Wow, air duct cleaning

[wishesuponastar]

We've lived in our house for 9 years and the house is 35 years old and we've never had air ducts cleaned while we owned the house and I doubt the last owner did it. Had a company come in yesterday and they cleaned the ducts which resulted in about 4 lbs. of dust collected

We were told to clean the ducts every 4 years and I'm sure this will help DH's asthma.

Also, we had the dryer vent cleaned and the guy said we were almost clogged and I saw what he took out of the vent, all the lint wow! That should be cleaned every year to prevent a fire.

Cost was $270 with tax for ducts and dryer vent plus free sanitizer put in the ducts.

 

[skatalite]

Keep an eye on LivingSocial's deals. Every spring/summer they usually have duct cleaning deals. My wife and I bought a $300 package for $60.

 

[wishesuponastar]

Did you have the work performed yet? Once they come in and inspect your air ducts the price could change. I had a coupon for $38 with unlimited vents but that didn't cover all the returns and an additional main duct plus cutting holes for access which drove the price up to $255 plus tax.

 

[disykat]

We called an air duct cleaning place and had them come out a couple of years ago. They checked and told us ours were clean and it would be a waste of our money to have them cleaned. Our house was built in 95.

I agree with cleaning the dryer vent annually, but am guessing if you have good furnace filters etc. every four years for the rest of the ducting may be overkill.

 

[GrnMtnMan]

No evidence that 'trapped' dust in your ducts is any sort of heath risk or solution to health problem.

What the EPA has to say about it:

Duct cleaning has never been shown to actually prevent health problems. Neither do studies conclusively demonstrate that particle (e.g., dust) levels in homes increase because of dirty air ducts. This is because much of the dirt in air ducts adheres to duct surfaces and does not necessarily enter the living space. It is important to keep in mind that dirty air ducts are only one of many possible sources of particles that are present in homes. Pollutants that enter the home both from outdoors and indoor activities such as cooking, cleaning, smoking, or just moving around can cause greater exposure to contaminants than dirty air ducts. Moreover, there is no evidence that a light amount of household dust or other particulate matter in air ducts poses any risk to your health.

 

[shortbun]

We have ours cleaned every 4 or 5 years because our son has horrible allergies to dust. We bought a furnace/ac unit last summer and they were impressed at how clean our ducts were. The installer said they find ducts that are simply blocked in older homes. We put cheesecloth in all the registers too and we have air filters in 4 of our larger rooms including DS's bedroom. Special duty filters on HVAC. No carpets, all wood floors, shoes off at the door. It all helps keep the environmental allergens to a minimum. Our son feels so much better since we began to take these measures.

 

[skatalite]

Did you have the work performed yet? Once they come in and inspect your air ducts the price could change. I had a coupon for $38 with unlimited vents but that didn't cover all the returns and an additional main duct plus cutting holes for access which drove the price up to $255 plus tax.

I'm guessing you're talking to me.

No, they haven't come out yet. We're waiting until about late August or early September, in time for fall.

The terms of the Living Social deal were clear: Whole-house air duct cleaning, plus dryer vent cleaning. If they try to charge us more, they'll be met with resistance.

 

[aaarcher86]

I'm guessing you're talking to me.

No, they haven't come out yet. We're waiting until about late August or early September, in time for fall.

The terms of the Living Social deal were clear: Whole-house air duct cleaning, plus dryer vent cleaning. If they try to charge us more, they'll be met with resistance.

Right?! They can't force you to pay additional.

The phrase 'just say no' works in more areas of life than drugs.

 

[peyjax]

I'm guessing you're talking to me.

No, they haven't come out yet. We're waiting until about late August or early September, in time for fall.

The terms of the Living Social deal were clear: Whole-house air duct cleaning, plus dryer vent cleaning. If they try to charge us more, they'll be met with resistance.

In talking with an hvac guy (one that did NOT provide the service.) stated that "special" price is equivalent to them sticking a wet/dry vac down your vents.the real job is done in the 400-500 dollar range. Sure they will come out and it will appear they did something but not much was really done. Just to let ya know so you can make an informed decision. Might help to call around a bit. I am still on the fence if it is worth it. I know our house has gotten considerably more dusty in the past few years.

