Duct Cleaning?

[eytonxav]

Anyone with those flexible insulted heating/AC ducts ever get them cleaned and if so, how frequently? We have never done this in the past as we use high MERV filters and replace when dirty and also are concerned the cleaning process might tear the ductwork.

 

[Sunset]

Consumer report has said in the past that duct cleaning is a scam.
Certainly use a vacuum and vacuum out the floor register opening as dirt/duct will fall down there.

While the return air duct will suck dust into the system, the filter at the furnace catches it so it won't damage the motor. So in a sense it is self cleaning.

In thinking about it, since the furnace blows cleaned air out to the house, the dirtiest piping would be the return air flow.

I took a photo using my phone of my return air duct in a room , and while there are specks of dust/dirt clinging to it, considering it is 40 yrs old and not been cleaned, it looks pretty clean.

On the left side you can see the metal where it has been folded together for size reference.

 

[pacergal]

We have been in this house for 30 years, Duct cleaning x2. Most recently 2 years ago.
Use high MERV filters also.
The ducts were filthy this time (house is 65 years old). I noticed significant reduction in allergies afterwards.
Small business, guy came in with his son. Used a brush and Vacuumed and sucked out all the dust, then cleaned the vents and put in a new filter.
Pretty inexpensive, Best $200 I spent.

 

[beowulf]

Duct cleaning is most often described as a solution looking for a problem. We have lived in our home for 38 years, have oil heat and never had the ducts cleaned. I look into them with a strong flashlight annually and have never seen an accumulation great enough to merit cleaning.

While there may be rare situations where the cleaning is warranted, it's usually a scam or a service that wasn't worth the expense.

 

[eytonxav]

Now that I think of it, I seem to recall learning years ago that this was not a necessary service, but did a memory erase after seeing an add for it on Facebook

 

[ER Eddie]

I had my ducts cleaned once. I live in an old house, built in 1945, and I suffer from allergies. I figured the house had never had its ducts cleaned, so why not try.

They came out and did their thing. It was a couple hundred dollars. I asked the guy how much dirt he found in there, and he said it was about the "normal" amount, whatever that means.

I didn't notice any reduction in allergy symptoms afterwards. I'm not sure if it made a difference or not.

 

[statsman]

New house was built in the Spring of 2019 (Central Texas). A lot of construction dust can get into the vent system, and the builder (actually the sales rep who effectively lived in one of the model houses 9a-6p most days) said to swap out the media filter (4" thick, MERV-10, Aprilaire) at least once in the first six months as that first filter deals with a lot of dust.

Builder and HVAC installer recommends a new filter every year, as that's what the filters are rated for. But they were telling us since the filters are rather pricey ($55-70 each), many homeowners in the area were taking them out and blowing off the dirt and dust and re-using them. Didn't sound wise to us. We upgraded to MERV-13 filters since we are retired and in the house a lot (little did we know what 2020 would turn into!).

Along with having three indoor-only cats, we install a new filter every six months. They've been fairly dirty when replaced, but I see little dust or dirt accumulating in the vent system where the filter is replaced. I also don't see any dust or hair accumulating on the out and return vents. The filter must be working.

 

[beowulf]

You should get the highest MERV value you can that will work in your A/C or heating system. They go up to 20, but the higher the number, the harder your A/C or furnace has to work to push air through it. The absolute minimum would be a 6, but not higher than 13 in a residential setting. We use a 6. It's not that we wouldn't like to use a higher number, but our A/C is old and the harder it has to work, the less cold air gets through. Our oil furnace, OTOH works very well with a 13. Different filters for different seasons. Here is a MERV rating scale: https://www.grainger.com/know-how/e...ucid=N:N:PS:Paid:GGL:CSM-2296:AD9MJX:20511231

 

[Sunset]

I just went and checked my filter to see the MERV rating is 8.
But I noticed I inserted my filter the same way I inserted my old ones, with the wire grid on the fan side.

I always thought this was so the filter does not billow out and get caught in the fan.

The new filters want the plastic grid on the non-fan side. I wonder why and do they work just as well backwards

 

[skipro33]

I change my filters twice a year. Many times they hardly look any dirtier than the new ones. But I have a small pocket wind speed meter and test the outflow of registers. There's a significant difference swapping out the filter even though it doesn't look too dirty.

MERV filters can be too restricting for your system and cause more trouble than help. If all you want to do is keep the ducts clean, you don't need a filter that is high rated enough to remove viruses. I use a MERV12 filter and it works best to keep ducts clean and allow enough air flow. A MERV14 restricts my airflow so much my air conditioner runs continuously when the temps outside get above 95. With the MERV12, my AC runs below 50% of the time at the same temps. No filter or a very low MERV filter allows air to pass too quickly over the evaporator and again, my AC runs for longer times. So your AC system is designed with a specific restriction to it for best efficiency.

 

[Tetto]

I have a friend who has a business in Southwest Florida who cleans ducts for a living! Does very well too; apartment buildings, condo complexes etc. they all have electric clothes dryers and vents all over the place.

 

[f35phixer]

we use the cheapest filters available. picture the white see though ones from Ace, best for air handlers. Ducts are fine, no pets just the two of us. change four times a year at season change.

 

[Music Lover]

I think duct cleaning is overrated. Perhaps if someone has pet allergies and buys a house from a former pet owner it might help. Otherwise I wouldn't bother.

I did a major reno last summer and there was tons of drywall dust created. After it was done I looked in the ducts and any dust that had fallen in them only went about a foot into the duct. I also moved a couple duct locations and had to pull them apart and they were pretty clean (50 year old house), except for the last foot that had drywall dust. So I shop vacced them and all is fine.

 

[beowulf]

I fully agree with the pet comment. Our daughter has 2 cats and there is cat fur everywhere. I used to change her filters every 2 months and they were covered with cat fur. That was with a MERV 8 filter. I can’t imagine what it would have been with a MERV 13, if not blocked completely. She now lives in a part of the country where most houses don’t have A/C, so it’s less of a problem.

 

[ncbill]

I would never bother with my home, but I had the ducts steam-cleaned for a relative's house since they were literally the heaviest smoker I've ever known.

What came out of them is best left unsaid.

Also had their vehicle steam-cleaned at the same time which was a mistake...all the crud in the foam got sucked out & deposited into the cloth seats.

I had to spend a lot of time with vehicle upholstery cleaner on those seats, but I still couldn't get them completely clean...plan to head to the junkyard to replace them & will also replace the carpet even If I have to order new.

 

[H2ODude]

I have three separate systems, every one the filter is right at the entrance to the return. Never have had cleaned or see any reason to. Figure if it was examined the only thing significant in the ducts would be scraps and sawdust that were remnants of the construction.