Duct Cleaning

[Lynda44]

Does it really make a difference? If you have had yours cleaned do you feel it was worth spending the money or not?

[Dr.Dan]

Unless you have pets or people with alergies, I don't believe in the 'clean them every 4-5 years' like they try to sell you...

If you have just had renovations done it's a good idea to get the crap out of there... same with a new home.
If you think those ducts are clean in a new home, think again... ;)

Other than that, they only need to be cleaned out maybe every 15 to 20 years... as they really don't collect allot of dirt... since they have allot of airflow going through them.
Just buy good filters for the furnace and replace them regularly :)

[Lynda44]

This house is 16 years old and has never had the ducts cleaned. We seem to get a lot of dust so we vacummed all the ducts as much as we could and as Dr. Dan mentioned there was lots of junk (paper cups, etc.) left over from the building days. The furnace filter is changed regularly and kept clean. Perhaps it would be a good thing to do since it has never been done and you can only get a limited distance with the Central Vac. Does anyone have a recommendation as to a good company in the Whitby/Oshawa area.

[Ken_ver_1_5]

I would say have it done once if you haven't done it before.
you have done the right thing by doing some yourself and you
can buy what I call pool hose attach it to the vacuum and
push it down the ducks as far as you can then wiggle it as
you take it out. if you have been in this house for some time
you will get a dust build up an no I am not implying you don't
clean. most dust we don't get to very often because its
out of our reach. a trick I used to do is move a room every
six months if your able. dust hides in everything and the best
way I know to keep it down is the move. vacuum and clean
everything as you take it out including the walls and curtains
they are dust magnets.
as Dr.Dan mentioned keep clean filters in your furness.

[Bluvertigo]

Should You Get Your Heating Ducts Cleaned?
http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/burema/gesein/abhose/abhose_ce29.cfm

[Lynda44]

Good article Bluevertigo. We may get them cleaned once just because they have never been properly done but I see from the replies and the article that this is really an unnecessary expense on a regular basis. Actually, I am sure that a lot of the dust is probably from outside as we often open windows instead of using the air conditioning. Good idea Ken about moving a room around every 6 months or so. I usually try to do things like move the couch out from the wall, move the bed away from the wall etc. on a fairly regular basis as these are places that seem to get a lot of dust accummulation.

[Bluvertigo]

Make sure that you hire a reputable air duct cleaning contractor.

Choosing an Air Duct Cleaning Contractor
http://doityourself.com/duct/airductcleaning.htm

[Miss Maggie]

When we found out our youngest was allergic to dust, we thought we should do this for her sake. The other option was to move her to my sister's house which is dust free (she's a clean freek). I honestly did not find it made a huge difference. We live in an older home, that is well used, and I still find no matter how much I dust, it reappears quickly. I now leave that layer of dust on the tables to protect the wood...jk. They will show you how much dirt and dust they have found, but I think that is still part of the pitch. JMO

[AMD]

Duct cleaning is expensive, ineffective, and has the potential to make indoor air quality worse since it stirs up dust. The only exception being after renovations or 20+ years of continuous use with a fiberglass filter or electronic air cleaner. (they must be clean to function properly - most people don't maintain them)

If you keep the filter clean and have maintenance every year or two, there is no need to get it done. Mold should not in any circumstances be present inside the ductwork - if it is and you have air conditioning, either you're not using it properly (don't shut it off overnight during periods of hot weather - it doesn't save any energy, and just brings humidity inside) or the unit is oversized/not installed properly.

A furnace is designed to heat a home, not clean the air. The solution to IAQ problems lies with source control and sufficient air exchange, not spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on special filters or duct cleaning. The dust particles found on a surface in spite of air moving at 800+CFM are way too large to be respired.

[tommo]

If you think those ducts are clean in a new home, think again... ;)

My builder cleaned the ducts for us. We asked them during the inspection. They also gave us one free duct clean at any time after we moved in. All we had to do was call the duct cleaning company and use the builders name as a referral. So, if you are buying a new home.... just ask them on your inspection date. They will probably give you a free duct cleaning.

[Dr.Dan]

Really, you shouldn't have to ask for it... that should be part of the job when building a house just as vacuuming the floors and cleaning the windows are done before you even inspect the home...