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Revised:
February 14th, 2023
The odds are that the dirtiest place in your house is inside the air ducts. After all, they remain unseen and untouched most of the year. It’s not uncommon for us to go into a home and learn that the ducts haven’t been cleaned in over 20 years.
Even if you’re changing your air filter regularly and getting annual maintenance and tune-ups on your furnace, your HVAC contractor doesn’t look at your ducts. (There is one possible scenario when they would: if they are trying to sell one of the company’s other services.)
The problem is that the crud in your ducts gets blown around the house every time the air conditioner or furnace is working. You’re breathing it in, and that’s just one issue with your indoor air quality.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), “Americans, on average, spend approximately 90 percent of their time indoors, where the concentrations of some pollutants are often 2 to 5 times higher than typical outdoor concentrations.”
For health reasons alone, we recommend a thorough air duct cleaning service. Neglecting them leads to a host of problems:
- Allergens accumulate
- Dust multiplies
- Mold and mildew can grow and then be distributed throughout the home
- Your home never gets truly clean
- Your furnace could lose efficiency, costing you money
At Fire & Ice, we have been around our share of dirty air ducts and cleaned enough ducts to offer some advice. Are there signs suggesting that your ducts are overdue to hire an air duct cleaner? Yes. This article will point out some of the red flags.
1. The Air Ducts Are Emitting a Strange Smell
This is common. The ducts emit something like a dusty smell, and sometimes it’s more like a burning smell. I’ve had customers tell me that they can almost taste it on the tip of their tongues. I can usually smell it.
There’s a smell when you turn on your furnace for the first time in the season. That’s dust being burned on the heat exchanger, and it’s normal. The smell in the ducts will be there all of the time.
If you change the filter, the ducts may not smell as much. As time progresses, you’ll smell it more and more. It gets heavier and heavier.
The problem is you’ll have so much dust in your ductwork that you don’t realize it’s there. When you first notice the odor, you might smell it for a few days. Then you get used to it.
When customers get a good look at the dust in the ducts, they usually say, “I had no idea that much dust was in there.”Dead mice and other vermin can play a part in the smell, as well. I have cleaned air ducts where we removed dead mice, which would contribute to the stench.
2. There’s Visible Mold on the Ducts
Technically, it’s microbes that are growing in and around your ducts since a lab test would be needed to determine whether it’s mold or mildew.
But microbes can grow on exposed ductwork. A lot of times you can see it through the vents. Some people will notice discoloration around the vents or registers. Even a slight discoloration is a warning sign.
This is especially prevalent if there’s a wet basement with a lot of humidity. That microbial material will wind up in the ducts. Then you’re breathing it in.
3. Furnace Air Filters Clog Often
If you’re conscientious enough to check your furnace filter, keep track of how dirty it gets. If it’s clogged, replace it and take another look at it in a few weeks. If it’s already clogged, that’s a huge sign that the ducts are filthy.
A normal furnace filter - even a cheap one - is designed to last three months before it needs to be replaced. More expensive models can last up to a year.
It’s normal for filters to get dirty; that’s their job. The stuff in the air makes its way through the return ducts and hits the filter, which, if it’s not clogged, captures them. When you start to see your filter clog up every three weeks, that’s a huge sign.
There are some other factors that might be clogging your furnace filters in addition to dirty ducts. If you have pets, a lot of occupants, cigarette smokers, and/or a lot of people coming in and out – these all affect how much dust is in your home.
Read more: Air Duct Cleaning in Columbus, Ohio
4. Home Quickly Becomes Dusty After It’s Been Cleaned
When people tell me, “I’m dusting so much,” they may not know how much dust collects in the ducts. When we open up the ductwork and show them the “before” picture, they get a clearer idea. That happens with customers who have been living in the house for 20 years and have never had a proper cleaning, and also with customers who bought their house two years ago.
I stress the importance of hiring a duct cleaner for people who just bought a house. They’re presented with a house in a nice way, which made them decide to buy. When they start living there, they might say, “There’s no way I’m producing this much dust.” And, again, once I show them that first “before” photo, they are shocked. They say, “I had no idea there was this much dust in my ductwork.”
Typically, home inspectors don’t look inside the ducts. We look at them during maintenance visits, but inspectors don’t.
5. There Is Reduced Airflow
It is very rare that dust buildup in your ducts will restrict airflow. The biggest cause of this would be when the furnace is so clogged (usually the sign is a clogged filter) that the blower wheel would be compacted with dust. And the same thing goes for the evaporator coil. It would have to be completely covered such that your furnace can’t perform its job adequately.
Your airflow runs through more than just ductwork. Sometimes we see the evaporator (or condensing) coil become so dirty that it ceases to operate.
