Does Air Duct Cleaning Make a Mess?
5 Ways to Prevent an Air Duct Cleaning Mess!
Typically, when air ducting cleaning makes a mess is when a “blowout” occurs. This happens when the technician does not:
- Close and cover each vent register.
- The company is using an underpowered vacuum with not enough CFM.
- The technician does not understand your ducting layout or took the time to map it out.
- Your ducting was improperly zoned off for optimal suction.
- Pure negligence and poor company standards.
When these five steps are not taken into consideration by your chosen air duct cleaning company, then you are bound to have a mess in your home. Accidental blow outs do happen to the best of us, so evaluate and determine if the technician made a mistake or was just being negligent. Also, make them clean up the mess or have them hire a cleaning service for you!
Does Air Duct Cleaning Make a Mess?
Yes, if the heating and cooling systems sheet metal enclosures are not properly sealed during an air duct cleaning then particulate matter will escape into the home and surrounding areas. It is important to ensure that the technician covers each vent opening, understands the ducting layout and zones off your furnace airways properly.
5 Steps to Avoid a Disaster!
As noted, we pointed out the five ways that dust will escape into your home during an air duct cleaning. Now we want to break down each point and go into a little more detail so when you hire a duct cleaning company you are a little more educated and can bring up these concerns to your technician if they should arise.
1. Cover Each Vent Register
Before any duct cleaning begins the technician should be taking a tour of your home with you to get an idea of your ducting system layout. During this tour, the technician should be closing each register if applicable and covering each and every vent with what is called “Duct Mask” or “Grill Mask.” It comes in a variety of colors and is sticky film that should cover your vents. It is comparable to saran wrap but thicker and stickier. This helps prevent any fine particulate from escaping during the cleaning process. It not only captures any loose debris, but it also helps create a stronger suction when the duct cleaning vacuum is running. Make sure your technician is properly sealing all vents!
Duct mask covering a vent to prevent dust from getting out.
2. Underpowered Equipment
There are a lot fraudulent air duct cleaning companies out there and you should be aware of what equipment they use before you hire them. One of your main questions you should ask before you hire any cleaning company is how much CFM does the vacuum pull and is it HEPA rated. It they say it is less than 5000 CFM then move on to the next company. Anything under that benchmark will not have enough power or suction to properly dispose of all the fine and heavy particulate in your ducting system. If they lie and show up with anything that looks like a Shop Vac or a machine with a spinning brush coming out of the hose, then fire them before they even start! Trust us on this one! You will not be getting a proper cleaning and you run a substantial risk of debris being left in your ducts and on your possessions.
If you see this guy with a spinning brush, then fire him on the spot!
3. Understand Ducting Layouts
The difference between a good duct cleaning company and an average duct cleaning company is knowing and being able to visualize your homes ducting layout. During the walkthrough with the technician, he or she should be visualizing how it is all connected to your trunklines and furnace. From there the technician should know exactly where to start the cleaning and where to end it. Air duct cleaning should always begin at the furthest vent from the furnace and on the highest floor. The technician should work his way from the 2nd floor down to the 1st floor and lastly in the basement to clean your trunk lines. When a technician does not thoroughly clean in this order, they are sure to be leaving a mess behind in your air ducts.
Picture of HVAC layout in a residential home.
4. Proper Zoning
Now that the technician has created a game plan to clean your air ducts without making a mess, now he needs to decide whether or not to zone off your trunk lines for optimal suction. Zoning is required in larger homes with exceptionally long trunk runs. Do not take that as an absolute, we have seen small ranch style homes with a maze of ducting that needed to be zoned off.
An air duct cleaning company will block off a section of your ducting if they are not getting the proper suction and air flow required to pick up the debris. They are splitting your trunk lines in half and then they will switch zones once one side is cleaned. Properly zoning off your ducting is crucial to a proper cleaning. If the house needs zoning and the company does not do this crucial step, then they probably do not have enough suction power and the likeliness of getting debris on your furniture rises.
Diagram of a trunkline being zoned off.
5. Negligence & Poor Training
Air duct cleaning “blow outs” and messes are common if the proper care and planning are not taken into consideration. A good duct cleaning company has many years of experience and have perfected the way they clean air ducts as to ensure that a mess in your home is very unlikely. You will find that some companies will not take the time to cover each vent cover or even try to figure out the layout of your ducting. If you see this, then there is a good chance you may be spending more on a cleaning service to come clean up the mess left behind.
Do yourself a favor and educate yourself in this business. Only hire companies with excellent track records and reputations. They should also be upfront about their process and answer any questions you may have along the way. Lastly, thoroughly check out their reviews!
Conclusion
Air duct cleaning can be a mess if you hire the wrong company and do not know what you are looking at. Hopefully, this guide will help you better understand and help you choose a great air duct cleaning company that will not leave a mess behind in your home! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us. We would be more than happy to guide you in the right direction.
