Air Duct Cleaning Equipment

Everyone with a central heating and cooling system that uses duct, has probably wondered if there is a duct cleaner, or some kind of air duct cleaning equipment, they can use to clean the hvac duct in their home. The bottom line is that air duct cleaning is not a simple task that you can perform on your own with regular household tools or vacuums.

While you CAN maintain the outer edges of your duct system by cleaning the supply and return vents and grills, getting into the deeper recess of your homes air duct requires special tools and knowledge about the construction and type of duct, so the proper methods are used in the duct cleaning process.

Why Clean Air Ducts Matter

Do you suffer from allergies or maybe just have a dust problem in your home? If so, these are very common signs of a dirty hvac duct system. While most people think that inside their home shields them from airborne allergens, just the opposite is true! The air INSIDE your home may be worse... after all, you spend more time in it!

Signs or Reasons You May Need Air Duct Cleaning

  • You Live in a Dry and Dusty Environment or find that you have to replace your HVAC filters more than once a month!
  • You live in very moist and humid environment, or saw signs of mold or mildew (black spots) somewhere in or on your hvac system.
  • You have dogs or cats that shed hair!
  • You recently had large areas of the home painted or remodeled.
  • Your Ceiling Fans Accumulate a Lot of Dust Each Week
  • Your Eyes and/or Throat Are Often Itchy

Air Duct Cleaning Equipment

For homeowners, cleaning your own air duct can be a challenge, since you aren't going to invest thousands of dollars into a powerful duct cleaning system. Professionals who specialize in duct cleaning have high power vacuum systems with specialized hoses and tools, designed to do much more than just clean the surfaces or the first few feet of your duct.

As mentioned earlier, there are plenty of things you CAN do as a homeowner to maintain a clean duct system:

  • Change your HVAC filters regularly! (30 Days)
  • Vacuum The return filter grill every time you change the filter
  • Dust, vacuum and sweep often
  • If you have floor registers, do not allow things to be pushed into them

Air Duct Cleaning Video

By far, the best video on cleaning air duct, from a company named Royalty Services Group in Utah

Learn More at the Places Below

What Is All The Hype About Duct Cleaning?

The EPA says that there is no proof that duct cleaning makes any difference in your home. However, according to allergy sufferers that have had the procedure done in their home, it allows them to live without allergy flare ups. Persons interested in having the procedure in their home should consider some of the following items.

The cost of professional duct cleaning can run from several hundred to a thousand dollars. You can easily check your ducts by removing some registers and looking inside to see if there is any buildup located in the ducts.

In addition to checking in the registers, you should also shut off the power to the system and open the service panel to the heat exchanger. It is a good idea to check the exchanger at least at the beginning of heating and air conditioning season. It is possible that the coils here need to be cleaned.

Many of the professional duct cleaning companies, like Toronto's Laird & Son,  include cleaning of the heat exchanger as a part of their overall service. Persons deciding not to have the system cleaned may decide to remove any contaminants from the heat exchanger by using a small broom to loosen the debris and a shop vacuum to collect them.

If the coils need to be cleaned, but you do not want to pay to have the entire duct system cleaned, many heating and air conditioning companies can do the cleaning as a part of the normal servicing of your system. This may be a less expensive way to get all the cleaning that is needed. It will also help your system to operate more efficiently and at a lower cost.

Avoid Being Scammed

Occasionally you will find a company that is offering the duct cleaning service at a cut rate. Many people have found out the hard way that these companies are inexperienced and lack the professional machinery to do an adequate job at cleaning your duct work. If the cleaner shows up with little more than a shop vacuum, do yourself a favor and send him on down the road. It is possible that without the correct equipment, he may actually spread more allergens into your home than if the system had been left along. In addition, it is quite likely that before the job is done that the cut rate will have grown with additional fees.

One thing both the advocates and adversaries agree on is that the key to keeping your ducts free of allergens is to use the best quality air filter that you can afford. The filter needs to be changed regularly to keep the system clean and to lower heating and cooling bills.

If you do opt to pay for duct cleaning, you will want to install a high quality filter after the cleaning is completed. Avoid the least expensive filters. One professional describes these as bowling ball filters, meaning the anything smaller or lighter in weight than a bowling ball could pass through them. If you do stay with disposable filters, the best ones are made of filter paper and are a z-fold in design.

What to Look for when Choosing a Gas Supply Company

It seems that everywhere we look these days the costs associated with daily living are constantly rising. One area that affects most people is the rise in energy bills. In the last few years, the price of home heating oil and natural gas has increased quite significantly because of the increased demand on the world's oil supply. As the costs of gas increases, the task of paying for our energy bills becomes quite difficult. It has become essential to shop around when looking for a gas supply company. When one searches for a gas supply company, there are a number of factors they should take in to account before selecting a company.

Gas powered central heating or gas to run a business such as a restaurant is normally cheaper than electricity or oil. When choosing a gas supply company, consider the following tips:

1. The gas supply company should be committed to safety and reliability. Find out what type of underground lines they use to run the gas and if the lines are safe from leakage. That is, are they the most durable lines available? Ask the company if they are a certified and licensed gas distributor.

2. It is important to compare prices from a number of gas supply companies. For instant each quote from a company should include their total rate which is broken down into the Gas Cost Recovery Rate, A Gross Receipts Tax Rate, and Transportation Costs Rate.

3. It is essential to review and thoroughly understand the gas supply contract. This includes the terms and conditions of the contract. If you are in need of clarification, it is important to ask the supplier. As well, some companies give customers a pipeline charge. This is an unnecessary charge for a home, so if the company says they charge a pipeline fee; look elsewhere for a gas supply company. For businesses such as a restaurant, a pipeline fee may be standard practice.

4. Questions you should ask the gas supply company include: How long will the rate remain in effect? Does the price depend on how much gas one uses? Is there a cancellation fee if I cancel the agreement before the end of its term? Is the price fixed or does it change? Is there a customer incentive for signing up? Is there a budget plan? What happens when my contract expires? Are there any built-in price increases or decreases? What is the price per hundred cubic feet (ccf) or thousand cubic feet (mcf)? It is important to be aware that some companies use a floating price each month, other companies apply a fix price for the entire year, and some charge you a flat rate. A low fixed-price is a good choice.

5. Once you have chosen a gas supply company, that company will notify your local utility. Once confirmed, your local gas utility will send a letter to you substantiating the supplier you have chosen.

When you are looking for a gas supply company, whether for your home or your business, it is important to do your research and comparison shop so that you know you are getting the best service at the best price.

Gas companies Toronto and gas furnace Toronto based company provides boilers, heating oil and oil tanks to ensure that your home is well heated when you need it to be. With over 60 years of experience, trust the home air quality experts at Laird and Son.