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When Should I Schedule Duct Cleaning?

*DuAll Heating & Cooling no longer offers duct cleaning services. Take a look at our other indoor air quality services to find the best solution for your needs.

Having professional cleaning for your ducts is an essential service for maintaining an efficient air conditioner and forced-air heater and to protect the quality of the air in your home. Duct cleaning experts use high-level tools such as enormous power vacuums and agitation equipment to remove buildup of dirt, dust, pollen, lint, and other contaminants that will place heavy resistance on airflow and which can end up pushed out into your air.

A question we often hear from customers is, “When should I arrange to have duct cleaning done?” It’s a good question, and one that isn’t simple to answer, since there are a variety of times when it’s good to schedule it and a number of signs to watch for.

More than two years have passed since you last had cleaning done

…or if you’ve never scheduled cleaning before. Although not all ventilation systems will need cleaning on the same regular basis, two years is a good general rule of thumb for how often you should schedule cleaning. Your cleaners will be able to tell you if you should adjust the frequency up or down.

A visual inspection reveals serious clogging in the ducts

You should make an occasional visual check on the inside of your ductwork. Here is how to do it: Remove one of the covers from a vent, then reach down inside with a digital camera and take a flash photo of the interior that is normally out of your sight. If the image captured shows you a tangle of dust and lint that looks like a clogged intake filter, then you definitely need to schedule cleaning.

An increase in health problems from airborne contaminants

If you have people with asthma and allergies living in your home, any increase in their symptoms should prompt a visual check (see above) and then scheduling duct cleaning. You may also notice allergy and asthma symptoms in other people in your house, and in this case the problem is probably very serious.

You struggle keeping your home clean

Excessive dirt and dust inside the ventilation system will lead to a buildup in your home as well. For example, a six-room home will, on average, circulate 40 lbs. of dust over a year through the ventilation system, and most of that will settle across your floors and furnishings. When you can’t seem to keep your home free of dust no matter how much cleaning you do, then it’s time to look into duct cleaning services.

A long-handle broom and hose vacuum cleaner will not do the job of cleaning out your ductwork.

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