Are You Ready to Schedule Duct Cleaning? Tools Your Technician Will Employ

If you’re planning to schedule duct cleaning for your home, understanding the tools used will help you find a technician who follows proper cleaning procedures.

• Access point tools – Your ducts may already have entry panels or holes that allow a technician to inspect the ducts and place cleaning equipment. If they don’t, the technician will use a hole cutter or hole saw to create access points. After the cleaning job’s done, these points will be sealed to prevent air leakage.

• Inspection equipment – The simplest inspection tools are a handheld mirror and flashlight. Lighted mirror equipment designed for viewing at right angles may also be used. For a clearer view of debris and blockages, some technicians use a still or video camera that can be snaked down into the ductwork.

• Handheld cleaning tools – Once the technicians have inspected your ductwork, they’ll start work with tools designed to break up stuck-on debris. They may use power or manual brushes and/or compressed-air cleaning tools, such as air skippers or air whips. Some technicians use equipment that loosens and vacuums up debris simultaneously. Because fiberglass-lined metal ductwork, ductboard and flexduct are easily damaged, only soft-bristled brushes should be used on these.

• Vacuum collection equipment – After the debris is loosened, vacuum equipment is used to suck the debris out of the ductwork. This equipment may be either portable or truck-mounted. Portable vacuums can be brought closer to the ductwork, but they aren’t as powerful as truck-mounted units. Whichever system your technician uses, it should exhaust debris either outside your home or, if it exhausts indoors, it should be equipped with a high-efficiency particle air (HEPA) filter.

When you schedule duct cleaning, work with a company whose duct cleaning experts are well equipped and, ideally, members of the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA).

To schedule duct cleaning and or learn other ways to improve your indoor air quality, contact us at Sobieski Services. Our goal is to help educate our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC & plumbing systems).

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