Duct Cleaning - SPORES Found

I just moved into a new house. I believed the past owners were smokers. New paint and carpet has taken care of most of the smell but I figured a duct cleaning might help.

The Duct Cleaning Tech came to me a few minutes after he started. He was all worked up. Said he found some "spores and mold" and all it took was just one spore. Having seen the King Of The Hill episode several times I could hardly contain my laughter. I knew it wouldn't take him long to get to the money part and he didn't disappoint me. He had 3 different treatments he could do to make my home safe. Each treatment was $100 a pop. Which was best? Well, that didn't matter, as long as I used 2 different treatments I would be safe. When he described what he could do, it sounded so much like King of the Hill I started to tear up. And that go me one free disinfection treatment. I told the guy that I didn't need any other treatment because my house was going to be tented and sterilized to treat the Mexican Blood Mite infestation I had in my house.( I was having fun at his expense I know).

But the bottom line is now I'm thinking I probably shouldn't have even gotten the ducts cleaned. It cost me $65 and they did "something" for a few hours.

What is the general opinion on duct cleaning?

AB

Reply to
April Buro
Loading thread data ...

For 65$ he couldn`t of done much of anything worth while, what did he do in 2 hrs, to bad you didn`t see for your self issues and work performed.

2 hrs might get your coil cleaned good, but not all the ducts. I had mine done I guess it was a good idea but disturbing the sealed dust made me sick for days after. I had 2 guys with a 7000$ hepa vacume as large as a refrigerator spend 6 hrs on a small house on all ducts and returns. Was the AC coil and area cleaned good, maybe you need a real service tech out to just check the operation of your system and look things over and point out any real cleaning issues to you.
Reply to
m Ransley

Spores, mold, and bacteria are everywhere all the time.....except inside an autoclave after it's done with it's steralization cycle

You got took for a ride on the turnip truck

Reply to
the Truth Squad

My opinion: There is a legitimate need in a few cases. Most cases don't need it. Most duct cleaning outfits will find a need almost every time.

Reply to
Joseph Meehan

Mold normally grows in environment over 80% relative humidity or liquid water. Normally it takes at least 2 days of continuous high humidity to grow mold. Some molds take longer periods of high humidity than that. Mold spores are required too, but they are everywhere, except maybe the middle of the desert. Most molds require temperatures between 40 degrees and 120 degrees F. The only thing you can really control to stop molds is humidity. Any thing else that hurts mold hurts people too, or makes them very uncomfortable.

Stretch

Reply to
stretch

I would have asked to see the spores..LOL

Cheap...

Next time, tell em fleas....take it from someone that got under a home one time with a SEVERE flea problem..he would have been packing and striping on the way back to his van...

Something is right...you didnt get anything for $65. What type of ducts do you have? Flex? Metal?

Most of the time, people who call for duct cleaning get exactly what you got..nothing but a lighter wallet. If you have flex duct, and the odor is what you want to remove, you remove and replace all the ducts, have the unit serviced, and cleaned, and then, if you are worried about some mold, since a small bit of mold is in EVERY home, you install a couple of UV-C band lights to kill what ever passes in the airstream.

As a sidenote....when we see mold, and I dont mean what we would call a normal amount, based upon the history of the machine..if its never been serviced, there might be quite a bit..but I mean the nasty fluffy crap all over the insides of it, we take air readings of the unit, with a petri dish, allow the sample to grow for up to 72 hours, and its sent off for testing. over 3/4 of the time its not a thing to worry about. Even when the duct cleaning companies have been out and screamed all about how evil the stuff is...how its GOT to go.... Mold needs 3 things: Food, water, and dark. Remove any one of the three, and its gone, or reduced.

Reply to
webmaster

You are fortunate indeed. If he reported you to the authorities, they would have burned the house down to destroy that spore. The world could have become over run with spores.

You should have given him a recipe for making sourdough bread since he collets spores.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

You are a fool!

All you did is keep the duct cleaning crooks in business for one more day and it did nothing for you or your environment.

Don't encourage them.

JimL

Reply to
JimL

It's a loss-leader to sell mold-abatement.

Reply to
HeyBub

I wouldn't mind cleaning my coil. Is it something a home owner can do? Would you flush water into the pipe that the condensation comes out of?

Steve

Reply to
Steve Huckaby

Steve,

What would one look for when they searched for the lights? I wouldn't guess you could find one at Home Depot could you? Would you just wire it and put it in the air intake with some kind of switch to turn it own with the AC/Heat?

Thanks Steve

Reply to
Steve Huckaby

formatting link

Actually, they used to carry in some markets a really cheap ( I mean, like crappy) unit that I have replaced at least 10 of that failed in teh first two years...and I dont mean the bulbs..the controller. They used old tech, and just didnt cut it.

Some of the early ones used a themister to turn them on, and off, the better ones stay on all the time. If it helps...sold many a one in here to people that cant buy them over the counter...most places wont even think of it due to liability issues.

Reply to
webmaster

HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.