Just recently I began to think about the duct plan installed in our home. This branching network of pipes is often concealed inside walls, ceilings, and crawl spaces, it had been fairly easy to ignore it all this time. While I’ve been very steadfast about the service and air filter changes for both our furnace and our air conditioning units, I’ve never bothered with professional maintenance for our system of air ducts. I operate the air conditioner for approximately four to five months each year. I then rely on the furnace for the remaining six to seven months. If either my a/c or the furnace are running, the ductwork is impacting our comfort, the air quality, our safety and energy efficiency. The air, either heated or cooled, passes through these pipes many times per day. If contaminants are found within the ducts, such as mold, dust, pollen or bacteria, it can be easily spread throughout the rooms of our home. This will then create bad smells, dusty surfaces, and a many associated health problems. Even tiny holes within the duct system will allow heated or cooled air to escape, and can also invite unwanted outside air into the home. If only a portion of the conditioned air is reaching the desired rooms, the furnace and cooling system both need to work harder to maintain ideal temperature. This can lead to wear and tear unnecessarily on its components, greater energy usage, higher energy bills, and even affect the entire home environment. Plus, the house simply fails to be as comfortable. I finally hired a licensed HVAC repairman to inspect our duct system after our home began to smell rank of dead mouse. I then realized that the smell was originating within the ducts and getting strong each time every we ran our furnace.