When does ductcleaning makesense?
There are several situations when
duct cleaning could make sense
(although there is little research data
to support this).
■ If you have a problem with water
in your ducts, this may result in
mold growth in the duct. In this
situation, solve the water problem
first, clean and disinfect the ducts
where mold growth has occurred,
and have the rest of the ducting
system cleaned as well. In some
cases, it may be necessary or
more cost effective to simply
replace the affected duct areas.
■ If you are moving into a newly
constructed house, and have
doubts about the diligence of the
construction crew, duct cleaning
can be useful. Drywall dust,
fibreglass pieces and sawdust
have no place in ducts. Duct
cleaning will also catch the odd
occurrence where lunch bags or
soft drink cans have fallen or been
swept into ducting. For similar
reasons, duct cleaning may be
advisable for older houses
following major renovations.
■ If you are having trouble with
furnace airflow, a duct cleaning
could reveal significant blockages.
Have the ducts cleaned before
you embark on more expensive
duct replacement or rerouting to
solve an airflow problem. Cleaning
of furnace and air conditioning
components (for example, furnace
fan blower, air conditioning coil,
humidifier, furnace heat exchanger,
etc.) has been shown to make
some difference in duct air flow.
■ If you look in the return air
registers and see an accumulation
of debris in the duct below, you
may want to have it removed.
CMHC research showed that
return air ducts, which are
relatively big and have slow
moving air, are generally far
dirtier than the supply ducts. You
should be able to accomplish
much of the return air duct
cleaning with a household vacuum
cleaner after removing the register
grill. For example, households with
hairy pets or young children may
find it necessary to inspect their
return air ducts more frequently.
Do not expect any difference in
airflow or house air quality after
this cleaning.