Anybody ever had the ducts in their house cleaned?

We were supposed to have this done this A.M., and then of course, they called and said they were going to be late. I can't wait around with the kids so I said I would have to reschedule...which I did.

Anyway, the reason I ask is, they quoted us $500 and this seems awfully steep for a 1200 s.f. house. Or am I just being cheap? I am sure this is a great thing, because after fifty years there has got to be a lot of allergy irritating junk down there...but, I'm a penny pincher.

Thanks in advance,Laura

:D

We get offers in the mail occasionally for something in the $250-ish range, which includes one main line, one return, and several (10? 15?) vents.

However, the National Air Duct Cleaners Association has this on their web site:
"The Environmental Protection Agency 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" and type of duct material."

So I guess that's in the ballpark.

Try contacting the NADCA. They might be able to refer you to reputable, certified contractors in your area, so you can get a couple of quotes to find out what the going rate is in your area.
http://www.nadca.com/

We used to have it done in Houston on a regular basis because of all the mold.

It was something like $10 per vent, we had about 20 of them, and then a charge to spray this stuff which was, I kid you not, some kind of bacteria that eats mold. Charming, yes?

I don't think we ever were charged more than $250 for a 2400 sq. ft. house.

Of course, labor costs a bit more here in the Upper Midwest as compared to TX.

There are a few different methods. The company that quoted in the $500 range had a portable vacuum unit (about 2'x2'x4'high) that they wheeled into your house. It had an attachment with rotating brushes on the end that brushed the inside of the ducts as it vacuumed them out and a hose that sprayed a disinfectant in afterward. From the pictures they showed, the ducts would ne totally clean after the cleaning.

About 9 years ago, I had the ducts cleaned in my house (a different house) for about $200. They had a van with a vacuum unit inside with a big hose they ran into the house. They blocked all of the registers but one (on a rotating basis) and just sucked out the dust. It didn't work nearly as well as this process with the brushes seems to.

If it's the cleaning with the brushes, I'd say go for it. If not, look for somebody who uses the brushes.

Air alone won't generally agitate the gunk that's been collecting there for a zillion years and is now sticking to the duct walls.

But the truck mount versus portable thing is a wash. Both will work properly if used properly. The key is -- if it's a portable unit, it needs to have HEPA filtration. Otherwise, the mold and dust and dog hair and whatever that came out of your ductwork can be sprayed back into the air. Truck mounts generally exhaust outside, so HEPA isn't a must.

Some HVAC cleaning companies actually mount video cameras onto their equipment, so they can show you before and after pictures of your ducts. Pretty cool.

(I write about this kind of stuff for a living.)

HEPA filtration is a must. This compand had the cameras, too. I haven't decided who to go with for the furnace yet, but I still think the camera think is cool...

My previous house had baseboard electric heat, so I know nothing about the requirements for maintaining ductwork. I have what looks like semi-deflated insulation tubing running across my attic, and I can't imagine what brushes would do to it. I try not to think about how inefficient it might be.

with questions. You're the best!

Laura

The stuff that's hanging around in the duct work isn't hurting anybody, nor is it going anywhere. So why bother?

Just so you'll know I'm UNIONIZED as well.

In any event, I don't believe they are all that good. For the most part, most of the build up in the duct system is not removed.

Here's is what to do, this will do you much better than a duct cleaning.

Make sure you change your filters in your furnace. Spend a little more on a good filter, don just by the cheap ones. Get an electronic filter as well.

Remember, the build up in your duct is not going anywhere very soon, so don't worry about it, but do worry about a good filer system.

Here's another tip.
If you have a vacume, remove the registers and grills, and just clean as far as you can reach with your vacume. This is usually where lots of loose dust will lay.

I think duct cleaning is just a pure waste of time and money...sorry, that's how I feel...

