What exactly is duct cleaning? When it comes to cleaning your house, you mop the floors, vacuum the carpets, and wipe away the dust. However, your ductwork, being inaccessible, often remains untouched for years. Consequently, it accumulates dust and various contaminants that can pose health risks and contribute to a dirty home environment.
Curious About the Importance of Cleaning Air Ducts?
Duct cleaning involves addressing this issue by directly treating the surfaces within your ducts. It entails brushing and vacuuming out the accumulated debris, ensuring that the interior of your ducts is as clean as the rest of your house. Now, let’s delve into the reasons why homeowners opt for duct cleaning:
- Odor: Duct cleaning can help alleviate unpleasant odors that may emanate from the accumulated dust, pet dander, or other contaminants within the ducts.
- Allergies or respiratory symptoms: By removing the accumulated dust and allergens, duct cleaning can potentially improve indoor air quality, reducing the likelihood of triggering allergies or respiratory issues.
- Lingering smells: Sometimes, specific odors can persist in the ductwork, such as those from previous occupants, cooking, or smoke. Duct cleaning can help eliminate these lingering smells, enhancing the overall freshness of your home.
By addressing these three main reasons, homeowners often find value in scheduling duct cleaning services.
Let’s start with the first point, which is odor. Odors in your home can stem from various sources, such as construction materials or a musty smell originating from your crawl space. They may also result from external odors that find their way into your crawfish, attic, or duct system. Additionally, your furnace or heating system could contribute to the presence of odors. These smells can become more pronounced and discomforting if your ductwork remains untouched and uncleaned for an extended period. This is how dirty ducts can impact allergies. Our clients often report experiencing difficulty breathing and heightened allergy symptoms when they first turn on the furnace in the fall. This is because the system forces out air that carries dust and other particles along with it.
These particles are blown into your house and are sometimes visible as they emerge from the ductwork. Even if you can’t see them, you can certainly feel their presence, especially when sunlight filters through a window. These particles can significantly impede your breathing, making it much more challenging than it should be.
The third reason why individuals seek to have their ducts cleaned is due to unpleasant rodent smells. There are two main causes for this. Firstly, rodents may inhabit your ductwork, emitting undesirable odors. Secondly, rodents may perish either within the ductwork or in close proximity to it, resulting in a foul smell. If you ever encounter such odors, don’t hesitate to reach out to us. Our team of air duct cleaning specialists is ready to assist you in resolving this issue.
What are the Necessary Preparations for Duct Cleaning?
Homeowners often ask this question.
Firstly, it is crucial to ensure that our team has access to all the registers, including the return registers, which may be one or multiple. When we arrive at your home, we typically set up in the garage, especially for non-mobile homes. However, if it’s a mobile home, we will likely set up near the furnace inside the home. In some cases, where the furnace is located in the basement, we will need to set up there. We will remove all the registers during the cleaning process, and if they are dirty, we will take care of washing them for you.
The initial part of the duct cleaning process focuses on the return section, which is situated between the intake grill and your equipment. It is essential to address this area as many individuals express concerns about contaminants in their ductwork being pulled through their furnace or coil. To mitigate this risk, we will create an opening in the supply duct to connect our duct cleaning machine. This ensures that all the contaminants are directly suctioned into the machine, bypassing your furnace.
Following that, we meticulously clean every register, whether it’s located in the floor, ceiling, or wall, along with each duct branch connected to them. Additionally, if accessible, we provide an extra service of cleaning the blower in your furnace. Furthermore, we also attend to the cleaning of your dryer vent as a bonus.
Once we have completed the duct cleaning process and removed our equipment, our next step is to seal all the penetrations in the ductwork. This crucial step ensures that the ducts are airtight, preventing any new contaminants from entering.
Furthermore, we take pride in leaving your house in a cleaner state than when we arrived. If we come across any noteworthy findings during the cleaning process, we will bring them to your attention, utilizing pictures or videos to illustrate the specific issues or areas of concern.
It’s important to note that the duct cleaning machine can generate some noise, which may be more noticeable compared to your everyday household activities. However, please be assured that we will take every precaution to minimize noise disturbances. The good news is that while the duct cleaning process may take several hours, the actual operation of the machine typically lasts around two hours.
We often receive inquiries from homeowners who ask, “Will the duct cleaning machine create a lot of dust in the house?” It’s a valid concern, and the answer is no, there is no need to worry about that. The duct cleaning machine is designed in a way that exhausts all of its air outside, and it includes internal filters that effectively trap and filter out any dust particles. As a result, it is rare for any significant amount of dust to be stirred up within the home during the cleaning process. You shouldn’t have any problems with this.
Possibility of Duct Cleaning Causing Harm to your Ductwork or Home?
The answer is yes, and it’s essential to address these concerns. We acknowledge the legitimacy of complaints in this regard, and our objective is to minimize such issues by following the correct approach to duct cleaning.
One common concern raised by people is when contractors use excessively large duct cleaning machines. This can result in the collapse of ductwork, rendering the cleaning process ineffective and defeating the purpose of seeking professional assistance.
To address these concerns, we take specific measures to ensure the safety of your ductwork during the cleaning process. We have a range of equipment sizes available, allowing us to match the appropriate equipment to the size of your home, whether it’s a small residence or a large commercial building. This ensures that the pressure applied to your ductwork is correctly adjusted and tailored to its specific needs.
Regarding the concern about potential damage to the ductwork caused by the cleaning equipment, it is indeed a valid question. Unfortunately, such incidents do occur frequently.
To mitigate this risk, we employ a proactive approach. First and foremost, we conduct before and after video inspections of the interior of your ducts. These visual records serve as tangible evidence, showcasing the initial condition of the ductwork and the improved state after our cleaning process. This way, you have concrete proof that we have not caused any damage, and we leave your duct system in a better condition than when we initially arrived.
Types of Duct Cleaning Machines
It is crucial to consider the type of duct cleaning machines available, as there are various options in terms of size and quality. Unfortunately, some contractors use smaller duct cleaning systems that consist of a small vacuum and brush. However, this approach can lead to potential issues. The small brush used in these systems can cause damage to your ductwork, while the inadequate suction power of the small vacuum fails to effectively extract contaminants from your ducts.
Our commitment to providing effective duct cleaning service involves utilizing machines that are specifically designed to handle a wide range of contaminants. These machines are capable of extracting various objects, from items as large as pop cans and burger wrappers to tiny particles of dust. It is crucial to have the correct equipment for the task at hand, and we take great care in selecting the appropriate system that matches the unique requirements of your house.
Conclusion
Air duct cleaning is an essential procedure that should not be overlooked. If it has been a while since your air ducts were last cleaned, it is highly recommended to contact a professional air duct cleaning company in your vicinity. By doing so, you can ensure that your air ducts are thoroughly cleaned and maintained by experienced professionals who specialize in this service.
