 90069 .

Some of the debris that came out of a Commercial

Air Duct Cleaning in Glendale CA.Jan 2013