Duct cleaning is a regular part of preventive maintenance for your home and work facility. Just like changing the oil in an automobile, regular duct cleaning increases the heating and cooling efficiency of your HVAC system. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, up to 40% of residential heating and cooling energy is wasted. By cleaning your ducts regularly, you reduce your heating and cooling energy costs by as much as 11%. Read this article and research from the NADCA to learn more. Indoor air quality is a concern for homeowners, rental property owners, employees, and managers. The HVAC system is the lungs of your home and work facility and as such, needs to be kept clean and maintained. Click here to learn more about how air quality issues affected a local school. The typical six-room home produces up to 40 pounds of dust each year. Dust is the accumulation of organic and non-organic matter – like insects, skin cells, mites, pollen and more. Your HVAC system circulates this air up five times each day.

The Environmental Protection Agency claims that indoor air has been found up to 70 times more polluted than outdoor air. We spend 60% to 90% of our time indoors. Mold needs three things to survive: Moisture, Nutrients (such as dirt, dust, animal dander, cellulose construction debris from building), and a Surface to grow on. Your ductwork interior can become an unknown breeding ground for fungi, germs, and mold. Better Health Magazine states that, "1 out of 6 people who suffer from allergies do so as a direct result of fungi and bacteria in the air duct system." Studies have confirmed that contaminated air ducts spread some disease, including salmonella, strep, and legionnaires disease. We clean brand new homes, hospitals and schools before they even open and extract gallons of drywall dust, construction debris, worker sandwiches, etc. If you see it on the vents, you likely have dirty ducts. Often owners of homes and buildings state that dust is always on the trim work and they have to dust constantly.

Every time your HVAC system kicks on these contaminants are often released out of the dirty ducts and into your building or home. Frequency of cleaning depends on several factors, not the least of which is the preference of the home owner. Some of the things that may lead a home owner to consider more frequent cleaning include:best air purifiers in singapore The amount of time it takes to clean a residential HVAC system depends on many variables such as the size of the home, the number of systems, the extent of the contamination and the number of HVAC cleaners performing the job. lg room air purifierAsk at least two contractors to inspect your system and give you a time estimate for your particular system. usb water air purifier

This will give you a general idea of how long the job should take as well as an idea of how thoroughly the contractor plans to do the job. A typical 2,000 sq. ft. home averages 4-5 man hours to complete the cleaning. At Dirty Ducts Cleaning, we make pricing simple. Residential duct cleaning customer pricing is based on your homes finished square footage and number of furnaces (if more than one). You know your exact duct cleaning price before we arrive. You avoid hidden costs and surprises later. Please contact us with your home's square footage and location for a free phone or email estimate. If you don't know your home's finished squared footage, do not worry, we can look it up for you on the local assessor page. Commercial duct cleaning customers can contact us to discuss your building's HVAC system. Often we will arrange a site visit with one of our estimators. This can be done during normal business hours and is followed up with a written proposal. Also, if HVAC blue prints are available, we can often create an estimate off of these if you would like to email them.

An onsite visit may still be required. Consumers should beware of "bait and switch" air duct cleaning companies. These companies often charge what appears to be a lesser fee and then once they have their foot in the door they add costs for additional duct mains, additional vents, charging for upper and lower return vents signally, etc. In the end your bill can be 2 to 4 times higher than the original estimate. Be sure to be aware of all hidden charges and small print before booking. Consumers should also beware of “blow-and-go” air duct cleaning companies. These companies often charge a nominal fee and do a poor job of cleaning the heating and cooling system. These companies may also persuade the consumer into unneeded services with and/or without their permission. (If you have knowledge of a practicing “blow-and-go” or "bait and switch" air duct cleaner, contact your local Better Business Bureau to report the company, and your local, federal, and state elected officials to demand legislation.)

