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Dirty Dryer Exhaust Ducts

January 15, 2011 By: Glenn Category: Commercial Duct Cleaning, Dryer Ducts, Duct Cleaning Services, Maintenance Tips, Uncategorized No Comments →

Dirty dryer exhaust ductwork

From one single dryer in a customer’s home to dozens of commercial machines in a coin laundry, City Duct Cleaning cleans all dryer exhaust ductwork big and small.

And whether the dryers are gas-fired or electric, that doesn’t matter either. They all produce the same amount of lint, and you’d be very surprised to see how quickly the lint builds up in your ductwork.

City Duct Cleaning does dryer duct cleaning in homes, condominiums and in places of business such as laundromats, hotels, retirement homes and more!

For more info on dryer duct cleaning, check out these additional posts… http://www.cityductcleaning.com/updates/category/dryer-ducts/

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How often should I have my air ducts cleaned?

January 13, 2011 By: admin Category: Duct Cleaning Info, Duct Cleaning Services, HVAC Equipment, Maintenance Tips, Uncategorized 1 Comment →

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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Gas Furnace Cleaning and Inspections

January 08, 2011 By: Glenn Category: Do-It-Yourself Tips, HVAC Equipment, Maintenance Tips, Uncategorized 1 Comment →

  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.

Sources of Air Duct Contamination

December 04, 2010 By: admin Category: Duct Cleaning Info, Duct Cleaning Services, Indoor Air Quality, Maintenance Tips 13 Comments →

All inside air was once outside air, so all of the dust, chemicals, pollen, insects and mold spores in the outside air can be pulled into your indoor air system. People shed millions of tiny dead skin cells every hour. Cooking smoke, cigarette smoke, aerosol sprays and personal care products are also additional sources of pollutants.

Many construction materials as well as carpets, wood products and plastics give off pollutants and odors as well. During construction or during renovations, many types of dust are also produced and they often find their way into the ductwork. This is especially true if the air handling system was on during any part of the renovation. Dust can find its way into your air system even though several precautions may have been taken to prevent this.

The solution is to have your air duct system(s) professionally cleaned. The most effective method of cleaning your ducts would be by using a truck-mounted vacuum system and compressed air. In some cases, mostly due to the accessibility of your duct system (or if it can be reached by a truck mounted unit), a portable vacuum system may be used. But the cleaning procedure must still include the use of high pressure compressed air, as it is the air pressure that does the most important part of the cleaning.

If moisture or water is present inside any part of your duct system then mold may also be an issue, and this should be inspected by a qualified professional immediately.

Air ducts and HVAC systems should be cleaned every two to four years. Your furnace should be cleaned at least once every two years as should your dryer exhaust vent ducts.

If you live in the Toronto area, call City Duct Cleaning for a thorough and very professional service. We have been the Consumers’ Choice in our field for several consecutive years.

You can reach us at (416) 293-1800.

Daylight Saving Time

November 07, 2010 By: admin Category: Duct Cleaning Services, Maintenance Tips, Uncategorized No Comments →

  Don’t forget, Daylight Saving Time ends once again this weekend. The clocks are set to fall back one hour overnight Sunday. The time change begins at 2 a.m. local time in the Toronto Area.

Fire officials are also reminding people to change the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.

Now would also be a good time to change the batteries in your programmable thermostat as well.

If the fall is the time of year that you normally have air duct cleaning done in your home, then take a look at our current specials and a duct cleaning coupon that is available.

How Often Should I Clean My Dryer Ducts?

November 03, 2010 By: admin Category: Dryer Ducts, Duct Cleaning Info, Duct Cleaning Services, Maintenance Tips No Comments →

There are many factors that will determine the frequency of dryer duct cleaning. These things include the length of your dryer exhaust run or piping, and how often the machine is used.

For the average home, it is recommended that dryer duct cleaning be done once every year. For a commercial application, semi-annual cleaning is often needed.

We have some customers who have us clean their dryer exhaust ductwork monthly. In one case, they do several loads of laundry every day and the length of their dryer duct is fairly long. They have also experienced a dryer duct fire in the past, and since that time they have remained extremely interested in keeping on top of this necessary maintenance. If you have ever had to experience something like this first-hand, then you would realize too, how important this is.

Some tips which would help you to keep your exhaust duct clean would be to clean the dryer lint trap after every load, and to periodically pull out the clothes dryer and remove and clean the flexible duct. This can be cleaned with compressed air if you have it available, or by taking it outside and cleaning it with your garden hose. If the flexible duct seems to be brittle, then replace it immediately.

City Duct Cleaning offers dryer duct cleaning as a stand-alone service or it can be combined with the regular air duct cleaning that you would have done for your whole house. Please call our office for details if you are interested in this service.

Making Adjustments To Your Air Duct System

October 03, 2010 By: Glenn Category: Do-It-Yourself Tips, HVAC Equipment, Indoor Air Quality, Maintenance Tips, Uncategorized No Comments →

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.

Dryer Duct Fires and How to Help Prevent Them

October 02, 2010 By: admin Category: Do-It-Yourself Tips, Dryer Ducts, Duct Cleaning Info, Maintenance Tips 1 Comment →

There are hundreds of clothes dryer fires every year which causes death, injuries and millions of dollars in destruction.

How many people toss a load of wash in the dryer and then go to work or simply go to bed? Watch this story and you probably won’t want to ever do that again.

What causes dryer fires? Experts say its a combination of heat and lint. Not just the lint you can see on your lint trap but the lint you can’t see in the dryer’s exhaust.

It’s a combination of heat and blockage of proper venting. If there’s a buildup of lint in areas that you may not be aware of, such as inside your dryer exhaust venting or piping, you may have a combustible that’s needed to start that fire.

What can you do to protect yourself from dryer fires?

First, look for the warning signs. Does it take higher temperatures to dry your clothes or multiple drying cycles? Both indicate lint blockage. Clean the lint screen before and after every load of clothes, and clean the dryer exhaust duct and vent periodically.

We recommend that a professional cleaning be done at least every two years, but we do have many customers who have us clean their’s annually. The frequency of cleaning needed would be determined by your particular dryer installation and the amount of use that your clothes dryer normally gets. Everyone who has ever had a dryer duct fire in their home has this service done at least once per year.

More tips to reduce the risk of a dryer duct fire include replacing your plastic flexible dryer venting with rigid or metal material. Also periodically clean behind the dryer where lint can build up.

If you are in the Toronto area and require a dryer duct cleaning or wish to have your dryer exhaust duct replaced or just inspected, then give us a call. This service is noticeably more cheaper or cost-effective when it is combined with our complete home air duct cleaning service.

Is Your Furnace Ready?

September 05, 2010 By: admin Category: Do-It-Yourself Tips, Duct Cleaning Services, HVAC Equipment, Indoor Air Quality, Maintenance Tips No Comments →

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.

Duct Cleaning Technicians Versus HVAC Technicians

July 09, 2010 By: admin Category: Duct Cleaning Info, Duct Cleaning Services, HVAC Equipment, Maintenance Tips, Uncategorized 1 Comment →

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