When it comes to duct cleaning, it's important to understand that while a professional test and cleaning is recommended, some DIY homeowners take care of the task themselves. You may have heard that clean HVAC ducts help ensure healthy indoor air quality, and you may be considering a duct cleaning project on your own. If you're looking to save money and have a working spirit, you can try to clean them yourself. However, there are risks associated with self-cleaning of ducts.
Flexible ducts are made of thin plastic and can easily be damaged. Even a small hole in the ducts can reduce airflow in your home, making your air conditioning system less efficient and increasing your utility bills. While you can improve air quality with self-cleaning your ducts, your efforts won't be as effective as those of professional cleaning. You won't be able to reach every corner that professionals can with high-power vacuums and a 150 foot hose.
If you think that homemade duct cleaning isn't for you, there are many accredited, NADCA-certified cleaning companies. The National Air Duct Cleaners Association sets professional standards for duct cleaning and requires certified individuals to receive continuing education. It doesn't hurt to get some quotes from NADCA-certified companies before putting on sturdy gloves and a dust mask and starting a self-made duct cleaning project. Whichever route you take, you'll likely improve air quality, which is especially important for people with asthma and allergies. When it comes to DIY duct cleaning, it's important to understand the risks associated with using a workshop vacuum or cleaning head. This can cause the cleaning head or rods to detach from each other, embedding these components in the ductwork.
Home duct cleaning differs from professional duct cleaning because professional machines are not available to DIYers and are difficult to duplicate in DIY. With the workshop vacuum, vacuum up any contaminants that the cleaning head deposited at the end of the supply vent. Along with a whip to remove dirt, duct vacuums can remove it from large areas of the duct system, as well as from hard-to-reach corners and curves. If you place a tissue in the ventilation grille and it gets stuck, it's a return duct, which means the vent is there to return air from the house to the air conditioning system. With the arrival of spring and summer, it may be a good idea to clean the vents and ducts through which domestic air passes. There is an army of dust, dander, dirt, hair and insect fragments that are very comfortable in ventilation grilles and air ducts and can contaminate the air you breathe. Whether you decide to clean your air ducts or not, it's important that you commit to a good preventive maintenance program to minimize duct contamination.
Home duct cleaning allows you to clean your home's HVAC supply and return ventilation grilles at a much lower cost than professional duct cleaning. Keep in mind that your lungs never properly lose all the impurities that accumulate when you smoke, and remember that air duct filters work pretty much the same way. If you don't clean the air ducts, most of this dirt doesn't escape your house and stays in constant circulation throughout the house, which is especially harmful to someone in your family who has allergies. When turned with an electric drill, the chimney head cleans most of the ducts but it cannot touch all sides of the duct nor does it move as forcefully as the compressed air-powered pressure cleaner from a professional duct cleaning company. If you think about all the dust and debris that reaches the air ducts, it makes sense to clean those grilles once and for all every now and then. Homeowners who are DIYers can take care of this task themselves if they're looking to save money but should be aware of potential risks associated with self-cleaning. Cleaning your own HVAC system is not an easy task but if done correctly can save money while improving indoor air quality. It's important to understand that while professional testing and cleaning is recommended for optimal results, some DIY homeowners take care of this task themselves.
Before starting any project related to HVAC systems or ducts, make sure you understand all safety precautions involved. When considering whether or not to do DIY duct cleaning, consider all aspects of safety first. Make sure you have all necessary tools such as gloves, masks, brushes and vacuums before starting any project related to HVAC systems or ducts. Also make sure that any flexible plastic ducts are not damaged or punctured during any part of the process. Finally, if you decide against doing DIY duct cleaning, there are many accredited NADCA-certified companies available who specialize in this type of work. These companies have access to specialized equipment such as high-power vacuums and 150 foot hoses which allow them to reach every corner of your home's HVAC system. No matter what route you choose for duct cleaning, make sure that you commit yourself to a good preventive maintenance program in order to minimize contamination in your home's HVAC system.
This will ensure that your family is breathing clean air all year round.