The following questions are most commonly asked by air duct cleaning consumers, according to the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA): Are there any health benefits that come from cleaning of air ducts? Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems have been shown to be a collection source for a variety of contaminants that have the potential to affect health, such as mold, fungi, bacteria, and particles of dust. The removal of such contaminants from the HVAC system and home should be considered as one component in an overall plan to improve indoor air quality. How often should residential HVAC systems be cleaned? Frequency of cleaning of air ducts depends on several factors, including: Amount of people experiencing  allergies or asthma symptoms when indoors Severity of allergies or asthma symptoms Number of pets that shed high amounts of hair and dander Evidence of water damage or contamination to the home or HVAC system

After home renovations or remodeling Smokers in the household History of a home (schedule air duct cleaning before you move into a new home) How should residential HVAC ductwork be cleaned? The most effective method of cleaning of air ducts is through “Source Removal.” This requires a contractor to place the system under negative pressure through the use of a specialized, powerful vacuum. While the vacuum draws air through the system, devices are inserted into the ducts to dislodge any debris that might be stuck to interior surfaces. The debris are pulled into the vacuum and removed from the system and the home. What are the antimicrobial chemicals and why would they need to be used? Antimicrobial chemicals are applied by some companies to the interior surface of the air ducts, to treat microbial contamination such as fungi (mold), viruses or bacteria. Before any antimicrobial chemicals are used, the system should be thoroughly cleaned. It is critical that any antimicrobial treatment used in your system be registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) specifically for use in HVAC systems.

The use of antimicrobial chemicals is considered additional and not part of a typical cleaning of air ducts. What criteria should I use when selecting an air duct system cleaner? Verify that the company is certified by NADCA to perform proper cleaning of air ducts, is a member in good standing and properly insured. Ask if the company has the right equipment to effectively perform cleaning of air ducts, and if the company has done work in homes similar to yours. Get references from neighbors if possible. What is the normal price range for cleaning of air ducts? The U.S. EPA says that “duct cleaning services typically – but not always – range in cost from $450 to $1000 per heating and cooling system, depending on the services offered, the size of the system to be cleaned, system accessibility, climactic region, and level of contamination.” Type of duct material is also taken into consideration. Consumers should beware of air duct cleaning companies that making sweeping claims about the health benefits of cleaning of air ducts – such claims are unsubstantiated.

Consumers should also beware of “blow-and-go” air duct cleaning companies. These companies often charge a nominal fee and do a poor job of cleaning of air ducts. What kind of equipment is best for cleaning of air ducts? Truck mounted vacuums or portable vacuums? NADCA does not endorse one kind of equipment over another. There are two main types of vacuum collection devices: (1) those mounted on trucks and trailers and (2) portable units. Truck/trailer mounted equipment is generally more powerful than portable equipment. However, portable equipment can often be brought directly into a facility, allowing the vacuum source to be located closer to the ductwork. Both types of equipment will clean to NADCA standards. All vacuum units should be attached to a collection device for safe containment prior to disposal. Any vacuum collection device which exhausts indoors must be HEPA filtered. A vacuum collection device alone will not get an HVAC system clean. The use of methods and tools designed to agitate debris adhered to the surfaces within the system, in conjunction with the use of the vacuum collection device(s), is required to clean HVAC systems.

(For example: brushes, air whips and “skipper balls.”) How can we determine if the cleaning of air ducts was effective? The best way to determine if the air duct cleaning was effective is to perform a visual inspection of the system before and after cleaning. If any dust or debris can be seen, the system should not be considered cleaned. While you can perform your own visual inspection using a flash light and mirror, a professional cleaning contractor should be able to allow you better access to system components and perhaps the use of specialized inspection tools. In addition, following this post-cleaning check list can help to ensure a top quality job. How long should it take to clean a typical residential HVAC system?Ask at least two contractors to inspect your system and give you a time estimate. Why should I choose a NADCA member for cleaning of air ducts? NADCA Members have signed a Code of Ethics stating they will do everything possible to protect the consumer, and follow NADCA Standards for cleaning to the best of their ability.