Duct Doctorz

Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and if air duct cleaning will do much to improve the quality of the air we breath. The facts stated below should help you understand that while air vent cleaning is not a "cure-all" it is an important step in improving IAQ. Duct Cleaners across the USA agree that cleaning air ducts helps to significantly reduce the source of contaminants and various pollutants which may trigger adverse health reactions. Heating and air conditioning ducts which are dark, damp and rich in "nutrients" provide an excellent breeding ground for mold, fungi and dust mites. These allergens can spread rapidly since the air ducts are used to heat and cool the house. Poor ventilation allowing fresh outside air indoors and dirty filters are also major contributors to unhealthy contaminates in the home. Mold and fungi can cause "discomfort", infections and commonly trigger allergic reactions. While it is true that air duct cleaning alone does not cure health conditions like Asthma, allergies and other respiratory related conditions, vent cleaning does however, play an important role in prevention and treatment. By cleaning your HVAC system you will remove allergens like dust and mold from the duct work as well as residue from cigarette smoke. While the EPA does not have any recommendations for how often your air ducts should be cleaned, your furnace manufacturer does. Most furnace manufacturers recommend having your furnace cleaned and inspected annually, which begs the question; If my furnace should be cleaned every year, what about my air ducts? If your furnace needs to be cleaned annually, why not get your air ducts cleaned at the same time? Here are some interesting facts to consider: INDOOR AIR QUALITY FACTS - indoor air pollution is ranked among the top 5 environmental dangers to the public. (EPA) - Studies have shown that two out of three indoor air quality problems involve the HVAC/Air Duct System. - Children and the elderly are especially affected by polluted indoor air. (Department of Consumer Affairs) - Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in indoor air can be 2 to 5 times greater than in outdoor air. (EPA) - 20% of all illnesses are either caused by, or aggravated by, polluted indoor air. (American College of Allergists) - The levels of some hazardous pollutants in indoor air has been found to be up to 70 times greater than in outdoor air. (USEPA) - Most people spend 60% to 90% of their time indoors. (American Lung Association & EPA) - The average 6-room house collects 40 pounds of dust each year. (Discover Magazine) FACTS ABOUT ALLERGIES - More than 50 million Americans suffer from allergies. - One out of six people who suffer from allergies do so because of the direct relationship to fungi and bacteria in air duct systems. (Total Health and Better Health Magazines) FACTS ABOUT DUST MITES - Each person can shed up to 700,000 skin scales per day creating an abundant food source for dust mites. - About 40,000 dust mites can "thrive" in only one ounce of dust - Approximately 10 to 15 percent of the population suffers from an allergy related to dust mites. ASTHMA FACTS - 10-12 million Americans suffer from Asthma. (American College of Allergists) - Over 7.6 million children 5-17 years) and over 12.7 million young adults (18-44 years) suffer from asthma. (National Center for Health Statistics) - 86% increase in asthma cases between 1980 to 1996. (Chicago Tribune 9/26/04) - About 5,000 people die from asthma related issues. (Chicago Tribune 9/26/04) HEATING AND COOLING FACTS - Airflow problems can reduce your system's efficiency by up to 15 percent. ( energystar.gov ) - A buildup of .042 inches of dirt on a heating or cooling coil can result in a decrease in efficiency of 21%. (EPA) - Most commercially available fiberglass furnace filters are less than 7% efficient. (ASHRAE) - Dirty coils reduce the system's ability to cool your home and cause the system to run longer, increasing energy costs and reducing the life of the equipment. (energystar.gov) - Too much or too little refrigerant will make your system less efficient increasing energy costs and reducing the life of the equipment. (energystar.gov) - 9 out of 10 system failures are caused by dirt and dust.(LCES - Louisiana Cooperative Extensions Service) CLOTHES DRYER SAFETY - A full load of wet clothes placed in a dryer contains about one half gallon of water. As water is removed, lint is created from the clothes. (UL - Underwriters Laboratories) - The number of clothes dryer fires has dropped by 35% from the 24,000 fires that occurred annually, on average, in the late 1970s. - Lack of maintenance is a contributing factor of clothes dryer fires. People aren't cleaning lint traps as often as they should nor are they checking and cleaning vent systems on a periodic basis. (UL) - In 1998, clothes dryers were associated with 15,600 fires, which resulted in 20 deaths and 370 injuries. (Consumer Product Safety Commission) FIRE SAFETY - 42% of all home-heating fires are caused by problems with fireplaces and chimneys. Common Customer Questions Q. Are there any health benefits that come from air duct cleaning? A. Air duct systems have been shown to act as a collection source for a variety of contaminants that have the potential to affect health, such as mold, fungi, bacteria, and very small particles of dust. The removal of such contaminants