Any good homeowner understands that the cost to purchase your home is certainly not the final cost you’ll have. There are routine maintenance procedures that need to be adhered to, for both the well-being of the house in the long run and the safety of its inhabitants.

One oft-forgotten process is the air duct cleaning process. This article will cover some information about the air duct cleaning process and some standard practices to perform the process. While many home maintenance projects can be performed yourself, there are some home projects such as air duct cleaning that require professional assistance. That assistance should be considered if the air duct issue in your home is serious. Read on for some more information regarding the air duct cleaning process.

How Will I Know if My Air Ducts Require Cleaning?

This is an important question. How exactly will you know? Well, there are a few signs to look for.

• Take a look at your utility bills. If you notice your gas and/or electric bills are higher than usual, you may need to get your air ducts cleaned. The dirtier your air ducts and vents are, the harder your heating and cooling units need to work in order to function. As a result, your bills can potentially skyrocket. One of the primary goals of air duct cleaning is to get your utility units optimized and working efficiently.
• Visible signs of excess dust in your home. If you start seeing excessive amounts of dust around your house, even after giving it a thorough dust cleaning, you may need to have your air ducts cleaned. The dust buildup may be causing excess dust to seep through the slits in the vents located in various areas within your home.
• Symptoms conducive to allergic reactions. If you or your loved ones begin to experience allergy-like symptoms such as eye and skin irritation, sore throat, cough, or asthmatic attack, it could be air duct-related and require further inspection.

These signs can be exacerbated and more pronounced if you have an older home or if your home has recently undergone serious water damage, either flood- or leak-related.

Negative Pressure Technology

Now that you’ve determined your house does indeed require air duct cleaning services, it’s important to understand that one of the key components of the air duct cleaning process entails. Negative Pressure Technology. The key to a quality air duct cleaning process is negative pressure, a procedure mandated by the National Air Duct Cleaning Association (NADCA). The negative pressure applied to the interior of the air ducts allows for a suction-like action that will cause the dirt to be sucked into a dust collection apparatus, removing the dirt from the air vents.

The Process

Here’s a step-by-step guide on the full cycle air duct cleaning process.

Step 1 – Duct Inspection

Any home maintenance process begins with a basic assessment of the area being worked on. For air ducts, a simple inspection of the various air ducts within your house will suffice. This inspection allows for the air duct cleaning service to prioritize the project and lend attention to the most at-risk air ducts first.

Step 2 – Negative Pressure

Now that the air ducts have been inspected, the service team will begin to create negative pressure within the air ducts. This is achieved using a large vacuum collection device. The collection device is typically connected to the duct closest to your HVAC system’s air handler via an access hole the service team cuts into the duct in question. After sealing the access hole with an adhesive cover, the service team will turn the collection unit on, initiating the negative pressure within the airspace.

Step 3 – Dust Removal

Using an air compressor, the service team will move from duct to duct to loosen the tightly packed dust particles out of the crevices within the ducts. The negative pressure will then suck the loose particles into the collection apparatus, and from there the service team will spray down the newly cleaned air ducts with some disinfectant. The best service teams will then also go through the ducts with smaller vacuum cleaners to pick up any dust that was left over from the air compressors.

Step 4 – Monitor

It’s always a good idea to revisit the air ducts a few weeks after being serviced to ensure that the cleaning process was effective. If you notice any leftover dust, document it and call the service team immediately.

Contact a Professional for Air Duct Cleaning Services

Air duct and vent maintenance is a neglected home upkeep process, and it should be handled by professionals to ensure that the process is performed safely and correctly. If you believe you have excess dirt clogging your air ducts and costing you money, be sure to call an air duct cleaning professional today to schedule a consultation.

About Vince Sandri

Vince Sandri is a content writer and blogger with more than 12 years of experience. His expertise is in creating content related to disaster restoration, including information about preventing and reacting to natural disasters like flooding, water damage, fire and smoke damage, mold growth, storm damage and more.
Vince has been the main contributor to RestorationMasterFinder.com since 2014. Over that time, he has written numerous service pages and blogs for disaster restoration providers featured on RestorationMasterFinder.com. Vince has done extensive research and covered a wide range of topics relating to disaster restoration to help homeowners, business owners, and property managers better protect their property. He understands the problems that disasters like flooding, fire, smoke, and mold can cause as well as the best ways to respond to these issues to limit the damage.
Vince completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Aurora University and his master’s degree at DePaul University. He has been writing SEO website pages, blogs, and press releases since 2012. Vince is also a musician and can be seen playing in the Chicago, IL area.