Marinelle Adams
All about Air-Duct Cleaning
Homeowners who own air duct systems should schedule channel cleaning for them after some time. You need to contact an air duct professional who will first inspect it and have your system cleaned. They do so by cleaning the supply, intake, and return vents and all the parts of your duct using professional cleaning equipment. The cleaning also includes the registers, grills and fans, and also the furnace.
When looking for a cleaning company that will perform this work, ensure you get one with professional duct-cleaning equipment and a team of experienced cleaners. Failure to this might damage your system, which can incur repair costs or buy a new air canal. It is recommended that you schedule a cleaning after two to five years. However, the frequency also depends on factors like if you have pets in the house, a family member who suffers from allergic reactions, or the location of your home. Click for more info here.
Why do we have to keep it clean?
We know that clean air is the foundation of human health. Dirty air often leads to respiratory diseases, especially in people who already have respiratory problems. Therefore, ventilation of the room is equally important. However, the occasional opening of windows and ventilation will not be enough because over time the amount of dirt inside the canal increases, which leads to the appearance of bacteria that negatively affect human health. By disinfecting the tubes, the air becomes cleaner, and a better effect of ventilation is noticed.
1. Equipment air duct cleaners use
The air duct cleaning professionals have some professional tools they use. Cleaning machines range from simple tools like brushes to other big devices like vacuums. They also use mirrors and cameras to inspect parts of the tube that are hard to reach or can hardly be seen with your bare eyes. These tools will also be necessary if there is a foul odor in your vent whose course is invisible.
The typical channel cleaning tools are brushes, agitation devices, and vacuums. You need to have brushes to loosen the dirt using the brush handle and brush it out from the duct, and the vacuum is essential for sucking the dirt so that none of it is left or is deposited to other parts of the house.
Although some people want to clean it by themselves to save money, it is not recommended to use simple brushes and home vacuums when doing DIY. If an inexperienced or untrained cleaner cleans your tubes, they might let the dust spread to other parts of the house, and the cleaning might not be of much help. Letting an unprofessional handle your air duct could also lead to damages.
2. How the professionals clean it?
The first thing a professional will do before the cleaning process is to inspect the air duct. They will then carry on with the cleaning and check to ensure all the parts are clean.
3. Inspection before the cleaning process
Air ducts are of different types, and a professional needs to know which kind of air duct they are working with. This makes it easier for them to access all the accessible points of the system, and they can use a mirror or camera to access the parts that are not visible. By this, it is easy to know the best duct cleaning technique and the required tools. They then begin the cleaning process.
4. Debris loosening and removal
After the inspection, the next important step for the technician to do is creating a negative pressure in the air duct. This ensures that the loosened dust will not escape from the duct and spread to other parts. After ensuring that the other rooms are secure, they loosen the dust with a brush and brush the dust off. They can use brushes with long sticks to loosen the dirt in areas that are hardly accessible. The debris and pollen grains are removed using a vacuum and deposited in a dust bin for disposal.
5. Inspection after cleaning
After all the debris and dust are removed, an inspection is done to ensure no dirt is left. The technician can use cameras or mirrors to see areas that are not accessible. If an area is omitting odor, they will use their tools to ensure they clean it up. The homeowner is also allowed to inspect the duct so that they are left satisfied with the duct cleaning.
Signs of an urgent need for cleaning
To help you identify if it’s time to clean the ventilation ducts, pay attention to the following things in your home:
– if you notice that cobwebs and dust deposits often appear around the ventilation opening,
– the apartment heats up much faster in summer
– the surfaces do not stay clean for a long time after a thorough cleaning, but dust appears.
Another thing you should do is check all the ventilation openings, which is very easy with the right tools. Make sure that at least one window must be open when doing this. One of the easiest ways to check food is to light a candle and bring it closer to ventilation. If the flame moves, it means that there is good air circulation, but if it is calm, it is an indication that it is time to take something.
Final thoughts
Channel cleaning is easy to do wrong, and there is a risk. Hiring the wrong contractor can do more harm than good. When done properly by a qualified technician, HVAC system cleaning, including duct cleaning, has not been shown to be harmful. Again, however, this is if it is done correctly and by an authorized technician with appropriate equipment and training.
It is essential to talk about the cost of the whole process before the technician begins to ensure they do not include other unnecessary services after they are done with the work. Also, do not fail to ask for a discount.