 

[amsyw]

I use to work in the office for a ductwork manufacturer. We made the ductwork for the HVAC companies to install into homes and businesses. We also did installation for large businesses, ie Walmart, schools etc. Because "ductwork" was in our name we had many calls inquiring about ductwork cleaning. I usually fielded this to the owner/manager, because they are the experts. According to them - the manufacturers of ductwork - there is absolutely NO reason to need to have your ducts cleaned. There is dust everywhere in your house. The best way to not have dirty ducts? Remove your carpet and replace with hardwood, keep a clean house. According to the owner, ductwork cleaning companies are a racket. He said you feel it necessary to clean them, replace your filter more often and stick the hose from your vacuum in the register occasionally.

Also, I did see a Dateline or some other investigational show about duct cleaning. Just like some of the others posted about the switch and bait. $60whole house, then they get there and it suddenly becomes $300. Also, a problem was them not actually cleaning anything. They would go to the other room or your attic, plug in a vacuum so you hear it. Then present you with a bag full of lent/dust they actually brought with them. So, if you feel it necessary to hire them, follow them around and watch them actually CLEAN something.

As for me, I'm saving my $300. lol

 

[Kellydelly]

We decided to have the ducts cleaned in our then 35 yr old home 9+ yrs ago. Our ducts had never been cleaned up to that point. They were not even dirty . Waste of money. We have no animals in our home, not sure if that makes a difference? My friend with a couple cats and dogs told me when they cleaned her ducts they got a lot of junk out of them.

I have chronic asthma and did not notice any difference in air quality or my health after the cleaning.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

We have never had our air ducts cleaned, and at this point, not even going to fool with it. I saw something on some news show a few years ago about it being a rip-off. That may or may not be true.

I can comment on the dryer thing. When we got a new dryer, the guy from whom we bought the dryer also removed the old one. He said our vent was so clogged up that it was a fire hazard. He didn't stand anything to gain by making that statement, he hooked up the new vent for free.

 

[mickman1962]

If you keep the filters clean the ducts don't get dirty

 

[tvguy]

I use to work in the office for a ductwork manufacturer. We made the ductwork for the HVAC companies to install into homes and businesses. We also did installation for large businesses, ie Walmart, schools etc. Because "ductwork" was in our name we had many calls inquiring about ductwork cleaning. I usually fielded this to the owner/manager, because they are the experts. According to them - the manufacturers of ductwork - there is absolutely NO reason to need to have your ducts cleaned. There is dust everywhere in your house. The best way to not have dirty ducts? Remove your carpet and replace with hardwood, keep a clean house. According to the owner, ductwork cleaning companies are a racket. He said you feel it necessary to clean them, replace your filter more often and stick the hose from your vacuum in the register occasionally.

Also, I did see a Dateline or some other investigational show about duct cleaning. Just like some of the others posted about the switch and bait. $60whole house, then they get there and it suddenly becomes $300. Also, a problem was them not actually cleaning anything. They would go to the other room or your attic, plug in a vacuum so you hear it. Then present you with a bag full of lent/dust they actually brought with them. So, if you feel it necessary to hire them, follow them around and watch them actually CLEAN something.

As for me, I'm saving my $300. lol

We replaced 1500 square feet of carpet with laminate last year, just one bedroom still has carpet. My physical evidence seems to support your position. Carpet is a dirt trap.
Our carpet was 35 years old, and was steam cleaned every year for the 31 years we have owned the house.
When they pulled up the carpet, the wood underneath was covered with fine sand and dirt. Almost a layer.
Now that the laminate has been down, you can SEE the fuzz, hair, dust and dirt. If you don't clean it up every few days, you get piles of it along the walls.
Plus, I had a permanent filter on my HVAC system, and I clean it every month without fail.
Now at work, where the ducts are in the ceiling (at home mine are in the floor), about every 10 to 15 years we have to have the ducts cleaned because you start getting dirt blown out onto your desk.

 

[aaarcher86]

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

LOL

 

[tvguy]

But the topic is still current, why clog up the boards with a new thread when you can just reply to an existing one.

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

This thing was on the front page when I replied.

 

[aaarcher86]

But the topic is still current, why clog up the boards with a new thread when you can just reply to an existing one.

Yeah, but it was literally a reply. Not someone who would have otherwise started a new thread with a question.

 

[tvguy]

Yeah, but it was literally a reply. Not someone who would have otherwise started a new thread with a question.

Okay. I don't see why it makes a difference.