How to Clean Home Ducts and Vents
Over time the air ducts in a home build up with dust, debris and mold. Removing these contaminants provides your home with cleaner air and make your heating and cooling systems run more efficiently. This job is best left to a professional service who has the necessary equipment. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Professional duct cleaning vacuum
- Vent covers
- Air-powered sweeping and brushing tools
Instructions
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1
Cut two access panels--one in the main supply and one in the main return line near the furnace.
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2
Attach a high-powered and specially-made vacuum system to these holes.
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3
Seal all vents in the home then power up the vacuum to create negative pressure in the duct system.
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4
Open each vent, one at a time to access its ductwork. Clean debris from all the ductwork back to the furnace using long hoses and air-powered tools. Then re-seal the vent. Repeat this process with every vent in the house.
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5
Access and clean the blower and its motor, the cooling coil and combustion components.
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6
Remove the vacuum and re-seal the holes created in Step 1.
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Tips & Warnings
Ask if the contractor sanitizes the system if they find mold. Specialized sprays are used inside the ducts to kill mold and bacteria, usually for an additional charge.
Cleaning only the duct work and not the blowers, motor, cooling coil and drain pan only result in clean ducts that you blow dirty air through. Be sure your contractor also cleans the blower and other components of the system.
Replace or clean all filters immediately and as needed thereafter to maintain clean ducts.
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Comments
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checked it out and they are imformative.
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theseanman66
Nov 28, 2008
A good idea to maximize suction is to partition off the return and supply duct lines and clean one side at a time. This can be achieved by either cutting a piece of plywood the same size as the air filter, or wrapping the air filter in a garbage bag and placing either the plywood or the covered filter back into the filter compartment. Doing this will boost the amount of suction you have to work with, and minimize the chance of getting residual dust on the heat exchanger, which can result in smoke and odors upon firing the heater up in winter. -
theseanman66
Nov 28, 2008
A good idea to maximize suction is to partition off the return and supply duct lines and clean one side at a time. This can be achieved by either cutting a piece of plywood the same size as the air filter, or wrapping the air filter in a garbage bag and placing either the plywood or the covered filter back into the filter compartment. Doing this will boost the amount of suction you have to work with, and minimize the chance of getting residual dust on the heat exchanger, which can result in smoke and odors upon firing the heater up in winter.
