Castanet

Hi there,

i wanted to get the ducts cleaned in our home but don't know who to use. Does anyone have any recommendations?

thanks,

No one, duct cleaning is a scam.

why do you say it is a scam?

I actually sawe a 20/20 show on the topic. There is a real debate on that topic and it is said not to be necessary. If you keep clean filters in your furnace and change them regualrily that's it.

Speak to a air cooling and heating specialist on that topic. I believe if you have done a extensive remodel they say it is a good idea as thing get pushed into the heating ducts.

Here is a good article, I started reading.

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pdfs/airducts.pdf

We had Duct Doctor do ours about a year after we moved into our new place. Didn't seem to make a huge difference but at least we knew we were clean from whatever was in there from the PO's.

Duct Doctor was great though. Husband and wife team, very friendly, professional and quick.

my husband is a HVAC man (30yrs) you only need to clean your Ducts if...you just did major reno's or have a rodent infestation...the most important parts to keep clean are, your furnace blower and your A/C coil..a dirty A/C coil can literally kill your furnace...

westside105 wrote:my husband is a HVAC man (30yrs) you only need to clean your Ducts if...you just did major reno's or have a rodent infestation...the most important parts to keep clean are, your furnace blower and your A/C coil..a dirty A/C coil can literally kill your furnace...

But is it not the case that the blower and or coil only became dirty due to dirty ducts or a missing filter? If the air being drawn in is clean and the ducts are clean and the filter is good then the coil and blower should be good also. Or am i talking nonsense?

I used Modern Purair, they did a good job. Very professional too.

Firstly i don't think that you can say duct cleaning is a scam but clearly some companies may have over exaggerated claims as to its benefits over the years. There are however many stories of men in vans knocking on doors during the busy fall season and offering cheap deals except that they often don't have business cards or invoice books and usually no business licence either. This type of practice obviously gives reputable local companies a bad press as word travels round that someone's elderly mum was scammed. There was indeed a report on Castanet recently about some guy offering home services, in particular drier vent cleaning and he was reported to get very pushy once in the home and he didn't have a licence to operate.

I always tell people its a lifestyle choice. As a general home maintenance task it may be worth considering if its never been done or its been many years but most people seem to be bothered by 2 main issues, dust and allergies. It is certainly not true to say that your home will be dust free once the ducts are cleaned, in fact it it were possible to make a home "dust free" then it would have been done by now. It is also not possible to say that allergies will be cured or improved by duct cleaning as there are so many variables. What we can do though is help reduce any dust that may be circulating in the home from the ducts and hopefully help reduce any allergic effect that a person may have to the dust or other contaminants such as pet hair from previous owners and drywall dust from construction or renovation. I have seen some very very dirty furnaces in brand new homes that haven't even been lived in due to the furnace being run continuously whilst construction was still taking place, thick covering of drywall dust on coil, fan and parts of the duct work.
As someone has already said the filter is an extremely important item that needs regular replacement or cleaning and keep the furnace serviced and clean.
I have no doubt that the ductwork inside homes that we have cleaned is cleaner when we leave than when we arrive otherwise i couldn't sleep at night. Does it make a huge difference to dust levels and allergy suffering? Difficult to say, maybe i should be following up a few weeks later with a questionnaire to see if the customer has noticed any real difference

Don't waste one penny on this BS. Barring a reno, how can dirt get in your ductwork? When the blower comes on, any and all dust that MIGHT be present is immediately airborn and delivered thru the floor registers. There's nothing in there to clean. The most you should ever have to do to your ductwork is remove the floor registers and vacuum out the cheerios and small toys the kids drop in there.

During a reno I had a new furnace installed , and in a different location to facilitate a floor plan change. Most of the ductwork was removed by myself. After seeing what was inside the heat duct , and even worse the cold air return duct , I was happy it was all being replaced. An average 30 year old home can have a lot of crud built up , and that crud can make a good home for things you don't want in your house.
I honestly don't know how clean the companies that do this can get the ducts. If I am moving into a new home , getting rid of the previous owners dust , dander , mites , mould spores , etc. etc. is high on my list. We removed all the carpet too.

Well we didn't do renovations but we do own a house nearing 40 years old. We had the ducts cleaned by pure air. There was indeed a LOT of crud, dust, dirt, pollen, etc. There is no question of the value and even need to have them cleaned but believe what you want.