Georgia Air Duct and Dryer Vent Cleaning, Inspection First

Long, humid summers — and more heat inland

NOAA describes Georgia's climate as long, hot, and humid summers with short, usually mild winters. The heat isn't even across the state: inland cities such as Macon and Columbus average around 20 days a year above 95°F, Atlanta averages about 7, and parts of the Appalachian Mountains average less than one.

DOE's Building America program splits Georgia between two climate regions. Counties around Atlanta, Athens, Macon, Columbus, and Augusta — including Fulton, DeKalb, Clarke, Bibb, Muscogee, and Richmond — are mixed-humid and in IECC 2021 climate zone 3A, while Chatham County (Savannah) is hot-humid and in zone 2A. In the 2021 edition, 22 north Georgia counties, including Rabun, Fannin, Towns, and Hall, moved from zone 4A to 3A.

Sources: NOAA NCEI — State Climate Summaries 2022: Georgia; PNNL for U.S. DOE Building America — Guide to Determining Climate Zones by County (PNNL-33270, 2022)

Basements, crawl spaces, and moisture

Georgia homes use a mix of foundations and heating systems. In the Energy Information Administration's 2020 Residential Energy Consumption Survey, about 16 percent of occupied Georgia homes had a basement — roughly half the national share of 30 percent — and about 60 percent heated mainly with a furnace, with 27 percent using a central heat pump. That means ducts in one home may run through a basement and in the next through an attic or crawl space.

Humid summers put moisture control near the top of the list. If your home is built over a crawl space, UGA Cooperative Extension's moisture checklist says that at a minimum, a 6–8 mil plastic vapor barrier should cover the soil, and it suggests considering a dehumidifier if indoor humidity is over 50 percent.

The same checklist recommends having heating and cooling systems serviced by a professional twice a year and checking the coils for visible mold, and a companion UGA publication notes that dirty, wet coils can result in mold in your ductwork. EPA adds that controlling moisture is the most effective way to prevent biological growth in air ducts — cleaning alone doesn't change the conditions that cause it.

Sources: U.S. EIA — 2020 RECS: Highlights for structural characteristics of U.S. homes by state; U.S. EIA — 2020 RECS: Highlights for space heating in U.S. homes by state; UGA Cooperative Extension — Mold and Moisture Home Inspection Checklist (Circular 1083); UGA Cooperative Extension — Removing Mold in Your Home (Circular 1047-2); U.S. EPA — Should You Have the Air Ducts in Your Home Cleaned?

Light snow, but tropical-storm remnants still bring wind and rain

NOAA notes that snowfall is generally light in Georgia — even the northern mountains average only about 5 inches a year — and that while Georgia rarely sees a direct hurricane landfall, the remnants of tropical systems can bring heavy rain and strong winds.

After windy weather, it's worth a quick look outside at your dryer vent. UGA Extension's checklist asks homeowners to make sure the dryer vents to the outside and that the outside vent isn't blocked or filled with debris.

Sources: NOAA NCEI — State Climate Summaries 2022: Georgia; UGA Cooperative Extension — Mold and Moisture Home Inspection Checklist (Circular 1083)