As a modern homeowner there is probably a good chance that you have asked yourself tons of times, is a duct cleaning will save me money in the long run? In fact, with the popularity and awareness of indoor air quality, this is a question that more and more homeowners are asking themselves these days.
Maybe you have even gone online and done research on the subject. You have probably found tons of information saying that duct cleanings can help you save money and make your unit more efficient, but to truly understand why you need a duct cleaning, you need to completely understand how the process works. That is what you are going to learn below.
Determining If You Need A Cleaning
The methods of duct cleaning will vary from company to company. However, when you contact a professional company and inquire about a duct cleaning the first thing that should happen is an inspector. The company will send out a highly qualified duct inspector to evaluate the ducts.
This will help the company determine the conditions and type of system that they are dealing with, but it will also give the inspector a chance to determine the cleanliness of your ducts. It might turn out that you don’t even need a duct cleaning in the first place. Avoid utilizing any company that doesn’t partake in these methods.
Leak Checking The System
If it is determined by the inspector that you do need a cleaning then he or she will move on to the leak checking process. During this process, the inspector will utilize a smoke device to find leaks and cracks in the duct system. This is probably one of the major reasons as to why and how your system got dirty in the first place.
And, performing a duct cleaning without sealing these leaks and cracks is virtually useless. And, this is not to even mention the fact that these leaks and cracks are costing you a bundle of money each month on your energy bills. They are also making your system run longer to satisfy the thermostat. And, this is just a few of the many reasons that a duct cleaning is totally worth it.
Attaching Into The Supply Side
When the team of commercial air duct cleaning Dallas TX arrives at the home they will begin the duct cleaning process by sealing up any leaks that were located during the leak testing process. This will ensure that everything is properly sealed and it will help create the suction that they need to sucks all the dirt and debris out of your duct system.
After sealing the leaks and cracks the team will now hook a large vacuum cleaner type device into the supply side of the duct system. This vacuum cleaner contains a HEPA filter and its purpose is to create a negative pressure on the duct system. As you can already see duct cleaning requires a lot of unique and specialized cleaning tools.
Properly Blocking Off The Supply Vents
Now that a negative pressure is applied to the duct system the team of techs will have to maximize this pressure. They will do this by coming into the home and blocking off all the supply vents, except for the one that is located farthest away from the unit. This enhances the negative pressure that is currently on the system.
The reason the vent located farthest away from the unit is left uncovered is because this is where the cleaning process is going to begin. The concept behind this is to push all the dirt and debris from the back of the duct system to the front of the system where the HEPA vacuum is located.
The Cleaning Process Begins
The process will now be ready to begin. The techs will use an air compress with hundreds of feet of hoses to clean the vents one by one. They will also utilize brushes in the vents where they can. Starting at the vent located farthest away they will run the brushes and air hoses down the vent.
While there are tons of twist and turns along the way, these air hoses and brushes will have specialized heads that will allow them to access these nooks and crannies. After cleaning the first vent, it will be blocked off, and the tech will move to the next farthest vent until they reach the very last one.
Attaching To The Return Side
Once the supply vents are all cleaned it will be time to move onto the return side. This is the side of the duct system where your filters are located. There might only be one or two returns depending on the size and specifications of your system, but these will without a doubt be the dirtiest.
The techs will remove the vacuum system from the supply side, patch any holes, and tie the vacuum into the return side.
Cleaning The Return Vents
If there is more than one return vent they will have to be blocked off just like the supply side vents, in the same order. The cleaning process will pretty much be performed in the same manner as described above. The techs will utilize brushes and air hoses to knock loose any dirt and debris that is logged in the system.
The return side will probably dirty, but it won’t take nearly as long to clean because there won’t be as many vents.
Sterilization And Cleaning
Once the HEPA vacuum is unhooked and the system is all sealed the team will now come in and sterilize and clean the vents. They will utilize special microbial chemicals to clean the vents and vent covers. These chemicals will kill out any bacterium, fungus, or viruses that have gotten on the vent covers over the years.
In some cases, some of the vent covers might even be replaced, depending on their condition. You should know that these chemicals are completely 100 percent safe for pets and humans. So, you can remain in the home during the entire process if you want to.