Maybe you heard a neighbor say they just had their air ducts cleaned. Perhaps you saw a panel truck drive by that said “Air Duct Cleaning Denver” on the side, or maybe your insurance agent mentioned it to you. However you heard about it you’re now curious as to just what’s involved in the whole duct cleaning business. And you’re wondering if you should have it done to your house. To help you better understand the process, what’s involved and why it’s important we’ve put together this list of duct and vent cleaning FAQs.
What is Air Duct Cleaning?
Your home has hundreds of feet of air ducts running through the walls, floors and ceilings. This is the respiratory system of your house. These ducts remove stale air, filter it, deliver it to the heating and air conditioning unit and then distribute the supposedly clean heated or cooled air (depending on the season) back through the house.
The problem is, over time a lot of airborne contaminants get trapped in the ductwork. So that nice heated or cooled air you’re breathing might not be as clean as you think it is. Air duct cleaning is the process of removing the contaminants that have accumulated in the ductwork, so that you can go back to breathing nice clean air.
How Often Should the Air Ducts be Cleaned?
How often you have the ductwork cleaned will depend on a few factors, including:
- The number of people and pets in the house.
- Whether anyone in the house suffers from allergies.
- Whether there has been a recent severe weather event such as a dust storm.
- How often you leave the windows and doors open.
In general we recommend having your ducts cleaned every 2-3 years. But if you regularly open the windows to get fresh air that should probably be every 1-2 years. Also, if you’ve never hired professionals to clean your ductwork, the time to do so is now.
Is Air Duct Cleaning the Same as Vent Cleaning?
People often confuse the two but “vent cleaning” typically refers to the dryer vent. Dryer vent cleaning should be done once a year to ensure your home doesn’t fall victim to a dryer vent fire. Clogged dryer vents are one of the most common causes of house fires. But they are fires that are 100% preventable if people would just have their dryer vent cleaned on a yearly basis.
Can I Clean the Air Ducts Myself?
Not unless you have a truck mounted vacuum and the requisite expertise. Otherwise you’ll just wind up blowing contaminants out of the ducts onto your furniture, beds and kitchen counters. You’ll often find handymen who will offer to clean your air ducts for you. But again, if they don’t have the equipment or expertise they are more likely than not to simply push the dirt and debris out of your air ducts and into your rooms.
Do I Have to Have the Ductwork Cleaned?
Only if you care about your health and the health of other people who live in and visit your home. After all, cleaning the ductwork isn’t a cosmetic process, like painting the walls or installing new cabinets. It’s a quality of life issue. So asking if you should have the air ducts cleaned is like asking if you should have hot water in the house. Of course you should. It makes a huge difference in the quality of life for the people who live in the house.
How Long Does Air Duct Cleaning in Denver Take?
How long air duct cleaning in Denver takes depends on a number of things. The size of the house for one. Also, how long it has been since the ducts were cleaned. In addition, it’s not unheard of that we discover you have guests in your air ducts such as birds or mice. It will obviously take extra time to remove them properly. Finally, you are having the air ducts cleaned in the aftermath of a dust storm or tornado the amount of dirt and debris in the system may be significant and will take extra time to clear.
Will Clean Air Ducts Result in Lower Energy Costs?
In all likelihood clean ductwork will allow your HVAC system to operate more efficiently. This would in theory result in lower energy bills. However, energy savings are not the primary reason to call for air duct cleaning in Denver. As we said earlier this is a quality of life issue. Clean air ducts make for a healthier environment for yourself and everyone else in the house. Just as dryer vent cleaning makes your home a safer place to be, so too air duct cleaning makes for a safer, healthier environment. If it also results in energy savings, well, that’s just gravy.
What Steps Should be Taken to Prepare My House for Air Duct Cleaning?
It’s best to conduct air duct cleaning when there are as few people as possible in the house. So daytimes when the kids are at school are always good. Beyond scheduling, you’ll want to make sure that the technicians from Steve’s Carpet Care & Restoration have unfettered access to the registers in each of the rooms, and (if possible) arrange for your pets to be out of your house while the ductwork is being cleaned.
Call Steve’s Carpet Care to arrange for Boulder air duct cleaning, dryer vent cleaning or other specialty services we offer, call Steve's Carpet Care & Restoration or contact our team online.