Once an air system is thoroughly cleaned, it should remain clean for 3 to 4 years if properly maintained and a high-arrestance filter is installed.

A standard disposable filter only stops about 10 percent of the airborne contaminates, allowing 90 percent of the dust in the room to flow back into the air system.

To maintain protection against biological growth, an EPA-registered biocide should be applied every six to 12 months by a qualified duct-cleaning professional.

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There are plenty of do it yourself articles available on the internet about how to clean your own gas furnace but I do not believe that any of these articles are really providing anyone with very useful or prudent information. Anyone who cleans or inspects a gas furnace in Ontario has to be a licensed gas technician, and for good reason. Most duct cleaners are not licensed gas technicians, nor are most homeowners. If you’ve gotten some half-information about how to clean your own gas furnace, then how do you know if you didn’t miss something unsafe about your furnace that a licensed technician would have noticed straight away?

Some people could be lulled into a false sense of security thinking that they have cleaned their furnace and now they’re good for another year. But this is really not the case, especially when you don’t really know what you’re looking for.

We’ve posted some information on our site before about keeping your furnace area clear of combustibles and making sure that your furnace is able to get the required amount of air, as well as some other things to watch out for, and that’s about as much information that I think there should be available to the average homeowner anyway.

Those are all easy, common-sense safety items. I would never try to tell someone how to clean their own gas furnace, even if it was going to save them a little bit of money today.

Take this example… If you wanted to save yourself some money, would you search on the internet for some information and then change the brakes on your car? Some people could do it, but it would not be recommended. Some things are best left to a qualified professional.

A gas furnace cleaning and inspection is available with any duct cleaning job that we do at City Duct Cleaning, but we will always send a licensed gas technician to do at least that part of the job.

What parts of an air system should be cleaned? 

There are three major parts to every air system. The supply and return grills, the interior surfaces of the supply and return air ductwork, and the furnace or air conditioner air handler. All three components must be cleaned when doing an air duct cleaning. If only one or two of the components are cleaned and any part of the system is not done, then contaminants from the third component will rapidly contaminate those that were cleaned.

Alot of duct cleaning companies in the Toronto area quote prices to clean the ductwork and air vents only, and then either skip the very important step of cleaning the HVAC equipment or air handlers, or they ask for exhorbitant additional charges to clean these components if you wanted to have those parts of the system done also.

I have learned this from discussions with a number of air duct cleaners over the years. The price that got them in there was what they consider to be an ”introductory” price. Now that they’re in there, they’re going to nail you with extra charges if they can, and if you don’t want to pay extra then you’ll get what you pay for.

At City Duct, every job that we do, whether it is a home in the Toronto area or a business, it always includes the cleaning of the HVAC equipment.

When cleaning the air duct system(s) in a home, we clean the furnace fan, the inside air conditioning coil, the furnace plenums and the air filter. On a commercial job we would always clean the air handler or rooftop equipment, and that always includes the fans, coils (both evaporator and condensor coils), the plenums, air filters… and everything in the air stream.

The cleaning of all air handling components is crucial to any air duct cleaning job. We can also replace worn insulation inside your HVAC units as needed, and often provide scheduled filter changes and maintenance.  

We have some very detailed specification sheets that we have been using since we started back in 1987, and they are very similar to the NADCA spec sheets that are in existance today.

The photos above show a rooftop HVAC system that serves an air duct system that we recently cleaned in Markham, Ont. There are two shots of a rooftop exhaust fan that serves a dryer duct system that we recently cleaned in Mississauga. The second of those shots shows what a difference we have made afer having only blown off the lint with our high-pressure compressed air. That fan looked pretty amazing after we washed it too.

A large percentage of complaints that are related to indoor air quality can be avoided by routine inspections of a facility’s occupied space and its mechanical systems by someone knowledgeable about and sensitive to IAQ issues.

Minor complaints can also be prevented in many cases from escalating into a full-blown crises simply with good communication between building occupants and the facility’s management team. A quick response to IAQ concerns is both prudent and extremely helpful.

Proactive measures to help maintain good indoor air quality would at a minimum include:

• Designating an IAQ manager
• Developing an IAQ facility profile
• Identifying potential as well as active IAQ problems
• Educating facility personnel about IAQ issues
• Developing and implementing an operation and maintenance plan

It is also essential to perform regular physical inspections of the occupied space, above-ceiling cavities, and ventilation system components, instead of relying solely on a building management system computer screen to indicate building conditions. Sensors often go out of calibration and damper linkages can fail.

