I get asked a lot of questions about duct cleaning. Is it necessary? How often do I need to clean them? How the heck do you clean a duct anyway?
The funny thing is that my company doesn’t actually clean ducts. However, I can share what I know from personal experience and what I’ve learned from hanging out with the duct cleaning folks – they’re total hooligans, by the way. Nah, I’m just kidding. (I get silly when I get overtired, sorry!)
So, the answer to all of your questions about duct cleaning… Are you ready? Because it’s total genius.
If your ducts look like this, you need to clean!
It depends.
GAH! Don’t you hate it when someone answers a question like that? But really, it depends. If you own a laundromat, or some other lint/dust/particle generating factory, then you should probably clean your ducts often. Generally a visual inspection – remove the registers and look – will be enough to tell you when it’s time to clean. Check annually and clean as needed. More if the ducts are dirty and less if they’re not. Some of the duct guys have these cool cameras that they can drive through your ducts and show you what they look like. Or, you could just take their word for it. They’re really NOT hooligans – I don’t know why I said that – now you’re going to be eyeballing your friendly neighborhood duct cleaner and it’s all my fault!
For the average building, office space, home or what-have-you, if you’re doing regular preventive maintenance to your HVAC system, you could probably go many, many, many years before you ever see buildup of icky stuff in your ductwork. In a normal, occupied building, an HVAC unit (air handler, furnace, etc.) draws air from inside the building, passes it through a filter – this is where the preventive maintenance comes in – then it warms or cools the air (depending on the type of unit/season/etc.) and sends it back out into the building. The air that is passing through the ductwork is actually cleaner than the air inside the building because it is filtered before it is blown through the ductwork. So unless extenuating circumstances exist, duct cleaning is not something you need to do annually or even regularly.
An example of a portable duct cleaning unit (aka Seamonster).
There are exceptions, of course. My own home is a great example. I recently purchased a cottage that had been vacant for years. The cottage was pretty run-down. A leaking roof and a bit of a furry creature problem – sounds better than raging rodent population, no? – created a moldy, mouse poop-y, smelly environment not only in the house, but also in the ductwork. (I know what you’re thinking, why the heck did you buy that place? Well, you’d really have to see it. Just don’t smell it!) So we spent the summer cleaning up the smelly carpets and ripping out the moldy drywall and then made sure that before we turned the heat on for the first time, we had the ducts professionally cleaned. Heaven only knows what was living in those ducts and we sure didn’t want it blowing around the house. Another example of an “exception” building would be a high density residential building or hospital. Probably not every year, but maybe every decade would be a good place to start, then work from there depending on what you find in your ducts.
As far as HOW ducts are cleaned. It’s kind of cool. The cleaning units used are basically vacuum cleaners on steroids. It looks like a giant sea creature made of a thick vacuum hose with a large stiff bristled brush head to knock the ick off the sides of the ducts so that the vacuum can suck it up. There are units that are truck-mounted and/or portable units, depending on the size of the job.
So I hope that helps answers your burning duct cleaning questions. If not, check out this great info from the EPA. And, of course, if you’re in the market for some duct cleaning, please give me a call. I’ll put you in touch with some of the best hooligans in the business.
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berly says
Nice blog thanks for sharing, it is important to clean your duct very often to avoid frequent repair HVAC. for more duct cleaning and inspection robot companies in India visit Duct cleaning companies in India
Tara Jones says
I have a daughter with allergies and wonder if we’d have to clean our ducts based on things other than the amount of dust we see after removing the registers. (Her doctor recommended that we be proactive about air quality.) Do you know if duct cleaning companies have any procedures set into place for clients with special needs like that? We’ve always been good about doing regular service maintenance on our HVAC so I know that that alone isn’t going to help my daughter’s allergies. I have a sneaking suspicion that we’re going to have to look to our ducts to help her some more.
Karen Lamy DeSousa, Advance Air & Heat says
A good duct cleaning company should be able to give you specifics on how their processes can help with your daughter’s allergies. I would recommend calling two or three companies to discuss your concerns. If you’re not getting good answers, keep looking! Also, be sure to check references. Basic duct cleaning equipment is fairly inexpensive and accessible, so there tends to be a lot of “Hey, I’ll just start a duct cleaning company!” fly-by-nights out there. Well-established companies will have quality equipment, comprehensive knowledge of the benefits of their service, and a list of great references. I have a couple of contacts in the Massachusetts area, but not other parts of the country unfortunately.
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Skylar Williams says
That’s reassuring to know if I’m in an office space I wouldn’t have to get my ducts cleaned regularly. It’s been a couple years for this building I believe. I may want to mention that they should get them at least looked at. I imagine that wouldn’t be too expensive.
Ridley Fitzgerald says
Thanks for the tips for getting my ducts cleaned. I hadn’t thought about just having an HVAC company come and inspect the ducts. If they could drive a little camera up there, like you said, that would be a great way to see if our ducts are too dirty or not!
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LNWeaver says
I like your tip to clean your ducts if you buy an older home. Who knows what may have been in vents left to sit for too long. I heard it’s a good idea to check your HVAC every season to help prevent buildup like that.
Jade Brunet says
We have noticed that our air conditioner has been having to work harder lately to get us the results we expect and we are wondering if there could be a problem with our air ducts. It is good to know that the air that is passing through the ductwork is cleaner than the air inside the building because it is being filtered. Learning that duct cleaning is not something you need to do too regularly is very helpful. We will get our system checked just in case because I do not know of the last time it was maintained.
Karen Lamy DeSousa, Advance Air & Heat says
Hi Jade-
I would definitely recommend professional maintenance. Changing your filters regularly is VERY important, but a professional will also clean your evaporator (indoor) and condenser (outdoor) coils. When the coils get dirty and clogged with dust, pollen, even grass clippings, it will significantly reduce the efficiency of your unit and cause it to work harder. If after the maintenance is completed, you don’t see improvement, having your ducts checked for proper airflow and cleanliness would be a good next step. Good luck!
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