Furnace duct cleaning scare tactics

[Bpeep]

^^^ that company has been sued before for claiming cracked heat exchangers when they in fact were not.
They were in the media over it.

People trust professionals but they get lied to just so the business can generate income.

Does any service person have the right to turn off your gas, or must be a gas ticket holder?

I believe anyone can turn it off but only a licenced contractor or fortis can turn it back on. The one who turns it on is responsible for everything downstream.
A contractor who finds a dangerous appliance, i.e. a furnace with a cracked heat exchanger that is creating a dangerous amount of co must turn off the fuel to that appliance.

[dodgerdodge]

^^^ that company has been sued before for claiming cracked heat exchangers when they in fact were not.
They were in the media over it.

People trust professionals but they get lied to just so the business can generate income.
Or so the person recommending the new furnace receives a commission for it.
There's lots of shady practice out there.

And they have re invented themselves since i believe they had bankruptcy issues a few years back. I have heard more bad than good about them so how come they have an A+ BBB rating? Juts goes to show anyone can get one.

[dodgerdodge]

Duct work cleaning is a scam.

All the air that goes through the ducts leaving the furnace is filtered.

Mrs Tree insisted we clean our ducts. So okay we get them done.

Our house is 45 years old. We’ve done multiple renovations. We have had a couple of dogs.

The guy showed my wife what came out of our ducts and it was hardly anything.

Scam.

I think you are generalising too much. Are there scammers out there promising ridiculous things like "save money as your furnace will be more efficient" or "we will make your home dust free" yes there are, in fact there are many statements made that don't seem to hold true or cannot be backed up with proof. However not all duct cleaning is a scam. The filter does filter out some dust depending on type used and if its correct size or even fitted at all. What about the return side, have you looked inside return ducts after years or after construction. All this dust is being drawn towards the filter and causing more frequent replacement. There is certainly some proof from various sources that it is a benefit in some cases so i don't think it is right to make an outright blanket statement like "its a scam"
I think the indoor air quality measurement market is more of a scam TBH.

[Poindexter]

Cleaning your ducts is not a scam because the only filter that cleans the air after it's passed through your furnace filter and pushed through dirty ducts is your lungs.

Regarding CO2, theres no excuse not to have a detector, they're cheap and may just save your life.

[Bpeep]

Cleaning your ducts is not a scam because the only filter that cleans the air after it's passed through your furnace filter and pushed through dirty ducts is your lungs.

Regarding CO2, theres no excuse not to have a detector, they're cheap and may just save your life.

CO.
Big difference between co and co2.

[Ken7]

Bman is 100 percent right. Also if you are un sure about the company you can call Fortis BC and they can send someone out for free if you think there might be a gas leak. We had to do that this fall and they had no problem sending out someone and tested for everything. They offer a 24/HR service and are always super friendly. I will warn you though it can be very dangerous and should be taken very serious. You might actually need a new furnace or new gas fittings.

Here is the contact info if needed
Call toll free: ☎1-800-663-9911 (24 hours)

Simple fix, buy yourself a CO detector and use it. IF it goes off right away, get out and call Fortis. They will check your furnace.

Be aware, I once started a vehicle in my sister car garage, a back draft pushed the CO down to the basement and set off the alarm. IT took hours to zero it up again. This is not something to take lightly.

[TreeGuy]

Cleaning your ducts is not a scam because the only filter that cleans the air after it's passed through your furnace filter and pushed through dirty ducts is your lungs.

Regarding CO2, theres no excuse not to have a detector, they're cheap and may just save your life.

So what is it in between the furnace filter and your lungs that is your concern?

There are particles of all types of stuff in the air we breath, inside and out. What is in the ducts that is any different from what is outside of them?

As I mentioned, our 40+ year old home had an insignificant amount of debris come out of the ducts.

[TreeGuy]

I set my Co detector off cleaning my wood stove. I didn’t take the metal pail of ash outside right away. I opened all the doors and almost called 911 as I wasn’t sure what set it off.

And yes it is okay to call 911, they have detectors and fans to ventilate. We answered calls of this type when I was on the department.

[Ken7]

I had that happen with a furnace check-up; he turned everything off. My brother in law was minding the place and I came home to find him wrapped in blankets and my plants dead. It was the furnace place with a blue and white logo of a flame, and it was about 23 years ago. I ended up getting another company in (Sun Valley) who turned it on and said it wasn't dangerous. A few years later when we came in to a bit of money and decided to replace our furnace, we called the latter.

