Should I Have A Duct Cleaning Done?

Answer: Dirty air ducts may be a possible source of pollutants and poor indoor air quality. Duct cleaning generally refers to the cleaning of the interior of the air duct system. This will include the return and supply ducts, grills, diffusers, blower wheel and housing, evaporator coil (which collects a big majority of the pollutants) and with in the air handling unit. Home owners should consider having the ducts cleaned if:

1. When changing or inspecting your filter every 30 days and you notice dust accumulation with in the filter location and return duct area,
2. There is visible mold growth present on the sheet metal hard surface ducts or other components of the cooling and heating system,
3. Particles being released into the home from the supply registers, 4. Possible dirty soak syndrome odor in the air.

Before a duct cleaning is performed, the entire system should be inspected for deteriorated flexible ducts if accessible, and make sure that no asbestos containing material are in the cooling or heating system. If asbestos is suspected, it should not be disturbed or removed except by specially trained and equipped contractors.

During the air duct cleaning procedure, equipment with controlled brushing of duct surfaces and contact vacuuming cleaning should be used to dislodge and contain dust and other particles. A quality duct cleaning machine will use various size bushes utilizing hard and soft bristle brushes. After cleaning, all access hole and/or access joints should be resealed and reinsulated. If mold or moisture are determined, the source should be identified and the problem corrected, or it will reoccur.

Sticking with the basics before your air duct system gets dirty or after having your air duct system cleaned is simply monitoring and changing your return air filter every 30 days and doing a little preventive maintenance to your entire heating and cooling system.