Think of the ducts in your home as the “lungs” of your home. Air passes thru some of the ducts in the form of positive pressure. These ducts are known as supply ducts. Some air passes thru different ducts in the form of negative pressure. These ducts are known as return ducts. So, a duct system consists of both supply and return ducts. The return duct is almost always dirty because the air that goes thru it has not been filtered. A typical duct system will have both a supply trunk duct and a return trunk duct. Branches extend from each trunk. Some branches are supply, and some return depending on the trunk they are connected to.
Trunk ducts are commonly made of sheet metal and are rectangular in shape. Branch ducts are typically smaller and round. They are usually made of sheet metal or flexible material.
None of the ducts you can physically see inside to view how dirty they are unless an access hole is cut. Even with an access hole, it may be tough to see how much dirt, dust, and debris is in the duct.
If you can’t see in a duct, how do you know if they need cleaning? Here are some indicators:
- If you have floor supply registers, lift the register, and look in the duct. Do you see debris?
- If you have to dust what seems like too frequently.
- If you have dogs or cats, there is a good chance your ducts need cleaning.
- If you have to replace your air filter more frequently than usual.
- If you occasionally hear noises coming from the duct.
- If you have had a remodel project.
Now, what makes a good duct cleaning job? Only two critical things:
- Number one is the right equipment designed to clean ducts. This is not a job for a regular shop vacuum cleaner. Ideally, a good cleaning job consists of brushing the interior of the duct while, at the same time, a strong vacuum is in the duct removing particles dislodged by the brushes. Without the use of brushes, duct systems do not get thoroughly cleaned. Also, the brushes used must have the ability to get into square corners of rectangular ducts.
- The second and essential item for good duct cleaning is conscientious technicians performing the work. Duct cleaning is not an easy job. Some trunk ducts and some branch ducts will probably be hard to access. These may be the dirtiest ducts. You will probably never know if they were cleaned. Professional duct cleaning technicians will do whatever it takes to clean the hard-to-get ducts. This may require moving stored items in basements, furniture in rooms, and accessing ducts in crawl spaces, attics, and garages.
Due to access challenges, cleaning a small portion of a duct system may take 2-3 hours. A get-in-get-out carpet cleaner or chimney sweep typically does not take the time to access those hard-to-get-to ducts. They know that you will probably not know if the whole system was cleaned. These companies typically say that duct systems should be cleaned every year. However, with a thorough cleaning, you should not have to have them cleaned again for years unless you have a remodel project in your home.
The right cleaning equipment and conscientious technicians are the key ingredients for a good cleaning. Where do you get both of those? Anthony Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric has both of those and guarantees your house lungs (duct system) will be cleaned when we are finished, no matter how long it takes!