Choosing a Duct Cleaning Company

The importance of air duct cleaning cannot be overlooked so as well as choosing a duct cleaning company. It would help if you had your air ducts cleaned regularly to keep your HVAC system running smoothly. It eliminates all sorts of dust, debris, or other contaminated particles found inside your HVAC system and provides cleaner air.

In residential or commercial air duct cleaning, it holds critical importance in minimizing health problems triggered by poor indoor air quality. Not only is getting regular air duct cleaning important, but it also matters a lot from whom duct cleaning services you getting.

The air duct cleaning industry is cluttered with duct cleaning services that claim to offer premium quality services. Identifying the right person can be challenging. Often, homeowners don’t do enough research to check the credibility of the duct cleaning company and contact the first number that appears on their Google search. However, this is never recommended. It’s not only about your money. It’s also about you putting your HVAC system in the hands of inexperienced people and allowing them to damage it.

Many duct cleaning services do present genuine offers, however, many merely promise quality service and deliver half of the claims made. Ultimately, you end up damaging your HVAC system and losing your money.

Choosing a good air duct cleaning company comes down to doing your research. Research is the key to being assured that your HVAC system is in the right hands. When you start your research, at first you’ll be perplexed as to what to do and how to zero in on a reliable HVAC duct cleaning company. That’s surely a time-consuming task, but you’ve got to do it.

Finding a company that has everything you want—high-quality service, no-excuses reliability, and great reviews—can be tough. To make it easy for you, we’ve listed down all the significant aspects that must be considered when choosing an air duct cleaning company.

Considerations When Choosing a Duct Cleaning Company

When researching HVAC duct cleaning services, certification, cleaning procedures, and customer service are important factors to consider.

1. Area Served

Identifying the duct cleaning services that serve the home’s location is the first step. Finding local duct cleaning services is usually easy with an online search. Remember that some services are only for commercial properties, whereas others are for both. So, some companies will only be offering commercial air duct cleaning, while others will give you both services: commercial duct cleaning and residential air duct cleaning.

Also, across the country, some national duct cleaning companies offer different services. Naturally, a company that serves the home’s location must offer the right services. You better check the services offered and see if they offer what you need. 

• Timeline

You can book AC duct cleaning online or by phone with most regional and national services. Online scheduling might be faster, but a phone call allows the homeowner to tell the technician about the ducts’ condition, the HVAC system’s details, and other details. This way the HVAC professional will be able to better understand your HVAC system’s condition.

Calling instead of filling out an online service request form is typically faster if you need duct cleaning urgently, like after a rat infestation or mold problem. The online response may get delayed due to the rush of online customers, while infestation problems in your home can grow from bad to worse.

Additionally, consider getting a consultation or an in-home inspection before you hire a company. An inspection before cleaning the ducts might seem like an inconvenience, but a company willing to do this is more likely to do a good job. These little things tell about a duct cleaning services company’s dedication and professionalism in doing their job.

• Certification

National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) certification is a must for any duct cleaning company. NADCA develops and researches standards for air duct cleaning. This certification requires at least one Air System Cleaning Specialist (ASCS) on staff and adherence to these standards. This certification requires classes and an exam to earn. Many air duct cleaning companies display the NADCA certification badge on their websites to show their credibility to customers.

The company should also be ACCA (Air Conditioning Contractors of America) certified in addition to NADCA. When working on indoor HVAC systems, contractors should follow ACCA standards. Finally, a good air duct cleaning service should also follow the EPA’s guidelines.

• Cleaning Techniques

A homeowner can monitor the work much better if they understand the cleaning methods. A video camera that extends into the ducts is often used to survey the condition of the ducts before any repairs can be made. A big vacuum device will then be attached to one of the ducts by the technician. For dust to be sucked out of vents, the technician must seal each register in every room.

Using the vacuum, the technician will create negative pressure throughout the ducts after covering all registers. Each register can be cleaned one at a time by covering and uncovering it. An HVAC cleaning service will not just clean the ducts, but also blower motors, evaporator coils, and drain pans. Last but not least, new filters should be installed.

