When you notice dust and dirty air flowing out of your home’s air vents, that can be a concerning matter. If your air vents produce dust, it can be risky for family members with dust allergies and compromised immunities. So why is dust coming out of air vents, and what can you do about it?
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Dust comes out of air vents when excess dust and dirt accumulate in the air vent filters. If you do not clean these filters from time to time, it can lead to dust buildup that can affect the HVAC system’s efficiency. It can raise your energy bills and worsen your family’s health.
We will discuss the many reasons why dust is coming out of your air vents, how to prevent or fix this problem, and how it can affect your health. Let’s begin!
Reasons Why Dust Comes Out of Air Vents
The purpose of air vents is to make your room feel more comfortable and relaxing. However, if dust occasionally comes out of the vents, it can be a bit alarming, as it means the filters have accumulated enough dirt and need cleaning or replacement.
As stated before, dust and dirt buildup in the vents can deteriorate your HVAC system. It can heat the air conditioning system, increase your monthly energy bills, and shorten the cooler’s lifespan.
So what is causing these issues? Let us find out:
Chunks of Insulations
Pests such as rodents and insects that enter your air vents tend to tear apart the insulation wraps over the ducts. These puffy pieces, usually found in colors like pink, white, and yellow, hence float around in the ducts. These things contribute to the dusty air from the air vents.
Read: How Strong Should Air Come Out Of Vents?
Soots
Are you noticing some black soots floating around the room and sticking to the walls? These flaky and light dust particles are common in summer when you switch on the AC after a long, harsh winter.
If you had kept your furnace running during the winter season, the AC would release soot particles the following summer. These soot particles signify that your HVAC system is not working correctly and needs immediate attention and repairs.
If you do not have professionals look into the situation and make necessary repairs or replacements, you risk having a small fire break out at your home.
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Read: How To Prevent Mold In Window Air Conditioner?
Streaks of Dirt
If you do not dust your room regularly, you might find dirty streaks of dust settled on the ceiling and the wall. They navigate to different parts of the room thanks to the airflow that helps them flow around.
These specks can enter your home and stay within the ducts. It helps to call a professional at least once a year for a routine check.
Black Smoke Elements
Black specks of dust and grime accumulate within the ducts. These specks can stay within the vents and will be noticeable when they come out as black puffs.
If you have any furniture right under the vent, the surface will get covered with dust and dirt particles. Fortunately, sanitizing the ducts can help keep these black smoke-like substances away.
These are some of the known reasons why dust accumulates inside the HVAC system, thereby affecting the health of everyone at home. So, next time you find your room growing dusty with the air conditioner on, look out for these signs and keep your room clean and dirt-free!
Read: Does Opening The Window Help With Dry Air?
How To Prevent the Dust Buildup in Your Air Vent?
Does the dust buildup in the air vent bother you? No problem! Let us look through some of the practical ways to prevent this buildup through some simple tips:
1. Buy Yourself a High-Quality Vacuum Cleaner
Low-quality vacuum cleaners might not be able to clean your air vents thoroughly. It might end up leaving behind tiny specks of dust, leading to the dust buildup.
This debris is airborne and settles inside the air vents. Here, the solution is to opt for vacuum cleaners with HEPA filters. These filters are great solutions to keeping your home free from dust and allergens.
HEPA filters can suck in 99.97% of all types of dust particles, ranging from:
- Pet fur
- Air pollution
- Bacteria
- Dust
- Smoke
- Viruses
These vacuum cleaners will clear out the air vent dust buildup in no time and ensure that you enjoy healthy and clean fresh air from the vents.
You can try the Hoover Vacuum Cleaner with HEPA Media Filtration (available on Amazon.com). It has an adjustable height and length to help you access hard-to-reach areas. It also has an excellent suction capacity that is effective against dust, smoke, and even pet hair.
2. Replace the Air Filters Frequently
HVAC systems like coolers and air conditioners come with filters that prevent dust and dirt from spreading throughout your room. However, if these filters fill up too quickly (which they do), there is nothing to trap in excess dust.
The solution to this issue is to remove and replace the filters as frequently as necessary. For example, you can wait a maximum of three months before getting a new filter. But, it is better to buy these every 2 – 4 weeks, if you:
- have a pet dog or a cat
- have kids
- live with immunocompromised patients
Ideally, doing so helps HVAC systems filter out dust and dirt and keep your room feeling fresh and clean!
3. Clean the Most Dust-Attracting Spots
While regularly changing out filters is a practical idea, it is also crucial to clean the spots in the house that attract dust the most. These would include:
- Furniture
- Lights
- Fans
- The surface of a cupboard, etc.
These areas collect and build up a lot of dust, making your room feel dirtier. Not to forget, these dust particles also enter the air vents and come out again to spread in the room.
If it is challenging for you to clean your house regularly, you can always contact professional cleaning services to help clean your home.
These are some reliable and guaranteed ways of ensuring that no more dust will be spreading from your home’s air vents.
Read: How To Keep House Ventilated In Winter? (10 Tips)
How Does Floating Dust Affect My Family’s Health?
The floating dust from the air vents consists of various harmful particles that are not good for your family’s health. For example, if you do not clean your air filters regularly, it can put the health of your family or guests at risk.
The dust buildup inside your vents may consist of:
- Mold and spores
- Pollen
- Allergens
- Pet fur
- Tobacco smoke
- Harmful microorganisms (i.e., bacteria, viruses, fungi)
If not properly addressed, these contaminants can compromise the health of people with asthma, low dust tolerance, and other lung problems.
Let’s discuss the health effects in more detail below:
Dirty Air Ducts Can Cause Various Diseases
There are various signs of someone falling sick from dirty, unattended dust buildups in your vents. You might find them suffering from:
- A low-grade fever
- Sneezing profusely
- Chronic coughing and throat irritation
- Difficulty breathing for patients with asthma
- Allergic reactions such as rashes and eczema on the skin
- Lack of energy
While some of these conditions do not sound too risky, they can cause long-term issues and complex concerns in the future.
Read: Why Is Indoor Air Quality Important?
Family Members Might Catch the Common Cold
Dirty air ducts can lead to your family members suffering from the common cold. While the typical common cold is not too risky for anyone, it can lower your immunity, making you more susceptible to other secondary infections.
Common cold also spreads quickly from one person to another in an enclosed space, resulting in many people falling sick simultaneously.
Dirty Air Ducts Can Cause Long-Term Respiratory Issues
Some common health conditions associated with dust inhalation include:
- Wheezing
- Frequent fevers
- Runny nose
- Sore throats
- Congestion
- Chronic cough
- Headaches
If you notice one or more of these symptoms among your family members, then these people might be suffering from some respiratory infections due to the dust accumulation in your air filters. These are signs of upper respiratory infections.
If you do not do anything about the dusty air duct filters, the infection will reach the lower body, possibly leading to pneumonia or bronchitis.
Your Skin Might Feel Too Itchy
If your body feels itchy every time you switch on your air conditioning system, it might be due to the dry and dirty air from the duct system! You might find your skin red and itchy with some rashes that can blister.
The best way to prevent these skin problems from breaking out is to have professionals check your duct vent filters and remove the excess dust buildup.
Living in a dusty room or home does not help maintain a healthy lifestyle. So the best thing to do is deal with the dust.
Conclusion
There are various reasons why dust comes out of your air vent. Lack of proper maintenance, forgetting to replace filters, and using an incorrect vacuum cleaner are often responsible for making your air vents dusty.
Moreover, dusty vents can reduce your air conditioner’s lifespan and increase your monthly electric bill! So try out the prevention and repair tips mentioned in the article for a clean, fresh, and healthy home!