Duct Cleaning

[Ken in Iowa]

I spent 25 years in the HVAC business. It is unbelievable what collects in ductwork.

There are many variations in duct material, methods and design. What is typical in Iowa is much different than Texas, Florida or the far north.

As for cleaning contractors, quality and workmanship vary just as any trade. We used and recommended an excellent company for many years with complete satisfaction.

[DerekP Houston]

so we just have the cheap inwall filter, not the high grade media seperator yet. Last HVAC tech that came out showed me to tape around the filter and it really does cut down on the amount of dust that slips around my unit. With a 20 yr old unit I couldn't justify another $2k worth of upgrades until it gets fully replaced.

[Huskerguy]

We have been doing some remodeling for several years. Currently I am in the basement and pulled down several ducts and could not believe how much dust was in them. Our home was built in 1959. I will clean about 25% of them just by doing this work but not the rest. I think it will definitely be worth it for several reasons - keeps dust out of your nose and off your furniture.

[dragon813gt]

I'm in the HVAC business. Duct cleaning is snake oil. Any company that cares about their customers will tell you so. Lots of companies use it during slow times to bring in money. This should tell you all you need to know.

The only way to clean your ducts is to pull them down and wash them out. You can't clean fiberboard or flex duct. Once a layer of dust is down it stays down.

You are way ahead of the game if you take the money and install a high efficiency air cleaner like an AprilAire Spacegard. Changing your filter often is the best thing you can do to keep your system running in top shape.

[Storydude]

Just like you think your carpets are clean....until you buy a new vacuum.