Duct cleaning

I, too was considering this. Then I looked inside the ducts. I couldn't see anything that needed cleaning.

STeve

Reply to
SteveB
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Also depends on what the ducts are made of. The newer homes with the plastic spiral wrapped duct may not be able to be cleaned. The use a truck mounted vacuum and a rotary brush. At least the ones I have seen.

Reply to
SQLit

I had my ducts cleaned, regular round and suuare return units. The machine they used they said cost 15000, HEPA,,, but the 100 yr old dust they disturbed left me sick for 2 weeks. Duck cleaning can be bad.

Reply to
m Ransley

I had it done to my house a year or two after I moved in.

When the system was cleaned I didnt smell anything anymore when the system was first turned on for the season.

They hooked up a suction line to the main return duct and the main heat duct. The return was really the problem. So much crap in there over 50 years worth of time. The guys busted their ass and I filled up 3 or 4 bags worth of dust etc. I paid at that time about

300.00 for the service and have a total of 14 ducts in my home (6 returns)

Tom

Reply to
Sexytom976

The way they cleaned my ducts, for about 135, was as follows:

- attached a suction (giant hose) to the intake of my system, there is where they create the vacumn pressure and collect all the debris.

- they go to each vent and spray high powered air to push any debris through the ducts, and the vacumn pressure helps to send the debris to the vacumn.

- sterilizing the vents consists of spraying 'simple green' into your vents. (not effective as you can imagine).

The main place where there is debris, which is built up and may be of concern is the return duct. This is where the big vent which takes in air and sends it to your system for heat or cool. This is where the real debris is and where you get the bang for your buck. When they clean here your gonna hear lots of dirt and debris being sucked into the vacumn. The other ducts, are normally rather clean since air is always flowing through them and tends to keep debris and dust down..

I thought it was worth it and the return duct was really filthy and thick with buildup, afterwards it was all shiny.

one persons experience.

Reply to
Unknown

woops.. forgot one thing.. they may try and get you to pay for 'carbon dioxide buildup' and they may point to some orange stuff or similiar.. Dont do it, just trying to get a few bucks out of you.

Reply to
Unknown

What exactly do air duct cleaning people do? I see ads in the newspaper for $99 to clean typical forced-air homes, and it strikes me that they can't do much for that.

Can one do it himself?

TIA

Ed

Reply to
Jag Man

Many, Many different ways and techniques to do it. Many different price ranges too. Generally the $99ish stuff is a waste of your time and money. Several hundred dollars is more likely but it depends on who does it and how they do it. Basically, if you can get to every area of your ductwork and can see it as you clean it and have a good shop vac, you can do a fair job. Duct cleaning is very controversial. It depends on how dirty your duct work is and what exactly you are trying to have accomplished. Bubba

Reply to
Bubba

Most of the time they take your money by scaring you into thinking you need your ducts cleaned when you don't.

Why do you think you need your ducts cleaned? What are they constructed of (metal? any lining inside? flexible sections etc.?)

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

This is Turtle.

If you do something like this again buy you a bottle of Bio-Fresh and spray it in the return air grill while the blower is running and run the blower for 1 hour afterwards. This will sterilize any germs / virus / or bacteria that will make you sick in any way. it also kills oders for you have to have bacteria growing to make 90% of all oders in a house. this stuff does not kill the germs but only makes them Sterile and stops them from any growth for the life of that bacteria. If a Germ, Bacteria, or Virus can not grow it can not make you sick for growth is how it will make you sick. This same process is done with the flue shot you get every year. It is a sterilized Virus that is injected into you and your body fights it off but it can not grow because it is a sterilized Virus , so your body can kill it off real fast.

TURTLE

Reply to
TURTLE

"TURTLE" wrote

This same process is done with the flue

Well, not really. The injection contains dead flu virus, not live sterilized virus.

Reply to
Ed

Yes, if they rush through it, they will disturb more than they clean. Check with BBB for reliable businesses that do this work.

hth,

tom @

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Reply to
tom

Ha, Ha, Ha. Sucker, I paid for the aligator repellant three years ago, and my ducts are still aligator free!

later,

tom @

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Reply to
tom

When I cleaned ducts, it was an air brush. Imagine a thing plactic tub running to a hard ball of plastic. the ball of plastic has ports facing the tube, so when you run compressed air through it, it wants to move away from you(the tube holder). It will self snake down the duct and then you pull it out with the air on full blast. With that pressured air and a large hepa filtered vacum sucking, you really get a lot of junk out.

Use air since brushes can damage fiberglass and plastic ducts, and you can dial up and down air pressure depending on what the duct material is made of.

hth,

tom @

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Reply to
tom

Instead of the duct cleaning, remove the carpeting and install vinyl or wood floors--money well spent.

Reply to
Phisherman

If you contract with someone, be sure they specialize in Duct Cleaning. I recommend a particular Duct Cleaning Company in my locale because ive seen how they do the job : They use special brushes that whip around inside the rectangular trunk ducts and round branch ducts about every

6-8 feet , while a huge Suction Machine on a trailer is sucking thru a 12" round flexible duct connected to the supply/return air ductwork. (They drill 1" holes on the underside of the ducts and cover them with flush-mounted plugs when done). They pull the blower assembly out of the furnace and clean it/oil motor , as well as the blower compartment of the furnace . They remove all supply air/return air registers/grilles and wash them , and also use special brushes with Suction Machine down each opening . They start out with an empty Suction Machine reseviour that they show the customer before starting, and then after the process is completed. They average : 14-18 lbs. of dust/dirt/debris from a duct system. To be sure they did an adequate job, they put a remote controlled camera inside the main ducts that rolls along giving a video on a screen for the customer to see. Finally, if the customer has severe allergies to mold..they inject a mold killing agent into the duct system for an additional nominal fee. For a 2000 sq.ft home , they typically charge about $400 and it takes 2 men 4 hours to complete.

Conversely, there are 'duct cleaners' who use Leaf Blowers shooting air down each register for $99.95 .

Reply to
HVAC fella

This is Turtle.

If the virus was dead the body would not know it was there or not react to the virus. the Virus has to be alive but sterilized so the body can kill it off easily or react to it. here lately when they had trouble getting the flue shots. It was that the virus was still alive but '' not sterilized '' and could grow and give you the flue from the shot.

Doctor will tell you that it is a Dead virus because people would not take the shot if you told them that it was still alive. I have cousin that is a baby doctor and he was tring to talk me into giving me one of them flue shots.

TURTLE

Reply to
TURTLE

Dave the HVAC hack will do it for free if you let your kids play glass bottom boat with him

Reply to
fundies sux

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