Air Duct Cleaning
A look at the options as well as the
importance of air duct cleaning and how much this process
can save you in the long run.
Air duct cleaning may not seem like
a vital part of owning a home or an apartment, but when
it comes to the air duct, if it is not cleaned regularly
and properly, there can be costly and grave effects as a
result. More and more, we are learning about air
pollution and its negative aspects. One of the ways in
which the indoor air of a home can be improved in
quality would be to have the air ducts cleaned. This
eliminates or reduces the dust and other pollutants
within the heating and cooling units of a home. Many
homeowners understand that this process is important in
terms of the upkeep and the quality of the indoor home
environment. Furnace cleaning is a major part of the
duct cleaning process.
There are a number of different components that make up
the heating and cooling system of the home. When a
person comes in to provide duct cleaning services, they
need to make sure that they clean all the pieces of the
system. If they do not do so when they are performing
the air duct cleaning process, then there will still be
some dirty and dusty areas within the system. Any
potentially positive aspects that the air duct cleaning
service may have been able to provide would likely be
cancelled out and negated due to the messy areas that
remain.
There are quite a few methods that
have been used by individuals when they perform the
process of air duct cleaning. While many of the people
that are trained in cleaning air ducts in one specific
method, this is not the only one available. Still, it is
the one that is almost always used because of its
efficiency and effective nature. This is the method that
is used by associations that are involved in the duct
cleaning process that are especially concerned with
making sure that the job as done right. These are
referred to as the industry’s standards.
When it comes to duct cleaning or furnace cleaning, the
first thing that the service provider will need to do is
use specialized tools that he has received training
with, in order to remove all of the dirt, pollen, debris
and other airborne pollutants from the inside of the air
duct and the furnace. Once all of the material has been
removed from the pieces, the individual can begin to
remove all of the loose particles from the air duct.
This is performed with the help of a very powerful
vacuum cleaner that is designed with high standards in
mind. The vacuum cleaner works to remove all of the
material that has been scraped off and knocked off of
the insides of the pieces of the air duct, and then in
some cases a chemical component is added to the inner
lining of the air duct and furnace in order to help
prohibit the collection of debris inside, maximizing the
potential for the air duct to remain clean. It is
important to note that the chemicals should not be used
until the inside of the air duct has been properly and
sufficiently cleaned and all loose debris has been
removed.
Depending on type of method that is
chosen by the individual, the price for their air duct
cleaning or furnace cleaning will vary. Not only does
the method help to establish a basic price range, but
these other factors will help as well: type of system,
size of system, how long it will take to complete the
duct cleaning process and how long the worker invests
him or herself in the process of duct cleaning. Not all
companies take all of these things into consideration,
but they do rely heavily on one or more of these topics
in order to come up with an estimate. In addition, one
may consider how difficult or easy it is to access a
unit that needs to be cleaned, the climate of the area
that the house is situated in, and the level of focus or
concentration that the worker requires in order to
successfully complete his job.
Whoever may be performing the air duct or furnace
cleaning process will likely also affect the price. Most
often, the specific dollar amount can range anywhere
from $450 to over $1,000. If a person has been able to
set up a quality reputation in the field of duct
cleaning, then odds are they will be able to charge a
higher fee for their air duct cleaning services.
However, their competition may not be able to charge as
much, simply because they do not have the same clout
that their duct cleaning competition has been able to
create.
Sometimes it can help to have a
checklist if you are trying to decide whether or not to
have the air ducts in the home cleaned. Here are some
key points that would go on to support having the air
ducts of the home cleaned by an individual that is
trained and educated in duct cleaning procedures. First
of all, this should be a consideration if the insides of
your air ducts are in the habit of expelling actual
pieces of dust and debris from the air vents in the
home. Furnace cleaning is usually a good way to get rid
of this uncomfortable problem.
Next, a person may want to consider this furnace
cleaning option if they have been able to find either
any mold or any traces of mold within the air duct. This
is very dangerous since there are actually a few kinds
of mold that have toxic spores that can make individuals
very sick, and potentially even culminating in a
fatality. Lastly, a person may want to consider whether
or not they have any rodents or other pests in their air
ducts before deciding about having the air ducts
cleaned. Mice and other small animals are liable to try
to set up shack in someone else’s home. It is important
not to allow mice and other creatures to make their
homes in your air duct because they can carry diseases
and cause other problems.