• Extra Services

Most duct cleaning companies offer more than just duct cleaning. A duct cleaning company can also clean carpets, clean dryer vents, and fix the HVAC. Buying services individually can be expensive, so some companies bundle them together which is totally in favor of homeowners.

• Customer Support

A good experience starts with good customer service, be it in any service or industry. Customers who want good customer service should be willing to let a company assess their ductwork before committing to the work. A company needs to have good customer service via phone, email, and live chat so that customers get timely answers to their queries.

Air Duct Cleaning Service Research

Research is a thorough process that requires patience. Just like with any other job or industry, you must take certain actions that can solidify your research and help you make the right decision.

Here is a list of things that you should do:

• See what people are saying
• Get before and after pictures
• Find out if it’s “satisfaction guaranteed”
• Check certifications
• Don’t forget to ask the right questions
• Don’t fall for scams
• Don’t start without checking the credentials
• Before you start, get an estimate
• Before you pay for the job, check it out physically

That is a quick summary of what you need to do to find an HVAC duct cleaning company.

View the Company’s Air Duct Cleaning Reviews

Thanks to online internet technology today we’re able to look for customer reviews in a few minutes. Earlier, with no internet technology, the only way to check reviews was either from magazines or first-hand customer feedback. This process was naturally slow and less effective. But today you can see instantly what people are saying about a service. With time this habit of checking online reviews has become quite common. For instance, if we wish to try a new restaurant, café, or coffee shop, we first check the reviews.

Here too, your research starts with looking through customer reviews. Reviewing before you buy can help you get a quality service. You should read all the reviews, including the bad ones when choosing a provider. Take note of the business’s response to criticism. Note the approach of the service provider while looking at the reply. There would be two approaches; either the service provider would be keen on resolving the issue or it would use a defense mechanism to avoid solving the problem. If you see signs of the latter approach, you should cross that service provider off the list.

The most important thing is to make sure the positive reviews don’t sound fake. Too good to be true. Take a look at the neutral reviews too, and figure out what went right and what went wrong.

Air Duct Cleaning Before and After Photos

Today, when we’re loaded with technology, at the very least we like to see before and after pictures. For instance, before booking a hairdresser we first go and check out the before-and-after pictures on their social media pages. We book them only if we find those images satisfactory enough. When choosing duct cleaning services, you should ask for before and after pictures. Credible duct cleaning service providers confidently share the pictures, as the images speak for their professionalism. On the other hand, scammers hesitate to share the pictures so if the service provider seems reluctant, you better cross the name.

Make Sure It’s Satisfaction Guaranteed

Companies should offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee if they believe in their service, use trained technicians, and are dedicated to leaving each customer completely satisfied.

Scams in Air Duct Cleaning

One of the common scams encountered by customers is when an air duct cleaning service provider offers services for $50, which they call quick cleaning. In this quick cleaning, they wrongly claim to have found mold growth inside your ducts. As the company falsely scares you, your price will skyrocket by hundreds of dollars. Also, air duct steam cleaning isn’t an industry standard, so be cautious if a technician suggests it.

Additionally, such fraudulent companies usually charge a nominal fee and don’t do much to clean your system. They might also convince the consumer to pay for unneeded services. Fortunately, if you’ve verified industry certifications and asked the above questions, there’s little chance it’s a scam.

Air Ducts Should Be Physically Inspected

Be sure to physically inspect the air ducts before giving the repair technicians the final payment and letting them leave your house. Make sure the ventilation system is working properly, not just the ducts. Make sure you take photos of the completed job while the technician is showing you, and ask any follow-up questions you have.

HVAC System Cleaning

Mold, fungi, bacteria, and very small dust particles are among the contaminants collected by heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. So when you are considering measures to improve indoor air quality, you must focus on the removal of contaminants from your home and HVAC system. HVAC system cleaning and HVAC duct cleaning are vital to maintaining the good health of your family members as contaminated air can harm human health in multiple ways.

You still need to be sure about the HVAC system cleaning even after the professionals have completed their job. The best way to tell if they have done a successful job is by visually inspecting the system. If dust or debris can still be seen inside the system, that means they haven’t done a satisfactory job. You can visually inspect the system using a flashlight, however, it would be better if the professionals helped you with that by giving you access to the system components.

