If you live in Houston, you already know that cedar season makes outdoor life miserable for months at a time. Mountain cedar trees release enormous quantities of pollen between December and February, creating the most intense seasonal allergy event in the region. What most Houston residents do not realize is that their home’s HVAC system plays a major role in how much cedar pollen their family is actually exposed to indoors.
How Cedar Pollen Enters Your HVAC System
Cedar pollen grains are approximately 25 microns in diameter — small enough to pass through most standard residential air filters. When your HVAC system runs during peak cedar season, millions of pollen grains are drawn through return vents and deposited on the evaporator coil, plenum box, and interior duct surfaces.
This pollen remains inside your ductwork long after the outdoor season ends, serving as a continuous allergen reservoir every time your system cycles on. When spring arrives, the accumulated cedar pollen combines with moisture on the evaporator coil to create ideal conditions for mold growth inside your HVAC system.
What You Can Do During Cedar Season
Replace air filters every 20 to 30 days during peak cedar season instead of the standard 30 to 60 day interval. Keep windows and doors closed on dry, windy days when pollen counts are highest. Run your HVAC fan continuously during peak pollen hours to improve filtration as air passes through your filter more frequently.
Schedule professional duct cleaning in late winter, immediately after peak cedar season, to remove the heavy pollen accumulation before it contributes to mold growth during the cooling season.
What Professional Duct Cleaning Accomplishes
Our NADCA-certified service physically eliminates every accessible layer of accumulated cedar pollen from all 8 HVAC components: return ducts, evaporator coils, blower fan, heating chamber, plenum box, supply ducts, register boxes, and grills. When this cedar pollen reservoir is eliminated, the indoor allergen load drops measurably.
[Book a Free Inspection](https://crm.ahchooindoorair.com/book)
AH-CHOO! Indoor Air Quality serves Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and South Louisiana. NADCA certified. Average job time: 7 hours. 8 components cleaned every service. 38 years of experience.