How
to Clean Air Ducts Properly
Your Home - Your
Health | Filtration
& Purification Systems | Furnace
& AC Cleaning | Dryer
Vent Cleaning | Ozone
Treatments | UV
Lighting
Source removal, the
cleaning of pollutants in your air conveyance system, is an
important initial step in the overall plan of healthy indoor
air. Quite often, however, duct cleaning companies are not
cleaning properly - perhaps they do not understand fully what is
required, or are benefiting from the consumer's lack of
knowledge. This article is intended to educate the
homeowner on how to properly clean air ducts.
Tools
The biggest truck does the best job, right?
Wrong. A portable HEPA filtration vacuum positioned beside
your furnace does as good a job, perhaps better. This is
the biggest fallacy regarding the cleaning of air ducts - the
vacuum is not the most important aspect of duct cleaning - the
brushes and air tools used to dislodge the contaminants are
actually of most importance. Think of the blower motor in
your furnace - it's small but moves the air and dust around
quite adequately, does it not? Having established that the
tools used to dislodge material are of greatest importance we
have to turn our attention on the correct usage procedures.
Procedure
Just as misconceptions regarding equipment exist, so they do
in regards to procedure - just cleaning your air ducts is not
enough. If your air handling equipment, such as furnace
blower, is not cleaned, contaminants can re-enter your air
ducts. Although the order of work listed below can be
changed, all steps should be followed:
Step 1: Inspection of System
A visual inspection of the furnace and air conditioner as
well as return and supply air ducts is performed to confirm if
work is required, or if other problems exist.
Step 2: Clean the Furnace and Air Conditioner
The interior surfaces of the furnace and air conditioner are
cleaned, as is the furnace's blower unit and cooling coils
of the air conditioner.
Step 3: Clean the Supply and Return Air Registers and Grills
Registers and grill covers are vacuumed and cleaned.
The initial few inches of ductwork is vacuumed prior to
blocking ducts with register plugs.
Step 4 Clean the Supply and Return Air Ducts
A large vacuum, negative air machine, is attached at furnace
plenum. Mechanical agitation is required the entire length
of supply and return air ducts. Preferred method -
brushing or agitation combined with air.
Step 5: Inspection / Confirmation of Work
Your contractor should be able to visually show you that your
ductwork has been properly cleaned. Replace your furnace
air filter at this time.
By having your air ducts cleaned properly you should not have
to have them cleaned again for another four years under
normal circumstances.
