There are huge differences in the way air duct cleaning companies will service a home. Understanding these differences can help you learn what to ask a company when exploring air duct cleaning services. Here are five things to consider when having your ducts cleaned.
Does An Air Duct Cleaning Company’s Equipment Make a Difference?
It is possible a company can have equipment that is 50 times more powerful than other “shop-vaccy” systems! Anybody can say they have powerful equipment. Ask what CFM (cubic feet of air per minute) their vacuum equipment generates. For residential duct systems, you want at least 5000 CFM capacity. Before you choose an air duct cleaning service, ask for a description of the equipment used.
What Does An Air Duct Cleaning Company Do?
Find out what all they plan to do and how it will be accomplished. For example, do they clean the evaporator coil? If you get a moment of silence after you ask, beware! This is a very critical component that can make a big difference in the results of the service. How do they clean the trunk line and plenum boxes? In many areas of the country, this requires getting into the crawl space. There are some services that never go into the crawl space! Do they “pull the blower” to clean it? There are several other components of your system to be concerned about, but these examples hopefully help you understand that a true system cleaning is a complex process. Ask the right questions before you choose a service, because this industry, like others, has some highly questionable operators.
Do Qualifications and Certifications Matter?
If the company you are considering is certified by the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (nadca.com), the odds of you getting good results increase substantially! If you have a mold issue or concern, does the company have any mold remediation certification? In general, certifications indicate that a company has invested time and money into training and professionalism.
What Type of Results Might I See From Cleaning HVAC Vents?
If your system is properly cleaned, your house/building will have less dust. The utility bills will go down because the system will have better air flow, and it won’t take as much time to bring the house/building to temperature. No company can guarantee health issues, but removing contaminants from the duct system can and has helped people with respiratory issues. Other issues a professional air duct cleaning can help resolve are foul odors, fire/smoke damage, nicotine, dead animals, etc. It can also help with uneven room temperatures, although there are several other factors, e.g. the duct system design, insulation, sun exposure, that can affect this problem.
What Is The Price of Air Duct Cleaning?
The price of the service does not necessarily indicate how good of a job you’ll get. However, a cheap price normally means a lousy job. Consider the factors described above to determine the real value!