Are AC duct Cleaning Services Worth It?

Have you been pondering about cleaning air ducts at home? Just as you were wondering you also find a huge range of ads promising magic cleanup for your ducts which has got you thinking. If you have HVAC at home it will have educts and the duct over time will gather dust and get dirty. Try removing any one of the registers of your HVAC unit, it is very likely that you will see grime and dirt in the ductwork. So do these cleaning services do a good job? Are they worth it? Do you need frequent cleaning? Dirt, let us face it, is going to exist and get into surfaces of the ductwork. Suddenly if you see your cooling unit collapse and unusual dust around your house then you may call in Duct Repair Melbourne service experts as most probably your ducts are affected badly and you need your sytem up due to extreme weather conditions.

But cleaning ducts very frequently is actually not recommended by experts. As long as HVAC unit is working fine you really do not need to unnecessarily call in Duct Cleaning Melbourne service experts. In fact many say you may have them serviced 2-3 years of intervals. Yet others recommend yearly if you live in an industrial area or have pets at home as dirt and dust apart from fur get collected in large quantities in ducts and it starts affecting overall performance of HVAC unit. Duct cleaning reduces dust but won’t eliminate dust as dirt will always seep in from environment. So while ducts need to be cleaned but when they need to not unnecessarily.

So when consider cleaning your ducts?

This is a good point and one you should know after a few tell tale signs. It’s not that you do not need duct cleaning. Yes you do but when there is-

  • There are visible signs of mold in ducts. Be careful though that sometimes what appears to be mold is not. So if a service person is called he would tell you so by evidence about mold presence. Duct Repair Melbourne service experts can actually replace ducts over cleaning when insulated ductwork get wet and moldy and cannot be cleaned well. The cause of mold growth needs to be removed or else there will be recurring growth.
  • There is obvious signs of insect, rat infestation inside the ductwork
  • Too much dust and dirt is collecting in the air in spite of cleaning indicates ductwork is clogged
  • In case you have redone or revamped your home you need to clean your ducts if too much cement. Asbestos or paints were used causing dust that can get trapped in improperly sealed ductwork clogging them
  • When you get a strange odor or spot pet fur, debris or other contaminants inside your home though you have cleaned and vacuumed the registers it means your ducts need professional handling
  • If there is a persistence appearance of allergy related symptoms and you are constantly having breathing or other issues that cause discomfort , it means you need to inspect your ductwork

So once you know there are enough reasons to clean the air ducts, you call in Duct Cleaning Melbourne service professionals and ask the technician what was the cause and fix it. You may find he might suggest repairs because of wear and tear or even a complete replacement or parts of it.

How do the professionals clean?

Specialist cleaners clean grilles, fans, motors, coils, housings, air handler of your HVAC system using special vacuums, brushes and blowers that also clean out supply, intake and return ducts in all the rooms.

Remember duct cleaning lessens dirt and improving air quality but doesn’t remove dust altogether. Cleaning helps in removing dust and contaminants from heating and cooling coils, air handling units and motors that would have made your HVAC work less efficiently. So cleaning is needed but not always. If they come and check the ducts they need to see HVAC system as well.

How to make a right choice when opting for a Cleaning service?

Like all sectors and services you have the good guys and the bad guys. So here are a few things you should ask or check before zeroing in a service for your ductwork.

Try and see if they will give you a complete package of servicing not just the ducts but entire heating or cooling unit.

Check for customer reviews or rating and see whether the services offered are value for money or not. And how many years they have been in service. You might ask for reference.

Get quotes of services from at least 3-4 HVAC cleaning professional service providers? Good companies will offer to inspect for free as they give priority to customer service.

The service company should have necessary certification from authorized body and there should be insurance and license and using updated equipments.

Read between the lines of services offering too much. It might be a scam.

The company should use proper inspection tool to give you a visual inspection of the ductwork and any other component of HVAC unit. You have every right to ask for this. Professionals will do this gladly.

Ensure no steam is being used to clean ductwork. Also it is best that the servicemen avoid using sealant sprays or harsh chemicals inside the ducts. They should also avoid using anti microbial treatment or biocides since at day end these are chemicals and might be bad for your health.

 

Author
Evelyn Taylor
  • 5 min read

Location: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia