Do you think your HVAC needs professional air duct cleaning? Are you planning to get your air ducts cleaned? If that’s what you are thinking, bravo! You are thinking right. Air duct cleaning purifies indoor air quality, increases system efficiency, saves money on high electricity bills and repairs, and extends the life of your HVAC system.

But, have you never consulted professional air duct cleaning company for professional service? Many people hesitate to contact professional air duct cleaning services as they are not sure what tools the professionals use to inspect and clean the air ducts. Let us give you detailed information about the tools used by professional air duct cleaning service for the thorough cleaning of your air ducts.

Professional Air Duct Cleaning Toolbox

There are some professional air duct cleaning tools and every company can use different tools. The function of the tool remains the same; it’s just that the kind of tool differs from company to company. For instance, some companies use powerful truck-mounted vacuums while others use smaller, portable vacuums. 

To provide both power and flexibility to their jobs, HVAC maintenance professionals frequently combine truck-mounted and portable equipment. They are able to use this combination since NADCA permits the use of this kind of equipment.

In simple words, the foundation of any professional air duct cleaning toolbox is vacuum equipment. The majority of the effort in taking pollutants out of the ducts and completely eliminating them from the area is done by vacuum tools. The amount of force required to clean an entire commercial duct network can be delivered effectively by truck-mounted vacuum collection systems.

However, portable systems provide flexibility and ease. Technicians can reach deeper into your vents and ducts when they can insert the full vacuum unit inside your building. This is why many professional air duct cleaning services use a combination of truck-mounted and portable vacuums. 

This way, they can thoroughly clean by reaching deeper into vents and ducts with portable equipment while cleaning the entire ductwork with the powerful truck-mounted vacuum.

Although vacuum equipment is the primary tool among the professional air duct cleaning tools, there are other various tools too that are employed by air duct cleaning services to perform professional air duct cleaning. The following are the other categories of tools:

1. Professional Air Duct Cleaning Access tools

Access tools are devices that professionals use to make openings in the HVAC system so that cleaning and inspection can be done. The access points can be anything from small holes for optical imaging to large panels for workers and heavy equipment.

2. Inspection tools

Visual inspection tools, as the name suggests, can be used to visually oversee the cleaning process, assess the effectiveness of the cleaning techniques utilized, and assess the accumulation of debris and pollution within an HVAC system. Typical tools include:

• Portable mirror
• CCTV camera system
• Camera
• Periscope

3. Dirt Collection Devices and Vacuum Equipment

To ensure that no dust or debris enters your living spaces through the vents and returns through the duct system, vacuum tools create negative pressure inside the system.

Professional air duct cleaning services utilize a powerful truck-mounted vacuum to remove all of the dust from your ductwork and store it in a sizable storage tank outside of your property. This can prevent dust or dirt from entering indoors during the professional air duct cleaning process.

In the case where there is a short parking area, for instance in apartments or condos, the professional air duct cleaning company uses a portable vacuum instead of a truck-mounted vacuum. Many professionals use HEPA vacuums, particularly those made to collect both water and dry dust.

4. Professional Air Duct Cleaning Brushes

The professional air duct cleaning method also relies heavily on manual brushes and pneumatic agitation and cleaning tools. The purpose of these tools is to scrape dust and debris glued to ductwork walls. This enables vacuum equipment to easily and efficiently collect and remove dust or debris from the ductwork.

The use of air whips, blowguns, and air skippers in ducts is common to perform more aggressive cleaning methods. Inside fiberglass-lined ducting and flex duct, both of which call for more delicate cleaning methods, hand-powered instruments are more frequently used.

5. Compressed Air Sources

There are many professional air duct cleaning tools and devices used for HVAC system cleaning that are pneumatically powered, meaning they require a great deal of pressure to operate. Using an air compressor is the most common way to deliver this pressure.

Should I Clean My Air Ducts?

Professional Air Duct Cleaning

If you or your family is suffering from respiratory issues and you think that the allergic attacks are mostly triggered in the spaces of your home where the air conditioner works, then the best-recommended action is to get professional air duct cleaning. Air duct cleaning should be a part of your regular house maintenance.

Professional air duct cleaning should be conducted at least once every three years. If there are noticeable signs of your air ducts being clogged with dirt, debris, or particulate matter, you should get professional air duct cleaning more often.

The Material in Your Ducts

Air duct cleaning professionals always stress the need for professional air duct cleaning by informing you of any of the particles trapped in your ducts that are impeding airflow, impacting indoor quality, and decreasing HVAC system efficiency. The professionals talk about the following materials:

• Mold, mildew
• Viruses and bacteria
• Pollen
• Pet dander
• Other chemicals
• Dust mites
• Rodents and insects that transmit diseases, their droppings, and their remnants
• Fungi

These contaminated allergens have the potential to harm your family’s health and make them suffer from various allergies and respiratory issues.

Health Effects of Dirty Air Ducts

If you or your family members are experiencing any of these or all of these health conditions, then you have certainly clogged air ducts.

• Headaches
• Hives, rashes, or eczema
• Frequent coughing
• Throat irritation
• Itchy or teary eyes
• Sneezing
• Runny or congested nose
• Mild fever
• Lack of energy and a sense of “illness” at home
• Breathing issues, triggered asthma or allergy attacks only at home, and wheezing

These signs could point to more serious health issues brought on by clogged air ducts and vents.

The Benefits of Professional Air Duct Cleaning

1. Boost The Effectiveness and Longevity of Your HVAC System

The accumulated particles inside your air ducts put extra strain on your HVAC system and force it to work harder to function properly. This occurs because the system will be unable to reach the desired temperature since the air will not circulate freely around your home. Your system has to exert more force to propel the air passing through the dirt in your home.

Additionally, since your HVAC system is operating more than the requirements, it will consume more energy, resulting in high electricity bills. By getting professional air duct cleaning services for your HVAC system, you can extend the life of your system and save money on expensive repairs.

2. Get Rid of Any Offensive Odors

You can sense different odors in your home throughout the day. The smells can come from cooking food, perfumes, cigarette smoke, etc. There are countless odor resources in your home. However, these odors should not cling to your furniture.

You may not be aware of these smells while carrying out your daily activities. However, if you call your friends or other guests to your home, they can smell these odors and inform you about them.

When it comes to eliminating these bad odors, it’s not only about saving yourself from awkward situations in front of your guests, but also about protecting the health of your HVAC system and family members. Professional air duct cleaning remains the best solution to get rid of bad odors from your house.

3. Allergens-Free Environment

Many people suffer from respiratory diseases. The trapped mold, bacteria, pet dander, viruses, dust, or dirt particles aggravate particular respiratory diseases such as asthma.

Professional air duct cleaning is essential to prevent the spread of allergic reactions and protect you and your family from further triggered asthma episodes or respiratory illnesses. Duct cleaning becomes mandatory in homes with children, as children are more likely to catch bacteria than adults. Having properly cleaned HVAC ducts means the provision of good quality indoor air.

4. Reducing The Risk of Contracting Hazardous Diseases

Mold, rodents, dirt, insects, bacteria, etc. that settle in your duct system can contaminate the indoor air, infest your home and expose you to different respiratory issues and allergies. People with asthma or other respiratory problems are more prone to catching the side effects of these allergens.

The rodents will urinate on the dust deposited on your air ducts, which will be carried into the home by the air circulating in your home. You might inhale such particles and develop leptospirosis or hantavirus.

With frequent professional air duct cleaning, you can protect yourself and your family members from the risks of catching dangerous diseases. Consult with a professional air duct cleaning company if at any time you sense that your ducts have become dirty.

Remember: A Filter Replacement Was Required

Keep in mind that you don’t need to clean the ducts every time. Sometimes, when there is no visible mold growth inside your air ducts but there is plenty of dust surrounding your house, you should just change the filters more frequently. Every system has a filter that collects dust and keeps it out of your ductwork.

The filters can be occasionally cleaned, but if they stop functioning, you will need to replace them. You won’t need professional air duct cleaning if that fixes the issue.

Can Professional Air Duct Cleaning Help with Allergies?

The allergens in your home that trigger asthma attacks, sinusitis, and other respiratory issues are decreased by routine vent and duct cleaning. In essence, your air ducts move air around your house. When allergens get into your home, they also make their way into air ducts. These allergens get discharged into the air through your HVAC system, so the indoor air quality is compromised and you inhale the contaminated air.

Your home’s air ducts are used for both heating and cooling purposes because they are designed to move air around the space. Therefore, cleaning your air ducts will get rid of any possible allergens that may be there.

What If I Don’t Get Professional Air Duct Cleaning?

1. Clogged Ducts

The accumulation of debris and dust in an air duct can block the ducts. As dust accumulates in the ducts, outlets, vents, and filters over time, it will group together.

The clogged ducts impede the airflow and impact the HVAC system’s efficiency. If the air ducts remain unattended, the ducts may stop functioning.

2. Extra Cost on Repairs

Avoiding duct cleaning means you have to spend extra money on HVAC system maintenance. Your electricity costs will increase, desired temperatures will be difficult to maintain, and you’ll have to spend an exorbitant amount of money on system repairs. Air ducts should be cleaned regularly to prevent these problems.

3. Mold Growth

Mold growth is one of the main problems associated with dirty air ducts. The dampness will remain if any water enters your vents or if condensation accumulates. Moisture enables mold growth, and in the absence of regular professional air duct cleaning, the situation inside the ducts will only worsen.

What matters most in this situation is the functionality of the air duct. The air ducts circulate air throughout your home. If your air ducts are filled with mold, the same mold spores are going to spread in indoor air. Mold in the air ducts produces a musty odor and makes people ill.

4. Pests Might Show Up

Pests love moisture, debris, and dust! This clearly means that all these materials, if settled inside air ducts, create the perfect environment for pests to grow. Dirty air ducts are one of the perfect spots for mice, cockroaches, or rats. The more you delay professional air duct cleaning of your HVAC system, the more you give such creatures a chance to grow inside your ducts and affect them.

What Does Professional Air Duct Cleaning Service Entail?

Many people don’t regularly use professional air duct cleaning services, so they are unaware of what it entails. The supply, intake, and return ducts throughout your entire home are cleaned by qualified specialists using specialized techniques and equipment. Brushes, vacuums, and blowers are some of the most common professional air duct cleaning tools. The experts can readily access confined spaces and know how to connect and remove your ducts without harming them.

The fans, motors, coils, and pretty much every other component of the HVAC system will all be cleaned by professional air duct cleaning services. In addition to cleaning, experts will assess the state of your HVAC system to determine whether any repairs are necessary. The team looks into the pressing issues that need urgent treatment.

How to Determine Whether Your Air Ducts Were Cleaned Correctly

There are many credible professional air duct cleaning services out there, but just like any other industry, there are some scam companies too. Fortunately, you can identify those companies by looking at their vent and duct cleaning process. For instance, you can check the equipment they brought, their vehicle (either from the company or not), and the way the duct cleaning process is executed.

Your ducts are probably still dirty if your response to these queries is less than satisfactory.

• Access doors

The specialists must make a small hole in the ductwork close to your furnace to do proper professional air duct cleaning. The hole is entirely sealed once the cleaning is finished.

It’s quite likely that your ducts are dirty if there was no hole created in the ducting. Because the portable vacuum is taken inside the ducts through the holes created for entering into the duct system, how come the ducts may have been cleaned thoroughly if the vacuum hadn’t been inserted inside the ducts?

Additionally, if the hole was made but not sealed, then both your money and energy will be wasted whenever the system operates.

• Vent Covers

Each of your home’s register covers must be taken off, cleaned, and replaced as part of the professional air duct cleaning procedure. Your ducts may be filled with dust or debris if your registers are still not cleaned.

• Internal Duct

Pick a supply and return register in your house. After taking off the lid, look inside using a flashlight. Does it remain filthy? If the vent is still filled with dirt, dust, or debris, the team didn’t do their job well.

• Furnace and Air Conditioning

Ensure that your furnace and air conditioner are still operating correctly. If you feel any functioning error with your air conditioner or AC, contact the professional air duct cleaning company and make the company liable for the damages.

Final Thoughts

Professional Air Duct cleaning is indispensable primarily for maintaining the indoor quality and, ultimately, the health of your family members. It’s always a good thing to have professional air duct cleaning services to help you with this. But you should not remain unconcerned with the duct cleaning service. Ideally, you should have information about the tools and equipment used in professional air duct cleaning and the ways through which you can check the performance of the company.