HVAC System Cleaning Tips

Building maintenance is an important part of building ownership, whether it’s a residential, commercial, or industrial property. HVAC systems are one of the most expensive parts of any modern building’s infrastructure, and keeping it properly maintained and cleaned must be a priority for any owner.

HVAC systems include several components, furnaces, air movers, air conditioners, and any connected HEPA filtration system and ducting system. If any one component starts to fail or starts to get gummed up with debris and excessive particles, it can start to affect the entire HVAC system, lowering energy efficiencies, indoor air quality and even leading to component failure.

The following are several HVAC system cleaning tips that any owner should ensure is done, whether by themselves, their maintenance staff, or a professionally hired HVAC system cleaning company.

Clean Air Filters

Air filters are key to any HVAC system if a building wants to be able to control and maintain good indoor air quality and keep excessive particles from building up in machinery and ducts. Air filters can come in many forms, from the basic filters right next to a furnace, or air conditioner, or can be more advanced HEPA filters. HEPA filters often require more changing than regular air filters, but all filters should be changed regularly (at the bare minimum, seasonally.)

Clean Evaporator Coil

For buildings with air conditioning built into their HVAC systems, the evaporator coils are going to be outside of the building, which means they need to be regularly cleaned so that debris does not affect the operation capabilities of the system. There are special cleaning products for evaporator coils, or a mixture of dish soap and distilled water can be used.

Clean Condensate Drain

Condensation drainpipes in HVAC systems need to be regularly checked and cleaned so that condensation flows properly, and to prevent pan overflow. Drain lines can be clogged by any number of types of debris, so it’s important that they are removed during HVAC system cleaning. Mildew and algae can also be a common build up in pipes, and special solutions can be purchased to prevent their growth.

Clean The Entire Unit

While most building owners and maintenance staff will go ahead with cleaning the internal components of the HVAC system, pipes, and ducts, they often make the mistake of forgetting to clean the housings of every unit within an HVAC system. Outdoor components are subjected to the weather all the time, and even indoor components can start to get a build up of dust and other particles on the exterior of their units. Most think this is just a cosmetic issue, but it could eventually lead to corrosion or rust build up that will cause further issues in the future.

Another important cleaning tip for outdoor systems is to check for nearby vegetation. For systems on rooftops, it’s not often an issue, but systems on the side of buildings could be impacted by the growth of vines, shrubs and trees. Pruning back any vegetation within several feet of an HVAC system unit can prevent thousands of dollars worth of damage in the future and help give them access to wind.

Clean The Duct Vents

Ducting systems are hidden away throughout a building generally (although commercial, or industrial buildings may have them more visible), but they must not be forgotten when it comes to regular cleaning regimes. Duct cleaning is a whole beast unto itself, and often the best solution for any building owner is to call in a professional HVAC system cleaning service to do the ducts, as they will have the proper equipment on hand to deal with it.

Clean Any Registers

Air duct registers appear in almost every room in a building, and they can be a magnet for dust build up, so they should be cleaned during HVAC system cleaning. They can be easily cleaned off with a dry cloth, or for a deeper cleaning some form of long brush. Cleaning the surface is great but getting the extra dirt just inside the register can be very helpful to indoor air quality.

Call the Professionals for Scheduled HVAC System Cleaning or Repairs

Many components of HVAC system cleaning can be done by a building owner and maintenance staff, but for everything else a professional should be called in. Duct cleaning, and internal unit maintenance and cleaning should always be left to professionals. As well, professionals can give advice on other cleaning tips, such as how often they should be done, and easy techniques.