Frequently Asked Questions
For your convenience, our most common customer questions are answered right here.
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Why is air duct cleaning important?
There are thousands of reasons! Having your duct cleaning done helps not only to increase the efficiency of your HVAC appliances but also helps with the removal of various pollutants from the indoor air that we all breath in. Studies have shown that indoor air is 70 times more polluted than outdoor air! Since we tend to tightly shut all windows and doors in our home, breathing in reciculated indoor air can be more hazardous to our health. In a typical six room home, up to 40 pounds of dust is created annually through everyday living! Scary, isn’t it? Canada’s extreme weather has us relying heavily on our heating and cooling equipment to regulate the temperatures in our homes. Periodic air duct cleaning can help with indoor air quality, decreasing dust build up on home and office furniture, removing human and pet hair, reducing dangerous molds as well as many other air borne contaminants. Therefore, it is important to keep the air ducts clear of debris, allergens, pet hair, mold and dust to ensure your HVAC system is performing efficiently.
How often should I get my ducts cleaned?
This depends on the occupancy of your home, your environment, and your families’ sensitivity to airborne contaminants. While some homeowners and businesses opt for an annual cleaning, it is recommended to have your home’s air system cleaned every 3 to 5 years. For commercial customers we recommend a thorough cleaning every 2 years. If you’ve recently purchased a new home, we recommend you get your ducts cleaned.
How will you clean my air ducts?
We use a duct cleaning method that is called “Negative Air method” or “Push and Pull method”.
A supply and return side of your ductwork are cleaned separately. First a large vaccum is connected to main trunk lines of the ductwork. while we use compressed air and agitation tools to flush dust, hair, and other debris from registers of each and every room towards the vacuum.
Do I need sanitizing?
Ductwork is a breeding ground for mold because let us not forget that we: wash dishes, do laundry, take showers, and breathe. This means that when organic compounds, which primarily make up dust and debris, blend with water they create growth. Sanitizing is a safe way to say that this bacterium has been killed.
My home is brand new, so I do not need my ducts cleaned, right?
Quite the opposite, actually. New construction or renovations can leave sawdust, drywall dust, and all types of construction debris in your air ducts. Rodents and insects can also occupy your ductwork during construction leaving behind dirt, debris and fecal matter.
Why do I have water on my windows during winter seasons?
The amount of water being released into your home by doing laundry, dishes, cooking and breathing is being produced too quickly for it to escape through your homes nooks and crannies. It is always recommended to have a HRV in your home. It is best to keep your home below 60% relative humidity.
How does cleaning my air ducts effect my mechanical appliances such as my furnace, air conditioner and HRV?
If dust, lint, hair and debris clog your ductwork the equipment has a harder time moving air around.
This can lead to:
– Premature failure of mechanical parts such as motors
– Straining these units will always cause higher running expenses
What should the humidity be in my home?
The relative humidity in your home should be around 45%. If there is someone in your home that has sensitivity to air born contaminants or severe allergies, we recommend a dryer home closer to 35% relative humidity.
Why do I need to keep my home below 60% R-Humidity?
At 60% and above, mold grows as it is trapped inside the home. Mold colonies grow 1 square inch per day and cover surface areas of several square feet in less than a week.
How long does it take to get my ducts cleaned?
Usually, residential air duct cleaning, takes between 2-4 hours depending on the size of your house.
Why would a sensitive person need a dryer environment?
Someone who suffers from allergies and/or dust mites allergies has swollen lung and nasal tissue. When air has more water content/relative humidity, it is a thicker air. Lungs are essentially pumps, and when there is thicker air, lungs have a harder time pumping especially when someone is sleeping and their breathing becomes slower in pace.
Are there other ways to help people with allergens in the home?
Filtering the air with a HEPA filter attached to your ductwork is the best way to help someone with sensitivity to dust and allergens. Most HEPA filters have three layers of filtration. The pre-filter catches larger particles such as hair. The carbon filter is an important part of this process because it acts like a sponge and has lots of holes and burrows for chemicals to sit. The third filter is a certified HEPA filter, which collects 99.97% of particles down to 0.3 microns.