Connection Between HVAC Maintenance and Lower Allergy Symptoms

February 1, 2025

Your home’s heating and cooling systems are responsible for ensuring that every room in the house stays at a consistent temperature. However, to do so, they must transport air through ducts and vents that are likely contaminated with dust, pollen, or other debris. Fortunately, proper HVAC maintenance can reduce the level of airborne particles known to cause sneezing, runny noses, or other allergy symptoms.

How Duct Cleanings Improve Indoor Air Quality

First, it should be noted that duct inspection and cleaning is not the same as routine heating and cooling maintenance, but they can be scheduled at the same time.

It’s recommended that you have your home’s air ducts cleaned every three to five years. However, the truth is that you can have them cleaned as often as you’d like to ensure that your residence is as comfortable as possible. An annual cleaning can get rid of dust, mold, and other irritants that can make their way through vents and into spaces that you occupy.

A duct cleaning can also improve the efficiency of your heating and cooling systems. Eliminating debris means that the air can freely flow to all rooms of the house evenly, which allows you to create a consistent temperature throughout the interior. Ultimately, you won’t need to set the thermostat as high or as low to account for an uneven temperature gradient. In addition to saving money, you save undue strain on the furnace or air conditioner as it won’t need to run as long.

Finally, a duct cleaning may indicate the presence of holes or gaps that need to be addressed right away. In some cases, these gaps give pollen, dust, or other particles an alternate pathway into your home or into crawl spaces or other areas you may interact with.

Vent Cleanings Can Be Helpful

Cleaning the vents where air comes out can also make it easier to improve your HVAC system while reducing allergy symptoms. In most cases, all you need to do is remove the vent cover, vacuum the hole in the wall that the vent is attached to, and replace the cover. You can also dust or vacuum the cover itself to remove fur, dust, or anything else that is attached to it.

Have Your Furnace Cleaned

The furnace itself can play a role in determining the indoor air quality in your home. Typically, it is located in a basement, attic, or other area that may be difficult to clean or that is rarely cleaned simply because you don’t think about that space often.

Therefore, it can easily be covered in a layer of dust or other particles that get kicked up every time the furnace turns on. These newly ejected particles can then get into ducts and vents and cycle through your home.

Furnace and AC cleaning and tune-ups are recommended annually, one in the fall and the other in the spring. Ideally, you’ll have the furnace cleaned either before or at the same time as a duct cleaning. This is because a dirty furnace can send polluted air into the ducts, which will simply make them dirty again and negate the duct cleaning that you paid for.

Don’t Forget to Change the Air Filter

Your home’s HVAC system makes use of an air filter to trap particles that can exacerbate your allergy symptoms. If the air filter is clogged, it will simply reject new particles and allow them to remain in flight until they land on the HVAC equipment or make their way into ducts.

In some cases, clogged air filters will simply release particles that have accumulated within them and cycle those contaminants throughout the house each time that the HVAC comes on. To prevent this from happening, be sure to have the filter changed every 30 to 60 days per manufacturer recommendations. If you have a heavy-duty filter, it may be possible to change it every few months instead.

You can write the date that the filter was changed on it to remember when it needs to be changed again. One of our technicians can also replace the filter on a regular schedule if necessary.

How Air Temperature Can Impact Allergy Symptoms

Indoor air quality isn’t the only thing that you need to think about when considering the link between an HVAC system and your allergies. Accounting for the air temperature itself is critical because warmer air tends to be drier, which can lead to itchy skin, nasal congestion, and dry eyes.

You may also have a sore throat or feel dizzy because the air isn’t moist enough. Over time, you may also experience chronic fatigue as your body expends energy to fight your symptoms.

Therefore, it’s critical to have the thermostat and furnace inspected to ensure that they are working properly. A defective thermostat may prevent the furnace from shutting off even after reaching your preferred temperature.

If the furnace is not working properly, it may also have a hard time shutting off and leave the house too warm. This might be due to an electrical issue, a clogged duct, or a clogged air filter.

Don’t Forget About the Compressor Unit

The air conditioner works by taking humid air out of your house and replacing it with cold and dry air produced by the compressor unit. Of course, as this component is located outside, it can be contaminated with dirt, pollen, or other particles that can easily make their way into your home.

A leak, heavy rain, or high humidity levels can also produce mold or mildew that can find their way into your residence. Therefore, it’s important to have this device inspected and cleaned regularly to improve indoor air quality.

Should You Replace Heating or Cooling Components?

Like anything else in your house, a furnace or air conditioning system has a limited useful life. A furnace can often last for two decades while a cooling system typically lasts for about 15 years.

There may be a number of benefits to installing a new furnace or AC, such as the fact that many new units are easier to keep clean. New heating and cooling systems also tend to be more efficient, which means that you’ll need to run them less. Ultimately, this provides fewer opportunities for allergens to cycle through your house. Combined with clean ducts, you may notice a significant reduction in pollutants and a decrease in allergy symptoms.

Other Steps You Can Take

Replacing carpet in favor of wood floors that are easier to clean can also improve indoor air quality. You may also want to consider having your home professionally cleaned to remove pet hair or other allergens from floors, counters, and elsewhere in your house. By removing potential irritants, you make it easier for your HVAC system to run without jeopardizing your health.

Our team at Climate Control in Portland, OR handles a complete range of HVAC services, including duct cleaning, and we can even put in a water heater or generator for you to ensure that your home maintains peak efficiency and comfort at all times. If you are in need of HVAC maintenance, indoor air quality services, including duct cleaning, give us a call today!