How are Air Ducts Cleaned?

With the start of the summer, your air conditioner is going to click into high gear! Just like other machines, your cooling system will function better with proper maintenance. Despite frequently replacing filters, your home’s air conditioning system gets dirty, and air ducts cleaning are an ideal hiding spot for dust, air pollutants, and dirt to stay. Ducts can be contaminated with air pollutants that are not only harmful to indoor air quality but can also slow down the system. That will increase energy bills and decrease the lifespan of the air conditioning system. 

Air duct cleaning can eliminate all allergens from your pipes. It is desirable to do about every three to five years to have your home air and unit healthy. If you are thinking of cleaning your ducts, don’t go for DIY. There is the professional equipment required to clean the duct efficiently. That’s why you need to know the whole cleaning process to understand it.

What is the required equipment for air duct cleaning?

Professionals use different types of equipment, including small tools to heavy-duty machines. First of all, they may have inspection tools like mirrors or cameras to go all the way into all corners of the duct system. The other cleaning tools can be brushes, vacuums, or other devices for extracting debris and pollutants.

Pre duct inspection

After professional cleaners come to your place, they’ll inspect the air duct for two main reasons. First, they can evaluate the level of buildup already and verify the difference after cleaning. Professionals mostly use the camera with flexible cables to check the buildup and condition of the air duct. 

The other reason for inspection is that technicians have the opportunity to check if their ductwork made any leakage and damages.

Generating negative pressure

Professionals use a large or truck-mounted vacuum system to suck debris and pollutants from the air vent. These heavy-duty vacuums create negative pressure in your vents. Professionals must hook the vacuum collection device’s hose to a duct near the air handler. After creating negative pressure, the particles inside will be sucked into a collection device. 

Removing settled dust 

A professional cleaner goes through the cleaning process vent by vent by using powerful vacuuming machines. They also have tools with rotating brushes and compressed air tools to move settled dust. Professionals clean the supply side ducts and return them. This will blast dirt and debris down the branch lines into the main lines. As technicians need access to the return and register, you have to guide them to those parts of the home.

Clean remaining system

After cleaning your ducts and air vents, they will inspect the remaining air conditioning system. That involves the furnace, blower motor, drain pan, and evaporator coil. Cleaning these elements and cleaning or replacing the filter will improve the air quality and prolong the life. It will also improve the performance of your HVAC system. Professionals from reputable companies clean up your place like before after finishing their work. They inspect the air duct system once again to make sure they haven’t missed any spot or created any damage to the system.

You should have conducted a thorough cleaning every three to five years. It only takes five to six hours or maybe less. Hiring professional and experienced service may cost more than having uncertified technician charges or doing it yourself, and the results of a cleaning performed by professionals’ best methods will be worth your time and cost.

A well-trained technician will complete the job completely and accurately, guaranteeing that your ductwork turns up clear and safe. Hire the best duct cleaning services to make sure that you get service that meets the standard for excellence.

For clearing your vision more about duct cleaning, here are some mostly asked questions.

Are chemicals used in the duct cleaning process? 

The answer is no. Professionals avoid using chemicals unless required by an industrial hygienist. Technicians don’t recommend using anti-microbial solutions even if homeowners order the application due to microbial growth. They use other hygienic methods to remove microbes without infecting the environment. 

Why do professionals need to cut holes in the ductwork?

Professionals need to cut an eight-inch hole in the mainline to create negative pressure on the system to clean it accurately. However, the hole will be sealed after the cleaning process is done.

Is air duct cleaning worth it? 

If you do care about the health and safety of yourself, your family, or building residents like workers or pets, then yes! Duct cleaning services use specific vacuums, cleaning products, and brushes to clean your system’s airflow pathway. The duct cleaning not only secures the indoor air quality of your home but also boosts energy efficiency that decreases power bills.