Author’s Note: PART ONE of this post is about the Customer’s perception of dirty vents and ducts. PART TWO is about the realities of neglecting your vents and ducts. Thanks for reading! Mason Bourbon
When it comes to indoor air quality effecting your business or facility, sometimes perception can be worse than reality. Ever go to a nice restaurant and see a dusty ceiling air supply vent and think, “this place is dirty?” Even if the food was great, the dishes were clean and the glassware was spotless, we are conditioned to be afraid of anything that remotely looks like dust or mold coming out of an air vent. It is not without reason. From a health standpoint, we cannot be 100% certain of the effects of dirty vents and ducts on our indoor air quality and therefore, our health. If you are a business owner, building owner or a facility manager, you need to consider the cleanliness and maintenance of your vents and ducts. In this two part post, we will explore common perceptions and realities surrounding the issues of cleaning the vents and ducts in your commercial facility.
Do My Ducts Need to Be Cleaned?
It is important to understand that proper maintenance is necessary to remove biological contaminants from your HVAC system, since they can cause illness and reduce efficiency. One of the most important and often overlooked ways to accomplish this is through routine cleaning of ducts as well as vents in an HVAC system. The EPA supports it, and the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) provides the general specifications to follow in order to prevent illness and maintain peak efficiency. The key to success is knowing what to do and choosing the best HVAC cleaning service company that has the qualifications and training necessary to perform vent and duct cleanings efficiently and flawlessly. The right duct cleaning contractor will give you an honest assessment of your ductwork and a fair price to properly clean it.
Perception is Often Reality
In the above example I ask the question: “Is a restaurant with dirty air vents, actually dirty?” The truth about how good or bad the indoor air quality is in a restaurant with dirty vents is not an easy or straightforward determination to make; however, your customer’s perception trumps all that actual data anyway.
To put it simply: If your vents and ducts are dirty to the point that they are making people sick, it is truly BAD for business. (You may even have substantial liability issues.) If your customers or tenants even suspect that they may be getting sick from your vents and ducts, it is JUST AS BAD for business.
It is naive to assume that people that frequent your facility will not take notice of visible dirt, dust and mold surrounding the intakes and vents of your HVAC system. These could be customers that may choose not to return to your business, tenants that may complain to OSHA or employees that may refuse to come to work. The moral of the story: Keeping your vents and ducts clean as part of your regular maintenance schedule is one more way to keep your customer’s confidence in your facility running HIGH.
What is My Responsibility as a Business Owner?
Under the US Department of Labor, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) sets and maintains standards for workplace safety. According to OSHA’s website: “Employers are required to follow the General Duty Clause of the OSHAct, which requires them to provide workers with a safe workplace that does not have any known hazards that cause or are likely to cause death or serious injury. The OSHAct also requires employers to obey occupational safety and health standards created under it. Employers should be reasonably aware of the possible sources of poor air quality, and they should have the resources necessary to recognize and control workplace hazards. It is also their responsibility to inform employees of the immediate dangers that are present. Specific state and local regulations may apply.”
What Should I Do Today?
Most reputable HVAC cleaning service companies are members of NADCA and, as such, they are governed by NADCA’s Assessment, Cleaning and Restoration (ACR) Standard and the NADCA Code of Ethics. NADCA’s ACR Standard is the vent and duct cleaning industry’s gold standard for assessing, cleaning and restoring HVAC ductwork. The NADCA Code of Ethics protects the consumer from unnecessary repairs.
As part of our commitment to being the best vent and duct cleaning company in New York City and its surrounding areas, we are proud members of NADCA and we highly recommend seeking out a NADCA Member to do a proper evaluation of your HVAC system’s ductwork.
According to the NADCA Code of Ethics, NADCA Members agree that they will:
1. Provide their clients with accurate inspections and evaluations of the cleanliness and physical condition of their HVAC systems and use this information to determine the type of cleaning and maintenance services required, if any.
2. Provide only necessary and desired services to their clients, and will not use furnace/air duct cleaning as a means of selling unnecessary or unwanted products or services.
If you believe that there could be an issue with the cleanliness of your HVAC system, do not hesitate to call a reputable company today. When it comes to HVAC maintenance, small problems can quickly become large problems. Make the call while the issues are still small.
Our Commitment to You
At Clarity Water Technologies, LLC, we strive to provide the best possible HVAC cleaning service at a fair price. We are also dedicated to being the best air vent and duct cleaning company. We specialize in industrial water treatment services and HVAC cleaning projects. Our technicians clean and maintain all types of HVAC equipment including cooling towers, ventilation systems, heat exchangers, exhaust hoods, and condenser and evaporator coils. With this in mind, our commitment to you is that we will provide our highly trained and skilled technicians with the tools and resources necessary to inspect and clean your HVAC system as thoroughly as possible in order to eliminate biological contamination that can lead to illness and reduced efficiency. In other words, if it is accessible, it will be cleaned.
Need Help Today?
If your ducts and vents are in need of cleaning and you would like a free estimate, or if you have any questions about the process of cleaning your vents and ducts, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Stay Tuned…
In PART TWO of this post, we will discuss the realities of poorly maintained and dirty HVAC systems.
BONUS: If you would like information of choosing the best HVAC cleaning service in New York or in your area, please download our FREE eBook: Top 5 Tips for Choosing the Best HVAC Cleaning Company here:
