Keep an eye on those dirty ducts

 Ducts and vents in houses and building carry air from different machines to bring or take air to different places.  Air movement through them causes dust and other detritus to get caught up and clog those airways.  That can cause a lot of problems.  Not just operational, but health problems for people and animals as well.

One of the most obvious problems is blocked passageways.   If the duct or vent gets clogged, there's no air movement.   That makes the rest of the system work harder and wear out or break sooner and more frequently.   You might as well literally be throwing your money into the trash can. Keeping ducts and vents clean as part of a Preventive Maintenance program literally saves you money over the long run by not having to repair or replace the system due to unnecessary stress.

Another thing that needs to be considered is fire safety.   A common problem with clogged ducts is the accumulation of flammable or even combustible material that fills and blocks the duct.  The more clogged it gets, stuffed up material gets held back closer to the heat source.   Eventually, things can catch fire either due to direct contact or to temps rising high enough.  Fire safety is a very legitimate concern where ducts and vents are involved.

Yet one more thing to consider is general functionality.   Consider a dryer, vented to the outside.  The duct gets clogged,  the outer vent gets clogged. Moisture and heat get trapped not just in the duct, but in the machine.  It takes much longer to get clothes dry, if they get fully dry at all.  More drying cycles to get clothes dry means more money spent operationally.   More cycles = more money.  A clean duct and vent reduces the number of cycles and amount of heat needed to properly dry clothes, etc...  not only is it saving money, it's being more comfortable in the clothes that come out of the dryer.

A regular Preventive Maintenance program to check and clean ducts and vents saves money, keeps you safer by fire prevention, and keeps you more comfortable by not having damp clothes as a result.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Smart system only as smart as it needs to be

 Smart devices have gone through their entry level phases and the technology has begun to mature.  This in good for usability, prices, and overall operability.   However, in some cases, there can be such a thing as "too smart." Smart "systems" are the network connected collection of devices and services that is put together in a business or home that is interfunctional.  Often with an "Assistant" debicecsnd system coordinating the whole shebang.  Assistants like Alexa, Google Home, or even the Apple whatever it is.  These are usually represented with a speaker and/or video component such as the Google Nest or Alexa Echo. The "dumbest" smart devices operate as mostly standalone items that do simple tasks independent of other devices in the network.  A doorlock that is controlled only at the door with a key, code, or fob perhaps.  A smart thermostat that only does thermostat things when you give a voice command or operate it from a smartphone a...
Read more

Ceiling fan light fixtures

Image
 This apartment customer needed to install a couple of ceiling fans.  A combined LED circuit light with fan inside in a bedroom,  and a more traditional ceiling fan with light kit for the living room. Note to apartment building managers... Wiring should be a uniform scheme throughout the building.  Not however the electrician at the time feels like doing whatever unit they happen to be in.  It helps.
Read more

Preventive Maintenance for Rental Properties

 Being a rental property owner/manager means juggling a lot of balls.  One of those, sometimes several, are property maintenance issues.   Either it's a short term rental issue where the renter is not really expected to do much, if anything, in regard to maintenance or customization issues. They are there for a "hotel" experience.   The ongoing issues at the property aren't theirs to worry about. In a long term rental situation,  many times, the renter is responsible for day-to-day issues. The problem seems to be that most owners/managers find that the renters aren't very good at, or concerned about, actually doing those things.   Which lead to more expensive failures and problems down the road. Many owners/managers don't have the resources to keep a full time employee on to handle these issues.  I offer a solution that gives them a valuable compromise to address the situation.  I offer a monthly preventive maintenance service that ...
Read more