6. There Are Vermin in the Ducts
We’ve pulled dead mice out of ducts. Mice love warm, dark places. And what better place to hide from the family cat than in a dirty duct?
7. There Was a Recent Renovation
Drywall dust is notorious. Contractors want to work in a warm place, so they will leave the furnace on while they work.All of that drywall dust has to go somewhere. When it winds up in the ducts, it’s an issue.
We have had contractors contact us saying “We want to get a duct cleaning for this person’s home.” Those are thorough, honest contractors. A majority of them simply walk away after their work is done. Leaving behind a thoroughly clean home is not their job.
8. You’ve Never Had Your Ducts Cleaned
People are going to produce dust. That’s the bottom line. Every time we open that door, there’s something that’s coming into the house. According to the Canadian Centre for Architecture, household dust is a mix of pet dander, dust mites, fibers, paint, building materials, hair, mold, pollen, bacteria, viruses, insect parts, skin flakes, ash, soot, minerals, and other soil particles.
Some of these environmental contaminants can be tracked indoors on the soles of our shoes.
If you’ve never had clean air ducts before, they are easy to ignore. You're accustomed to it.
But you absolutely have to get your air ducts cleaned. You have no idea what’s in there. Especially if you’ve lived in your home for 20, 30 years. Homeowners are shocked when I show them the “before” picture. “I can believe what was in this house.”
How Often Should Air Ducts Be Cleaned?
I tell homeowners to get dirty air ducts cleaned every 3-5 years. I’ve been in homes where the homeowners have lived there for five years, and there’s little to be cleaned. Other times, I find dog hair, cat hair, dust, mold, and mildew. If someone in the household is sensitive to pollen or has respiratory problems, they should be cleaned at least every three years.
What Tools Should Be Used to Clean Ducts?
We use a truck-mounted, power vacuum system. The reason we use this system is that it is the most efficient way of creating a vacuum in the duct work to remove debris. The vacuum in the truck is rated at 12,000 CFM (cubic feet per minute). The largest portable vacuums are capable of about 5,000 CFMs.
This system also provides compressed air at about 250 pounds per square inch of air, which powers our agitation tools.
We have tools called air rods. They’re long tubes, about 5 feet long. When connected together, they allow compressed air to the end of the agitation tool. They allow us to reach the entire length of the air vent.
We have multiple agitation tools. We have one called an “octopus whip.” It has eight rubber fingers that have holes at the end, which compressed air goes through. When it’s working, those fingers bounce inside the ducts. It hits all of the walls and loosens all of the debris on the walls.
Why Should Duct Cleaning Companies Be Certified?
Before choosing a duct cleaning company, you should make sure it is certified by the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA), and the National Air Filtration Association (NAFA).
Fire & Ice is one of only four companies out of 50 in Columbus certified with NADCA, and is the only HVAC company in Ohio certified with NAFA.
They should also be a member of the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA), an organization that gives up-to-date information and education on proper IAQ. We are members, and we receive regular training and education on proper IAQ to make sure we are up to date. Fire & Ice has the distinction of being the only member of this organization in Ohio.
Memberships and certifications allow HVAC companies to stay up to date. Being certified means we have a thorough understanding of how to best clean ducts. We have a clear understanding of how to treat air-quality issues.
What Is the Cost of an Air Duct Cleaning from Fire & Ice?
Our duct cleaning pricing is broken down into home sizes:
- Up to 1,200 sq. ft. - $578
- 1,200 sq. ft. - 2,000 sq. ft - $736
- 2,001 sq. ft. - 2,800 sq. ft - $894
- 2,801 sq. ft. - 3,600 sq. ft - $1,157
- Over 3,600 sq. ft - Call for a quote
We also provide additional services while we are at your home, such as dryer vent cleaning and whole home disinfectant. Please click on this link for a complete list.
Air Duct Cleaning in Columbus, Ohio
Believe it or not, there are HVAC companies in Columbus, Ohio, and elsewhere that are out to make a quick buck. They clean the parts of the ducts you can see by sticking a vacuum into the registers. They rarely address mold and mildew issues. If a company is offering a $99 special, you can bet that they’re not using a truck vacuum and won’t do a thorough job. They won’t spend enough time at their job to do otherwise. Don’t fall for this.
Even the most reputable of companies won’t be able to match the service you’ll get from Fire & Ice.
That’s what we focus on when we do air duct cleaning. We say this is a “whole home” HVAC system duct cleaning. We will remove every bit of dust and debris that does not adhere to the ductwork, and to the surface of the duct system.
If you think it might be time to improve your indoor air quality, please click on the button below to start your journey toward a clean, safe home.
