Fresh flow: Ventilation is important for homes, utility units

MOSES LAKE — Ensuring heating, ventilation and air condition (HVAC) units are free of dust and buildup can make a big difference in the quality of air inside a home. Keeping dryer vents clear and functioning is key, too, to prevent fire hazards or the unit from not functioning properly.

Jacob Miller is the owner and operator of Columbia Basin Duct Cleaning, and cleans and inspects HVAC ductwork and dryer venting. Miller said he cleans as much of the dryer as he’s able to get to and will sanitize an HVAC system if a customer asks for it.

With HVAC ventilation, Miller said the biggest concern is dirt and dust buildup.

“It’s eastern Washington, so it’s just really filthy over here,” Miller said. “The other thing is mouse droppings, especially in homes around fields or in the country, not so much in town.”

Air flowing through the duct work into the home blows dirt, debris and animal droppings into the air homeowners breathe. This can cause serious health issues, he said. While not as prevalent a problem in town as it is in more rural areas, he said he’s seen rat or mouse droppings pretty much in every area.

Changing the filter out on a regular basis is a big help in preventing the buildup of these issues in a home’s ventilation system. Getting regular maintenance on a system is beneficial, too.

“It’s just like an oil change on a car; the more you have it looked at is gonna help you from having breakdowns,” Miller said. “If a component is loose or weak, they can usually help you out with that before it breaks down.”

While he doesn’t handle maintenance for HVAC systems, Miller said he will recommend professionals if he notices an issue or concern on an inspection. If someone’s airflow out of vents is limited or has an odd smell, they’re signs the system may have a buildup or clog somewhere.

Another red flag is if there’s a cloud of dust coming out of the system when it’s turned on. Miller said he’s pulled just about anything someone could think of out of vent ducts in homes.

“We’ve pulled out all sorts of different stuff; toys, musical instruments, the list goes on and on and on,” Miller said.

As far as dryers, Miller said he runs into mostly just dirty dryer vents. While HVAC maintenance is something he said can be done every three years or so, he recommends having dryer ventilation checked at least once a year.

“It’s a fire hazard and once your dryer has less than four inches of flow, it starts to wear on your dryer,” Miller said. “It actually burns out your dryer a lot quicker than the life of it.”

While cleaning the lint trap on a regular basis is a good idea, Miller said the lint trap really captures about 90% of the lint. That other 10% will build up over time, more quickly based on how often someone uses their dryer.

Miller said he runs into quite a bit of installation errors and systems that are outdated and not up to the current safety codes. Some of these issues include improper materials or pipes running backward.

Using his camera system, Miller said he can help notify customers if something isn’t up-to-date or properly installed. Newer dryers have a sensor that will notify operators if the system isn’t venting properly.

“The first cause you’ll see is your clothes aren’t drying so you have to run your cycle twice,” Miller said.

There could be a number of factors causing the dryer to not function properly, but Miller said the first question maintenance crews will ask homeowners is if they’ve had their dryer vent cleaned recently.

If ventilation is not properly cleaned out, replacing things, like a burnt out coil or dirty pipe, won’t fix the issue. If it’s not cleaned, he said the coils will just burn out again.

Miller said there’s really not a bad time of year to get these services done, but now is as good a time as any.