Community Discussions
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Is air duct cleaning a scam?
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Hi everyone, I recently purchased a house (built in 1979), is it worth having the air ducts cleaned? I’ve read conflicting articles regarding if it’s good to do. My HVAC tech stated that they are pretty dirty. Any advice? Thanks!
Top Comment: “Duct cleaning has never been shown to actually prevent health problems. Neither do studies conclusively demonstrate that particle (e.g., dust) levels in homes increase because of dirty air ducts. This is because much of the dirt in air ducts adheres to duct surfaces and does not necessarily enter the living space. It is important to keep in mind that dirty air ducts are only one of many possible sources of particles that are present in homes. Pollutants that enter the home both from outdoors and indoor activities such as cooking, cleaning, smoking, or just moving around can cause greater exposure to contaminants than dirty air ducts. Moreover, there is no evidence that a light amount of household dust or other particulate matter in air ducts poses any risk to your health.” https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/should-you-have-air-ducts-your-home-cleaned
Duct cleaning...is it legit?
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I see businesses offering duct cleaning but have heard that it's overrated...thoughts?
Top Comment: I recently removed my air intake register (can't remember precisely what it's called) to clean it and was confronted by a horrifying portal to hell. So I'm questioning the conventional wisdom that ducts shouldn't be cleaned.
Duct Cleaning - Is it Bullshit?
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Title. Is it bullshit? Has anyone here ever seen or done IAQ tests before or after? I obviously have seen all the shit stuck inside of ducts before, but how much of that "stuck" stuff is actually gettin into the air travelling through the ducts? Dosen't stirring up the ducts by cleaning actually potentially make all that stuff come looks and possibly actually DEcreasing the airborne dust levels (at least temporarily?) People keep asking me about duct cleaning, so I'm trying to get some more info on again, whetherd or not or to what degree it's valid / bullshit. Thank you.
Top Comment: We work with a third party company that does them and it’s 100% not bullshit with this company. But we used to do it ourselves with a roto brush machine and it was 100% bullshit. So it entirely depends on how it’s done
Is duct cleaning worth it?
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Moved into a new (to us) house last spring. We’ve noticed that the house is super dusty. The A/C and furnace were replaced in July and we went with a bigger air filter (20x25x5) hoping it would cut down on some of the dust in the house. After a few months, I can’t tell that it’s made a huge difference. So that makes me wonder if the ducts in this 40 year old house are in desperate need of cleaning? Does cleaning the duct work really provide much of a benefit or does it create a bigger mess, by simply loosening the crud that’s already built up?
THANKS!
Top Comment:
If the air isn't bothering you now then don't bother. Of course the cleaners will pull out a bunch of shit to show you. That's for the shock factor. Any duct system more than a few years old is going to look dusty and dirty.
The EPA actually has a great article on this subject.
Duct cleaning may be beneficial for ducts clogged by dust, ducts from which dust enters the home, or for ducts that are infested with mold.
first HVAC duct cleaning: what to expect?
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Please be kind. Im a new home owner and I’ve only ever lived in apartments before. This house was a rental before I purchased it, so I’m inheriting some out of state landlord-level maintenance (or lack thereof).
I have HVAC and dryer duct cleaners coming this week. Is there anything I need to do to prepare? Do they need to go into every room that has a vent, or can I corral my pets into one room while they work? Thanks for kind thoughtful answers.
Top Comment: Is there a specific reason for "needing" duct cleaning? The EPA recommends against it in most cases and there's no evidence that doing so prevents health problems. Were filters not used? Was there a severe animal/insect infestation? Tons of evidence of mold? Check the EPA advice on this topic before spending your money. This industry is fairly predatory, it's perfectly ok to have some dust in your ducts.
Is it worth it to get your air ducts cleaned?
Main Post: Is it worth it to get your air ducts cleaned?
Top Comment: The only reason to clean the ducts more than once a decade or so is if any of the following are true. You have several pets that shed a lot You live in an area that is extremely dusty or has a LOT of pollen You or someone else in the house has severe allergies. Generally you can avoid the expense of duct cleaning if you change your filter(s) religiously.
Best HVAC Duct Cleaning Company - Reddit
Main Post: Best HVAC Duct Cleaning Company - Reddit
Duct Cleaning Estimate
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We’re getting our home ducts cleaned for the first time and received an estimate but don’t know if it’s fair or not.
We have 11 air ducts and 1 return box. Our home is approx 2000sqft. What do ya’ll think - is this pricing normal? High? Low?
Top Comment: Not only should you not pay these jokers, you shouldn’t pay anyone to run a power drill spinner brush through flexible ducting. You can expect to pay 5x that to have the ducts replaced from all the new holes torn in them.
Is "duct cleaning" a real "thing?
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Is "duct cleaning" a real "thing? We need help figuring out whether to have our son pay for "duct cleaning". In July, he moved into a two-story, 1932 built 3 BR home in southern NJ; newer natural gas "forced hot air" heating and "central ac" cooling system. The ac worked great for the summer and early fall, but now he's having trouble getting any heat into 2 of the bedrooms. There is only one zone ... thermostat is on the wall in the living room on the first floor. Heat is fine downstairs and in the primary bedroom. Vents are all open and neighbors recommended he call his HVAC contractor to have the ducts cleaned. Other neighbors say "duct cleaning" is a scam. We (parents) are no help with recommendations because we have radiator hot-water heating and still use window units for cooling. TIA for sharing your homeowners' wisdom!
Top Comment: It is technically a real thing, but I’ve never once heard of it helping with airflow. You should have him call an HVAC company to look at it, 9/10 times it’s a problem with the system (over/undersized) or problem with the airflow (messed up ducting). The other time, it’s lack of insulation in the room (it’s harder to heat than cool). Duct cleaning is mainly useless, unless you genuinely have a mold infestation or crazy amounts of dust in your duct—but that’s super rare.
How often do you get your vents cleaned? : r/homeowners
Main Post: How often do you get your vents cleaned? : r/homeowners