My neighbors furnace calved. Called a "B" company and had the furnace looked at, need a new one cost of $6,500.00 as his board and transformer were shot.

Good news he called a second company and "A" came in and said not problem, new board and transformer $500.00 and back in working order. Some of these companies are either under educated or would like to make a quick couple K on a homeowner.

[jimmy4321]

It's smart to get your furnace inspected once a year, i get mine in the late summer about $120 from some plumbing/gas company.

It's good to clean your ducts if you need it, just hire someone who CLEANS ONLY , who cares about their opinion.

[Poindexter]

CO.
Big difference between co and co2.

That must be why it doesn't goes off when I breath on it.

LOL. Not sure what I was thinking.

Still think that the ducts should be cleaned once, we always do it when we first move in because you never know what the builders or previous owners were like. After that simply using a clean filter will take care of it.

[alanjh595]

CO.
Big difference between co and co2.

That must be why it doesn't goes off when I breath on it.

LOL. Not sure what I was thinking.

Still think that the ducts should be cleaned once, we always do it when we first move in because you never know what the previous owners were like. After that simply using a clean filter will take care of it.

For that you need a BAL tester. I have one.

[Urban Cowboy]

I'm going to double-check with my furnace guy. The ones I bought are light-weight and I told him I'd be changing them every month. Showed them to him and he said no problem using them.

Regardless what's the point of using them if the air blowing through your vents is already filtered?

Keep your furnace filters clean and there's no need to add something that further restricts airflow, and it does somewhat even if clean.

[RVThereYet]

I had that happen with a furnace check-up; he turned everything off. My brother in law was minding the place and I came home to find him wrapped in blankets and my plants dead. It was the furnace place with a blue and white logo of a flame, and it was about 23 years ago. I ended up getting another company in (Sun Valley) who turned it on and said it wasn't dangerous. A few years later when we came in to a bit of money and decided to replace our furnace, we called the latter.

My neighbors furnace calved. Called a "B" company and had the furnace looked at, need a new one cost of $6,500.00 as his board and transformer were shot.

Good news he called a second company and "A" came in and said not problem, new board and transformer $500.00 and back in working order. Some of these companies are either under educated or would like to make a quick couple K on a homeowner.

I've had a similar experience with "B" company ... my furnace had started to make a grinding noise before the heating cycle even came on, it sounded like a bearing that was about to give up the ghost. I called "B" company and it was determined the noise was coming from the induction motor (draft inducer). It needed replacing... the quote was around $800 installed, $600+ for the part plus of course labour and tax etc.

While furnace guy went to check for the part in his yellow van, I input the part # into Google. It became apparent I was getting charged a lot for the part - The same OEM Armstrong branded part, available for around $250. Turns out he didn't have that part with him and would have to come back. I paid their service call charge, picked up the part for $245 plus tax, and installed it myself, which was pretty much plug-and-play with a few bolts, a couple of hose clamps and an electrical plug. All said and done, including parts and their initial service call fee, I still came in under half of their quote.

I don't mind paying someone to do a job and them making a reasonable profit, but felt this was a little over the top. I'd have to assume that the part seller made money at $245, and this service company still wanted another $355+ over and above - that's a healthy margin.

I'd hate to have to rely on them during an emergency like the furnace quitting during a cold snap, they'd have you over a barrel.

Bottom line, always get a couple of quotes and use Google and YouTube etc.to your advantage.

[dodgerdodge]

It's smart to get your furnace inspected once a year, i get mine in the late summer about $120 from some plumbing/gas company.

It's good to clean your ducts if you need it, just hire someone who CLEANS ONLY , who cares about their opinion.

Exactly, most duct cleaning companies are just that they don't have qualified gas fitters working for them so they clean and thats all. Any service company who also offers duct cleaning may be trying to upsell on every job to make it pay. I mean if you have a fully experienced gas fitter he isn't going to work for duct cleaner wages so if he is sent to clean your ducts the company aren't making anywhere near enough for a basic clean. Cue the upsell..... furnace needs parts, humidifier needs work, an expensive electronic air filter will do wonders for your husbands health..... blah blah