Home Sweet Home

OK you have been in the home for 10 years and you are looking for something to do that will improve your home. You are wondering what would be a good bang for the buck. Or say you have unexplained health issues and you just can’t put a finger on it but you think your home may be the culprit. It is worth thinking about having your duct work checked. Although the EPA thinks it may be an over rated service, there are several instances even they recommend the process be done by a qualified vendor.

Duct cleaning is probably not the first thing that comes to mind in relation to maintaining your home. It seems like every decade or so there is some new newfangled energy saving thing, a better window design or better furnace that will make life better. Besides keeping paint on the place and staying ahead of the stuff that breaks, a good old fashion duct cleaning might be the ticket.

In the old days there was no need for ducts because heat rose through the floor registers and the furnace was a fireplace. Then coal furnaces did a similar thing and the heat rose naturally. Many homes went to radiant heat with boilers, still no need for duct work . Then in the late 19th century oil furnaces were the rage and forced air became the thing and duct work was installed. Later oil furnaces were replaced by natural gas but the forced air systems remained. This made a place for dust to hide along with all sorts of dust mites, mold spores, rodents and lord knows what else. The bad news is that it was out of sight and out of mind. Now we realize that we are building tighter houses and what gets inside stays inside. Indoor air quality as one of the five points of Green Remodeling and the duct cleaning industry was born.

A Duct Cleaning Truck

Provided that you have duct work that routes heating and cooling throughout your structure and it has been there for 10years or more the industry recommends a cleaning. The EPA. On the other hand, who is responsible for Environmental Protection has published a great guide to Duct cleaning. They are pretty skeptical about the industry but like everything, there are those that are unscrupulous that boast of unrealistic health benefits from the process. I believe that if your expectations are realistic then you will be pleasantly surprised. Levco provides the service after a whole house remodeling. The odds are that we have introduced particles into the system no matter how hard we try not to. Take a look yourself through a supply register to see what is there, stick a vacuum down the hole and gather up what you can for starters. This will at least establish whether you need to worry about your ducts in the first place.

Before & After

They come in with a vacuum truck and by drilling a few holes in your duct work and following a strict routine of covering and uncovering registers they manage to suck a ton of debris from your ducts.

Don’t expect the furnace to work much better unless they find a clogged cooling coil, like was the case in my home. They could find a detached duct which does happen. This may have a positive effect upon allergies. It may improve your air circulation, and it will remove all of that pet dander and accumulated dust that no matter how well you clean you just can’t get to. Just the knowledge that your ducts are clean gives you a reassurance that you are living in a cleaner indoor environment. When I need them, System Kleen is the company I use in Boise Idaho.

 Disclaimer: Some of these images came from the WEB. If they are yours, and you object to them being used, please claim them and I will gladly remove and replace them at once.