In many instances, there are
requirements that are put on the individual if they want
to be able to perform the duct cleaning processes. While
not all individuals that participate in furnace cleaning
are required to be certified – for example, if a husband
or wife is in the process of performing duct cleaning
procedures on their own home, or if an individual is
cleaning an air duct for a friend without accepting
payment, it is often recommended that the individual
does receive some type of education when it comes to
formally and professionally practicing air duct cleaning
operations. In some areas, these individuals can benefit
from joining their local or neighborhood union. Unions
are established for workers that want to ban together in
order to make sure that they are able to get all the
benefits and promotions that they are entitled to. While
it is not a requirement to be a part of a union, it is
often a highly beneficial idea because of the fact that
unions are able to work in an effective manner to get to
members the benefits that they deserve on the job.
The cleaning process that needs to
take place is a fairly complicated and challenging task,
which is part of the reason that the individuals
performing the air duct cleaning processes are paid as
well as they are. The work is not always easy, but it is
fairly taxing and it is time consuming. In most
instances, the amount of time that it takes a person to
be able to properly complete the air duct cleaning and
furnace cleaning procedures is relevant to the amount of
time that the individual has been doing the job. For
example, a person that has been doing air duct cleaning
work for five years is likely to be more efficient than
an individual that has been doing duct cleaning work for
five days. The length of time will also be based on the
size of the system that is being cleaned, since
obviously a larger system will typically take longer to
clean, assuming that the level of dirt on the air duct
pieces is relatively similar. All in all, many people
would say that the entire process should be asked of the
specific company that will be used in order to get an
accurate answer. For a larger home, even for a crew of
two individuals, it can still take almost an entire day
to get the entire air duct cleaning and furnace cleaning
procedure steps completed in an acceptable manner.
Smaller homes with fewer vents and air duct passages may
only take an hour or two. It is best to ask specific
companies for a specific answer.
Once air duct passage ways are
cleaned and the furnace cleaning steps have been taken,
one will be able to notice the many benefits of having
air duct cleaning services performed in the home or
business. If debris had previously been coming out of
the air ducts, this will cease, making the environment
much more enjoyable for many individuals that are living
or working in the area of an air duct or vent. Many of
the surface areas will be visibly cleaner, and the air
quality of the home should have undergone a dramatic
improvement. For example, a great many system failures
occur due to dust and dirt buildup. Also, the air duct
cleaning processes are found to help increase the
efficiency of the air duct, vents and furnace of a home.
This means that individuals are able to save more money
on their monthly utility bills in some cases.
The American Lung Association is also alleged to have
information backing up the fact that in 1976, 29 people
were killed by Legionnaire’s Disease which was actually
spawned from the air conditioning ducts in an area. In
the area of Los Angeles, the summer of 1988 brought nine
more deaths as a result of the same disease, expected to
have been spread in the same manner.
The duct cleaning process does not
need to occur very often, and in fact many people can
wait years between having the process performed if there
are no overwhelming problems. In some families, when
there is a person who suffers from allergies or asthma,
they can tell that it is time to have something done
about the quality of the air in the room because of the
problems that they are having.
When there is a large growth of mold that is noticeable
this is a huge indication that there is something that
is in your air duct passageways that does not need to be
there and should not be there. Other than that, there
are very few things that would or should set off warning
bells in an individual’s head that they need to have the
air duct cleaning team come in to make sure that the
quality is at the level that the individuals desire it
to be.
If a person has owned a home for a number of years and
they have never had the air duct compartments cleaned
and a furnace cleaning has never been scheduled, than it
may be beneficial either to have duct cleaning
professionals over to the house in order to rectify the
situation, or at least to come over and offer a
consultation and an estimate for the services that may
be rendered at a later date.
The best way of weeding out bad duct
cleaning companies is to ask, is the work is being
contracted out. Almost 90% of duct cleaning companies in
and around Montreal contract the work out. The
work between contractors and non-contractors is night
and day. The usual work load of a hired contractor is
very high resulting in rush or not properly cleaned
ducts.
Our choice for a good
professional and honest duct cleaning in Montreal is
DuctMasters. They can be reached at 514-826-7223