from the air duct system and home should be considered as one component in an overall plan to improve indoor air quality. Q. Will air duct cleaning reduce home energy bills? A. Research by the U.S. EPA has demonstrated that air duct system cleaning may allow systems to run more efficiently by removing debris from sensitive mechanical components. Clean, efficient systems are less likely to break down, have a longer life span, and generally operate more effectively than dirty systems. Q. How should a residential air duct system be cleaned? A. The most effective way to clean air ducts and ventilation systems is to employ Source Removal methods of cleaning. This requires a contractor to place the system under negative pressure, through the use of a specialized, powerful vacuum. While the vacuum draws air through the system, devices are inserted into the ducts to dislodge any debris that might be stuck to interior surfaces. The debris can then travel down the ducts to the vacuum, which removes it from the system and the home. Q. What kind of equipment is best for cleaning - truck mounted vacuums or portable vacuums? A. NADCA does not endorse one kind of equipment over another. There are two main types of vacuum collection devices: (1) those mounted on trucks and trailers, and (2) portable units. Truck/trailer mounted equipment is generally more powerful than portable equipment. However, portable equipment can often be brought directly into a facility, allowing the vacuum source to be located closer to the ductwork. Both types of equipment will clean to NADCA standards. All vacuum units should be attached to a collection device for safe containment prior to disposal. Any vacuum collection device which exhausts indoors must be HEPA (high efficiency particulate arrestance) filtered. A vacuum collection device alone will not get an air duct system clean. The use of methods and tools designed to agitate debris adhered to the surfaces within the system, in conjunction with the use of the vacuum collection device(s), is required to clean an air duct system. (For example: brushes, air whips, and “skipper balls.”) Q. How often should residential air duct systems be cleaned? A. Frequency of cleaning depends on several factors, not the least of which is the preference of the home owner. Some of the things that may lead a home owner to consider more frequent cleaning include: Smokers in the household. Pets that shed high amounts of hair and dander. Water contamination or damage to the home or air duct system. Residents with allergies of asthma who might benefit from a reduction in the amount of indoor air pollutants in the home’s air duct system. After home renovations or remodeling. Prior to occupancy of a new home. Q. What is the normal price range for the air duct cleaning service? A. The Environmental Protection Agency says that “duct cleaning services typically - but not always - range in cost from $450 to $1000 per heating and cooling system, depending on the services offered, the size of the system to be cleaned, system accessibility, climactic region, level of contamination, and type of duct material.” Consumers should beware of air duct cleaning companies that making sweeping claims about the health benefits of duct cleaning - such claims are unsubstantiated. Consumers should also beware of “blow-and-go” air duct cleaning companies. These companies often charge a nominal fee and do a poor job of cleaning the air duct system. These companies may also persuade the consumer into unneeded services with and/or without their permission. Q. What are antimicrobial chemicals and why would they need to be used? A. Antimicrobial chemicals applied by some companies to the interior surface of the air ducts, to treat microbial contamination such as fungi (mold), viruses or bacteria. Before any antimicrobial chemicals are used, the system should be thoroughly cleaned. It is critical that any antimicrobial treatment used in your system be registered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency specifically for use in air duct systems. The use of antimicrobial chemicals is an additional service that is not part of a typical air duct cleaning project. Q. How long should it take to clean a typical residential air duct system? A. The amount of time it takes to clean a residential air duct system depends on many variables such as the size of the home, the number of systems, the extent of the contamination and the number of HVAC cleaners performing the job. Ask at least two contractors to inspect your system and give you a time estimate for your particular system. This will give you a general idea of how long the job should take as well as an idea of how thoroughly the contractor plans to do the job. Q. How can we determine if the air duct cleaning was effective? A. The best way to determine if the HVAC system cleaning was effective is to perform a visual inspection of the system before and after cleaning. If any dust or debris can be seen during the visual inspection, the system should not be considered cleaned. While you can perform your own visual inspection using a flash light and mirror, a professional cleaning contractor should be able to allow you better access to system components and perhaps the use of specialized inspection tools.

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Duct Doctorz posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.