This is where City Duct Cleaning’s expertise can be utilized to your advantage. We are way more than just an air duct cleaning company. In larger buildings we are able to provide building inspections and reports on HVAC systems and their components, as well as the cleaning and regular maintenance of these items as well.

Over the years we have taken some pretty amazing video of our duct cleaning procedures that were done in various office buildings and factories in the Toronto area. People are always quite impressed when they see the before and after shots… they knew the systems were dirty to begin with, but never fully understood what they really had in there. And air flow is always greatly improved as well.

We inspect and clean all the HVAC systems, heating and air conditioning ductwork, fresh air systems, all exhaust and ventilation systems including ductwork, grills, fans, coils and more!

For optimum performance from your HVAC system, you will need to adjust your air duct system slightly at the beginning of the heating season, and then again at the start of the cooling season.

The reason for this is because warm air naturally rises, which makes it harder for your system to cool your second floor in the summer.

In the summer you should have all of the air vents on the 2nd floor wide open. This also includes any dampers in the pipes that are serving those vents.

On the main floor, the air vents should be about half-way closed, which in turn would force more air to go to the remaining vents which serve the upstairs.

Basement vents including the return air vent(s) should be temporarily closed or sealed. During the cooling season, your basement will be noticeably cooler anyway, so we want to push as much of your cooled air upstairs as possible.

And as always, be sure that there are no obstructions around air vents and especially any cold air return vents or grills.

Also be sure to close the damper in the bypass tube of any duct-mounted humidifier.

For the heating season, it is then necessary to go through the home and make some quick adjustments to the system at the start of this season.

Open the basement vents and be sure that any dampers are open as well. The vents on the main floor should be fully opened, and the vents serving the upstairs should be about half-way closed, with the exception of any specific rooms that seem to be hard to heat.

The reason you would want the basement vents to be open now is because since heat rises, the heat in the basement will warm the floor above it. And the same applies to the air coming out of the main floor vents.

You can fine-tune this procedure even further to help solve problems with cold rooms in the home. If you partially close any one damper in the system, that will cause more air to blow out somewhere else.

If you find that certain rooms are difficult to heat or cool, then those rooms are more than likely on your second floor, or possibly above a garage or some other unheated area. Keeping the door open to that room will help the airflow, especially if there is no return air directly in that room. Sometimes it is not so convenient to always keep the door to a specific room open, but this alone can sometimes solve the problem of reduced airflow.
 
Keeping your air filter clean is crucial for the operation of your furnace, to help maximize energy savings and for your own personal comfort. A dirty air filter will not allow the proper amount of air to flow through your HVAC system and especially through your ducts.

Making these simple adjustments twice per year takes about five minutes to do each time. Adjusting your air volume dampers and air vents is something that we can easily do for free while we are in your home cleaning your air duct system.

The Labor Day weekend is the unofficial end to the summer for many, and since we’ve also been having almost fall-like weather these past few days, I think it might be prudent to run this post once again.

Getting Your Heating System Ready For The Fall offers some helpful advice, and the only other thing I might add now that another year has gone by is when we get to the part where your furnace fan comes on, make sure that you actually feel the air blowing from the vents. Heat will rise and some warmth will come out of them if the furnace is on. Even if the fan is not. So make sure you have good air blowing out.

If your air flow is not good enough then you might want to consider having your air ducts cleaned. And if you are interested in upgrading your air filter to something better, there are many options available. We can hook you up with just about any type of air filter there is. We supply and install them all. From 1″ exterior furnace filter racks to electronic air cleaners to whole house HEPA systems. We do it all and we can offer some good free advice as well. Just call if you need us.

The chances of catching a cold or other sickness from someone else in your home has never been greater. The reason is today’s homes have improved air sealing. While this is good from an energy conservation standpoint, the decrease in natural ventilation means contagions stay in the air longer, allowing them to spread.

A thorough air duct cleaning that includes the cleaning of your furnace fan and coil, combined with the installation of a high efficiency whole house air cleaning system (HEPA Air Cleaner) can greatly reduce the chances of getting sick by removing airborne contagions like bacteria and viruses.

What is HEPA?

The HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) or “absolute” filter is the most highly regarded mechanical filter. The HEPA filter is composed of a mixture of various sized borosilicate fibers, which are pressed together into sheets.