Right now we have those Naturalaire filters in and my husband replaces them about every two months. He removes the vents every 6 months and sticks a leaf blower (on vacuum) to suck up dirt. He is fanatical about this whole thing, while I am a bit laid back and kind of raised my eyebrows at the whole thing. So I am glad you replied. Thanks Chuckup. :)

...which of course distinguishes this topic in no way from most, BUT... :)

We've saved a ton of money and had good clean air results with non-disposable electrostatic filters that you take off and vacuum or hose off every once in awhile. I didn't know they existed until last year.

I remember thinking of doing this once in NH, and contacting friends in the business (HVAC folks, heating contractors, etc.). Let's just say NONE of them found any validity in getting ductwork cleaned. Their response was pretty much what Chuckup said - just keep the filters clean and clean the vents (both hot air and cold air returns) as far as you can reach.

You may want to do a "Google" search on duct cleaning - I seem to recall some studies being done not too long ago that cast serious doubts on the credibity of same. Perhaps the only ones getting anything out of it are the ones cashing the check??

FWIW, remember the big deal not too long ago about radon testing? To this day people still do it, and recommend all kinds of fan systems to "solve" the problem. Well, guess what - if you want to "pass" a radon test, just open all the windows in the house for two hours before the inspector comes, and close them 5 minutes before he walks in. You'll "pass".

From a former resident of the Granite State.

Probably need the ducts in my seminal vessicles done too, but my house?
Nope.

Or did they use the "box fan and filter" method?

We paid about half that for the same square footage. I don't think we'll ever pay for that again - a good filter and vacuum the vents once in a while and that seems to work fine.

EPA`s Indoor Air Quality report "Should You Have the Air Ducts in Your Home Cleaned?" (http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/images/airducts.pdf">PDF)

--bkl

It disturbs the neighbors...

I've done this and it works pretty well.

First, buy a brand-spankin'-new 20-inch box fan. You can get them for as little as $10 in the springtime. They are harder to find now, but an acceptable substitute is an old, dirty box fan that you have meticulously cleaned up. (Just don't use any liquid in the motor!)

Then, buy a high-quality 20-inch allergy-spec air filter. The 3M Ultra Allergen Filtrete 1250 is the best-known. They usually cost $20 each, but I've seen them in discount home stores like Home Depot for as little as $7. Or call the 3M consumer line at 800-388-3458

Stick the filter on the INTAKE side of the fan with the AIR FLOW ARROW pointing IN TOWARD THE FAN. You'll be SUCKING the air IN through the filter.

Make sure the filter is flush with the box fan. Then seal up the sides where the filter meets the fans with W I D E cellophane tape. You can use Duct Tape, but it's much more difficult to clean up!

If you have really bad allergies, close up the vents, too. For most people, it really isn't necessary. Just cutting the ambient allergen load will usually help a lot.

For bad allergies, turn the fan on HIGH and let it run 24/7 (with occasional breaks to let the motor cool down). Most people don't need the air that clean.

IMPORTANT: Change the filter every 1-3 months, whenever you see a layer of dirt start to accumulate. A secondary, cheap fiberglass filter stuck on before the Filtrete filter can extend its life, but I was too lazy to ever do that.

According to most ear-nose-throat physicians who suggest this to their patients, it works much better than either duct cleaning or an expensive single-room HEPA filtered air recirculator.

Of course, if you get deathly ill from airborne allergens, you will need a medical-grade, high-output HEPA device, which will probably be paid for by your medical insurance. (If you have a good job, that is.)

Give it a try and let me know how it works for you!

--bkl
Ah-CHOO!

but don't do it regularly. I swear by electrostatic filters though - we can all tell when it's time to clean ours, everyone starts getting stuffy and headachy when it's been more than a month if the furnace is running regularly. Ours go in the dishwasher. It helps immensely (we all have asthma and allergies).

Our 7 room house that was foreclosed on was 10 years old and we had a problem with the flu(?) and we almost died from a gas leak.
When they clean the ducts make sure they check the flu(?).
We had a fireplace and they cleaned that as well and it was under $500.00 bucks and we were right outside of Chicago.