Duct Cleaning

[buggybuilder]

Does anyone have furnace duct cleaning done? Is it worth the money? They want about $500 to have it done here.
We have no allergies, just a dusty house.

[Storydude]

Yes.
Yes.
My home they got a 55gal barrel full of stuff out of the ducts. Including a 1968 Pepsi can and a dessicated Turtle.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

Sorry about your Turtle

[farmerjim]

If you have no problems, why bother.

[MT Gianni]

I believe a lot is dependant on the system operator and the humidity in the house. If the air is to dry for mold spores in general they will not grow in ducts. The current UMC and most furnace instructions void a warranty if the furnace is used to dry sheetrock. This has been in effect since the early 2000's. If the home is older than that it probably has a lot of construction crud in the ducts. Few furnace blowers will pull it into filters you need a stronger fan. If the builder did a good job of cleanup then you are ahead but may do not even sweep up old sheetrock screws before putting down pad and carpet. It is really up to you and what you can see about the building. Get a camera on a cable. pull a grill and see what you can see about them, or even just use a mirror. If it is due you should be able to tell.

[Petrol & Powder]

I've never understood why it is important.

If you had some specific problem, ... maybe? If the system is working what's to be gained? A little bit more airflow?
My guess is a 20 year old duct that's never been cleaned and one that was cleaned 6 months ago - will look pretty much the same.

[rondog]

You might be surprised what some homebuilders will stuff in the ducts, especially laborers that just might be bitter about building expensive houses that they could never afford. Scrap wood, soda cans, screws/nails, wire scraps, carpet scraps, drywall scraps, food wrappers, cig butts, use your imagination.....

[Bob in Revelstoke]

All of the above is true in one way or another. The most important question is "are they a reliable company who do honest work". Duct cleaning is one of the biggest home rip off rackets going. Unless you can supervise or at least watch what they are doing you can be taken to "the cleaners" in more than one way. Ask for references and check them. Contact your local BBB and see what complaints if any have been registered. How long have they been in business in your comunity or did they just appear and just as rapidly disappear. Remember, if you are not paranoid you are not paying attention.

[Mk42gunner]

I laughed the first few times I saw duct cleaners advertised on TV. Back in the dark ages when I was installing sheetmetal ductwork, every bit of supply side ducting was insulated.

Imagine what that little duct cleaning machine will do to exposed insulation. Not good.

The return side we didn't insulate, but why bother vacuuming only half of it?

Robert

[Ed K]

All of the above is true in one way or another. The most important question is "are they a reliable company who do honest work".


Second this - from the perspective of our company getting a lot of business from guys stepping/falling through ceilings :D

[DerekP Houston]

You might be surprised what some homebuilders will stuff in the ducts, especially laborers that just might be bitter about building expensive houses that they could never afford. Scrap wood, soda cans, screws/nails, wire scraps, carpet scraps, drywall scraps, food wrappers, cig butts, use your imagination.....

We found beer cans in the vents at my parents house after it was completed :D. I'd agree with doing your due diligence on the company hired, just like roof repair guys that appear outta nowhere after a storm and then disappear quickly.

[slim1836]

If you have flex duct, it may be just as cheap to replace the ducts as the cost of cleaning the existing.

Slim

[44man]

We have been here near 30 years and have an oil furnace with ducts. I ran the furnace one year to get rid of oil but the underground tank was still high. I bought a cheap hand pump and drained it, gave the oil to an old lady up town.
I heat with wood so the furnace is never used. Might have dust in it but how does air circulate in the ducts? All vents are kept closed.
Dust is funny stuff and needs brushed or broken loose to vacuum, A fan is useless. You can use a shop vac with a long hose and a brush to do as good a job.
I had gas cans in the barn, full of dust and webs, You can't put in front of any fan to clean. Purple Power sprayed on and a hose made them like new. The truth is soap and water only works and you don't want that in ducts. Save the money.

[Storydude]

They do not just vacuum them out. They apply a high pressure whip to every duct, breaking dust free which is collected before the exchanger.
A good company will remove and isolate the furnace from the ductwork and use a collection system like found in a woodshop tied directly into the return.

[Ickisrulz]

How often do you change your air filter? Have you looked inside your ducts?

If you have pets dust will always be an issue. We have two dogs and a cat and I am always dusting. I just painted and looked into my ducts. The ducts looked really clean.

If my ducts were really dirty (to the point where I felt they needed to be cleaned) I'd just climb up in the attic and replace them. I have access, can do the job myself and know flexible ducts are pretty inexpensive.

I'd not hire someone for $500 to do a job that I cannot observe or evaluate the quality of work. The whole idea stinks of snake oil.

[44man]

They do not just vacuum them out. They apply a high pressure whip to every duct, breaking dust free which is collected before the exchanger.
A good company will remove and isolate the furnace from the ductwork and use a collection system like found in a woodshop tied directly into the return.
That would work. How much dust gets in there. Seems sitting longer will have more.

[Storydude]

That would work. How much dust gets in there. Seems sitting longer will have more.
My house was built in the 20's, had central heat installed sometime in the 40's, upgraded who knows how many times, and at least was 1968 since they were cleaned.

They got a 55 gallon drum full of dirt and other items from a 1700Sq/Ft 2 level home.
I noticed a decrease in heating bills(probably from improved airflow) and allergies vanished. Plus, not as much dusting was needed in the winter anymore.

Would I do it yearly? No. I probably would't even do it every 5 years. But if it's never been done before, you will see an improvement.

[mold maker]

A properly installed system will have filters. Changing the filters is most definitely important. If that chore isn't neglected, the ducts will be clean.
Any construction debris is there from the beginning and is the mark of a contractor that doesn't care.
Duct Cleaning Companies that play off your unfounded fears are just blood suckers. If given a chance to inspect, I guarantee they will advise you that you desperately need it done to avoid impending serious health issues. Not one in a thousand will say you don't need it done.
Just like used car salesmen, your talking to them, so you need it.

[Hardcast416taylor]

We get it done about every 3 - 5 years by the same company. We`ve been here 33 years in a tri level home with half basement abd uses LP gas for heat and water heater. When we get it done the fella shows me the end result after the job is done, really amazing. Furnace filters don`t fit that well and let a certain dust get by and back into the house. We are almost 200 yds from our road and up on a knoll so road dust isn`t as bad as being next to a road. I consider this as home maintence as the same as I have the septic tank pumped out about every 12 years also.Robert

[chambers]

I have seen the before and after photos inside the same ductwork. IF the ducts are dirty have it done, good money well invested by a GOOD company.

[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.