Who developed HEPA?

HEPA was developed during World War II and was initially used by the Atomic Energy Commission for filtering out radioactive dust and other airborne radioactive contaminants. HEPA filters are used today in a large number of medical, electronic and industrial applications where clean air is essential to the task or to the health of the patients or workers.

How efficient is HEPA?

HEPA filter media is proven to be 99.97% efficient @ 0.3 microns (about 1/25,000th of an inch). At larger sizes efficiency is even higher. Particles in this size range include pollen, household dust, smoke, bacteria, attached viruses, animal dander, mold spores and more.

Ultimate clean air

Combining our many years of duct cleaning expertise along with the installation of a quality whole house HEPA air system will greatly increase the indoor air quality in your home and the results will be noticeable almost immediately.

Call us today for further information or to schedule an appointment.

Depending on the amount of contamination and its location, energy consumption could be increased. If the fan blades, evaporator coil or other control components of the system including the air vents are heavily contaminated, the system may have to run much longer to heat or cool the occupied space, wasting a lot of energy.

At City Duct Cleaning Inc. we specialize in cleaning air duct systems as well as all parts of your air handling systems. Every duct cleaning job that we do always includes this work… the fan, the air filter and the air conditioning coil… and this is already included the price.

Don’t let any other air duct cleaner charge you extra for this service. Go with the best. Go with City Duct! (416) 293-1800

As the owner of a very successful duct cleaning business as well as a seasoned technician I am often asked by our customers if we are qualified to clean their furnace/AC system and my response is this…

The cleaning that a duct cleaner can do on your furnace/AC only consists of cleaning the components that the air moves through, However, the law is very clear in this matter and states that Duct Cleaning companies may only clean these conveyance components while they remain in tact and they may never be removed or altered in any way whatsoever.

With that being said you should also note that a reputable Duct Cleaning company should be equipped with several unique cleaning tools that will enable them to a good job of cleaning the conveyance components while leaving them in place.

I feel it is my duty as a professional to inform homeowners that what a duct cleaner does on your HVAC system is no substitute for what a certified Heating/Air Conditioning Tech (HVAC Tech) will do on the system when it comes to doing a tune up and diagnostics.

The law is very strict when it comes down to what a Duct Cleaner can and cannot do on an HVAC system

Duct cleaning companies are prohibited from doing any cleaning in the combustion area of your furnace, this is the area where the burners, pilot light, gas valves and electrical components are located and are completely off limits to any unlicensed individuals.

Any unlicensed individuals that are poking around in that area of your HVAC equipment are violating state and provincial laws and should be reported to the proper authorities, it should also be noted that should anything go afoul they will not be covered by their insurance company.

We are often told by our customers that such and such duct cleaning company claims that they will do an inspection on the HVAC system as part of their procedure.

If any duct cleaning company ever claims that will do any sort of inspection or diagnostics to your heating/AC system, I strongly urge you not to retain their services and to report them to your local consumer protection branch.

The only exception to the above would be if the Company employed a properly certified HVAC technician that would be doing the actual inspection or service work or if the duct cleaning company was contracting out to another company that is HVAC Certified, in which case you would be wise to ask for proof of qualifications.

We do provide this service on gas furnaces only, and we do always send a licensed technician to do this.

Pat Johnson – Is President of Enviro-Pure Air Care Residential Duct Cleaning Company located in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Pat has many years experience in the Duct Cleaning Industry and has written numerous articles about Duct Cleaning practices. For more information visit their frequently asked questions

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pat_Johnson

Can mold grow in a duct system, and what problems can it cause? 

Mold spores require a stable temperature, a food source and moisture to live and reproduce. HVAC systems provide all of these things. Any dust or dirt that passes through your air filter provide a good food source.

The furnace or air conditioner is designed to maintain a comfortable temperature, and moisture is available from several of the components in an HVAC system. Ductwork provides humid conditions, the humidifier in the furnace is wet and often holds standing water, and cooling coils are ideal areas for mold growth.

Live molds can release spores that can trigger allergic or asthmatic reactions, sometimes severe, in about 10 percent of the population.

Mold, both living and dead, can produce toxins that may cause short-term allergic reactions.

We have dealt with mold conditions inside ductwork and HVAC systems numerous times. We give the ductwork and HVAC system a very thorough cleaning, and then use encapsulation as well as a biocide application. We also recommend that the system be inspected and re-treated again after 6-8 months.