Professional Air Duct Cleaning Alexandria, VA

Who Should Have Their Air Ducts Cleaned?

Eventually every home will need to have their HVAC system (all the inner components of your cooling and heating system) cleaned. This is part of regularly scheduled home maintenance and is not usually associated with any urgency.

Home owners of a newly bought residence should have their air ducts cleaned and checked before moving in. Cleaning air ducts before moving in is just like cleaning the bathroom or carpets in that the end goal is to remove any trace of the previous tenants. Imagine if the people who lived in your newly purchased home were smokers or professional painters. Surely after a few days of smoking or painting the associated fumes begin to gather in the HVAC system where they are ventilated and circulated out. If the previous tenants did not clean their air ducts, then the air being circulated in your home is actually their old air. Second hand smoke is bad enough but do you really want second hand air?

And Who Else?

Allergy sufferers and residents of post construction (i.e., home remodeling) also risk breathing in indoor air pollution. Construction releases tiny particles of saw and drywall dust that float about in the air. A portion of this dust will be sucked back into the HVAC system to be ventilated with other air. Since these particles are solid they cannot be filtered out so they are just pushed back into the air and into your lungs when you breathe. By the same token dust and dander allergens behave exactly like sawdust particles in that they just participate in the cycle system without actually being filtered out. Allergy sufferers who have their arid cuts cleaned as well as their carpets and upholstery are guaranteed to feel immediate relief and results. All mold problems can start when mold spores enter the house through the ductwork. After entering, mold searches for comfortable conditions to grow. To avoid this, you need to do an air duct mold inspection.

Air Duct Cleaning Process

There are several steps to the air duct cleaning process that make sure the HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) system is completely cleaned and the quality of the air inside is improved.

1. Inspection: 1st step is to carefully look over the HVAC system, including the airlines, to see how much dirt, debris, mold, or other contaminants are present. In this case, cameras might be used to see what's inside the pipes.
2. Setting up: the area around the HVAC system is ready so that dust and other debris don't spread while the system is being cleaned. This means covering chairs and other things as needed and sealing off the vents.
3. Vacuuming: the ductwork is linked to a powerful vacuum device. This cleaner is usually on a truck or a portable unit that is brought into the house. Negative pressure is used by the system to pull dust, trash, and other pollutants out of the ducts.
4. Agitation: tools like brushes, air whips, and compressed air nozzles can be used to loosen dirt and waste that won't come off on its own. The goal of these tools is to clean the ducts without damaging it.
5. Cleaning Parts: the pipes aren't the only parts of the HVAC system that are cleaned. Coils, grilles, registers, motors, and fans are also cleaned to make sure the whole system works well and is clean.
6. Final Inspection and Testing: the pipes and system parts are checked one last time to make sure they are clean after the cleaning. To make sure the cleaning process works, tests of airflow and system function may also be done.

Cleaning your air ducts should be done at least every three to five years, or more often if you have allergies, pets, smokers, or people who smoke in your home, or after home improvements that make dust. This process helps keep the air inside healthy, makes the HVAC system work better, and could lower energy costs.

Feet Up Carpet Cleaning of Alexandria is happy to announce that we had partner up with Dustless Duct a leading air duct cleaning company!

For more information about how air duct cleaning can help improve your indoor air quality or for a free price estimate, please contact our customer service representatives today.