Find out whether cleaning the ducts that keep dust out can genuinely improve the air quality inside your home—or if the job may cause more harm than good.
If you want your home’s air ducts—the long channels that move warm or cooled air throughout the house—to be as clean as possible, you might consider hiring a company to clean them. Ducts extend from the furnace to every room, passing through basements, crawl spaces, and walls, and cleaning them entails vacuuming away dust and debris as well as eradicating mold (if present).
Although duct cleaning might lower unsafe particles in the air you breathe in some cases, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns that it may not make a detectable difference in houses without a visible duct system problem. Cleaning may, in certain cases, exacerbate the problem, depending on who handles the cleaning. Read on to learn five surprising things to know before cleaning your air ducts.
There Are Trusted Professional Companies and There Are Scammers
Although most areas have legitimate duct cleaning services, which are typically provided by experienced HVAC contractors, this business regrettably attracts con artists. Scammers may send out mailers or appear on your doorstep offering to clean your ducts for less than $100. Depending on the size of the residence, legitimate duct-cleaning services range from $500 to $1,500.
Once inside, scammers frequently claim to have discovered mold in the ducts and then demand more money to have it removed. These con artists may falsely claim to be members of NADCA or a professional HVAC association, according to the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA). Don’t take their word for it; check with the association to see if the business is a member.
Cleaning Your Ducts May Not Be Enough to Keep You Healthy
Pet dander, dust mites, trapped debris, and blown-in pollen are just a few origins of dust. While your home’s ductwork may contain dust, the particles tend to stick to the interior of the ducts and aren’t displaced when the furnace or air conditioner is turned on.
Dust particles can be found in higher concentrations in carpeting, upholstery, and draperies, and simply walking around the room might stir up more dust than the modest quantity that comes from your air ducts. Cleaning the ducts may not make a difference in indoor air quality, unless a family member is allergic to dust and you wish to take extra precautions beyond using a HEPA vacuum.
Dust on Registers Does Not Imply Dust in the Ducts
Scammers often use the technique of pointing out a layer of dust on the registers (the louvered metal grilles covering return-air ducts). While return-air registers are prone to dust accumulation, this does not imply that the inside of the air ducts is equally dusty.
The great majority of dust that gets sucked into the return-air register is captured by air filters installed behind the registers, ensuring that it never reaches the HVAC system. The best defense against dust entering the system is to change air filters when they become dirty. Cleaning the register is as simple as vacuuming with a brush attachment and wiping it down with a moist rag.
Incorrect Cleaning Can Cause More Problems Than It Fixes
Untrained personnel or con artists without the proper vacuuming equipment might remove dust that had previously stuck to the inside of the ducts and discharge it into your home. Only qualified HVAC inspection and cleaning professionals are capable of safely cleaning the ducts and venting the air outside of your home. Furthermore, an untrained technician might damage various types of ducts, such as insulated and flexible ducts, costing you money in duct repairs.
Duct Cleaning Is Not a DIY Project
If you’re handy, you might be interested in learning how to clean air ducts on your own. Removing floor registers and gently vacuuming away visible dust or debris from the duct right below the register on an annual basis is a good idea (usually a space eight to 10 inches deep). However, don’t try to push a vacuum hose farther into the duct. A well-intentioned homeowner, like an untrained service worker, might damage ductwork and release additional dust into the air.
When Should Your Air Ducts Be Cleaned?
Simply put, you should clean your ducts when there’s a major problem, such as mold in the air ducts, which can cause spores to be blown into your home’s living spaces. This can cause allergy-like symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, watery eyes, and other breathing problems.
Simply call Calvey Heating and Air if you notice a moldy or musty odor every time the furnace or AC is turned on. Mold thrives in damp or wet environments, so in addition to getting the ducts cleaned, you’ll need to identify the source of the moisture—perhaps a leaky pipe—and fix it.
Joe Calvey
Joe Calvey is the CEO & Founder of Calvey Heating & Air, a leading HVAC business in San Jose, serving San Francisco and the Greater Bay Area for over 18 years.
Under Joe’s leadership, the team at Calvey Heating & Air specializes in HVAC repairs and maintenance, new system installations in custom homes, new construction, existing home upgrades, and light commercial HVAC work.