HOW ARE AIR DUCTS CLEANED, THE RIGHT WAY?

NADCA has very strict standards by which all members must follow! It’s important to know that there are not a lot of different ways air ducts can be cleaned. The following steps should be followed to obtain a proper air duct cleaning.

1. First we come out with a large truck mount unit and bring in an 8 inch hose and attach it to the two main trunk lines that run off your furnace. This is done by cutting an 8 inch hole into the trunks, then patching it afterwards with a 10x10 piece of sheet metal with sheet metal screws and caulking.
2. We then start up the engines (outside) and create a negative air pressure, or a suction, throughout the entire house so all the vents are sucking air for the duration of the clean. This is a very important step that prevents dirt from drifting out one vent while we’re cleaning out another, and is also a strict NADCA standard.
3. We now take a long air compressor rod, attached to an air compressor on the truck, and send it down each vent, blasting the dirt off the walls of the ducts (with special attachments), sending it in the direction of the suction.
4. We then start all over and do the returns the same way. Note: All vent covers should be removed for a proper clean. If there are any painted on-vents, we try to be as gentle as we can, scoring it with a razor blade first, to minimize any chipping.
5. After all the ducts have been cleaned, we go back to the main trunk line and clean each one separately, pushing all the dirt out the hose and into our trucks.
6. We finish by cleaning the blower motor, blower motor cage and return riser. The only area we don’t go into is the heat exchanger (where the flames are). We clean everything that has to do with what you breath.