Homeowners often wonder how often the residential HVAC systems need cleaning. Several factors determine how often you clean, including your preferences. These things may make a homeowner think about cleaning more often:

• Smokers in the house
• Hair-shedding pets
• Water damage or contamination in the house
• HVAC pollution reduction might be beneficial to allergy sufferers or asthmatics
• Remodeling or renovations
• Before occupying a new home.

Using source removal methods is the most effective way to clean air ducts. By using a specialized, powerful vacuum, a contractor can put the system under negative pressure. Devices are put in the ducts while the vacuum pulls air through the system to dislodge any debris that might be stuck. After the debris travels down the ducts, it gets sucked up by the vacuum, which removes it from the system.

Furthermore, to treat microbial contamination like mold, viruses, or bacteria, some companies apply antimicrobial chemicals to the interior surface of the air ducts. Make sure the system is really clean before using any antimicrobial chemicals. Antimicrobial treatments in HVAC systems need to be registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Regarding duct cleaning cost, it can cost between $450 and $1,000, depending on the type of ducts, the type of service provided, the size of the system, accessibility, the climate where the system is located, the level of contamination, and the type of ducts.

Duct Cleaning Company: What to Look for

You can choose an air duct cleaning company like you would any other. Customer service, expertise, and value are what you’re looking for. You’ll want to look at customer reviews, review industry qualifications, and ask for quotes to see if a company has these qualities.

There are a few things to look for that are industry-specific:

• How’re they going to clean your vents? You want to make sure that your ductwork doesn’t end up getting damaged.
• Is the system inspected before duct cleaning? A complete inspection helps professionals understand dirty areas. This enables them to better assess the level of cleaning required to eliminate dust or debris from the ducts.
• Is their insurance and bond up to date? What kind of mold training do they have? Mold cleaning can be a tricky business. Mold is dangerous to human health, therefore, professionals have to ensure that while cleaning mold, they don’t handle it incorrectly.
• Can they work on your system? HVAC systems are different and installed according to the building structure. You want to ensure that the duct cleaning services team is equipped with the right tools to clean your ductwork.

Consider a Second Opinion Before You Invest in Expensive Duct Cleaning

When you visit a doctor and explain your health condition to him, he prescribes you some medicines and recommends a recovery treatment. However, you often take a second opinion to be sure before proceeding with the treatment. The same is true when choosing a duct cleaning company. When it comes to air duct cleaning, you’re talking about the health of your HVAC system. This means that before confirming the duct cleaning services you must take a second opinion to reach a better decision for HVAC duct cleaning.

You should get a second opinion if an air duct cleaner says there’s mold in your ducts. Don’t get suckered into a hard sales pitch if the cleaner insists on doing everything right away. Getting a second opinion won’t be a problem for a good air duct contractor.

Quotes

When choosing a duct cleaning company, ask for a quote to ensure a reasonable duct cleaning cost. Duct cleaning cost can vary based on the size of your area.

Dust and Dirt Protection Measures

There’s a lot of mess involved in air duct cleaning. All of a sudden, dirt, dust, and other kinds of particles will be exposed. One small breeze will blow dirt, dust, and particles right out of your ducts and all over your house. Ask the HVAC companies and professionals about their plans to keep your home clean and dust-free so you don’t have to deal with a lot of cleaning afterward.

Ideally, duct cleaning services should use plastic sheets to cover your furniture or any other surfaces in your home to secure them from any dust or other airborne particles. Their shoes will be covered inside the house so they don’t track dirt and dust around, and they’ll also brush and clean the ducts’ dirty spots. When you hire professional duct cleaning services, you won’t have to worry about your home looking messy.

Final Thoughts

Air duct cleaning for your HVAC system is a careful process. You can’t hire any duct cleaning services without ensuring that they’ve got the right expertise and air duct cleaning equipment to complete the job. Before hiring duct cleaning services, inquire about the certifications, air duct cleaning equipment, duct cleaning cost, mold removal training, and customer service.

The accuracy of your research will determine the proper duct cleaning of your HVAC system.