What Are The Tools And Equipment Used For Professional Air Duct Cleaning?

If you’re planning on having the air ducts in your home cleaned you’re on the right track. Having the air ducts cleaned in your home promotes better air quality and it can help to amp up the efficiency of your air conditioner and furnace. But if you’ve never had it done you may be wondering what to expect.

To learn more about the tools and equipment used for professional air duct cleaning keep reading below.

Dust Access Tools

There are several points that a dust cleaning specialist must be able to access to clean your air ducts. That doesn’t just include the intake and return vents. They have to be able to clean the duct system thoroughly. In order for the dust cleaning specialist to create such access points you can expect them to use small handheld tools such as drills and screwdrivers which they use to form small holes in the ducts, but don’t worry they will seal up these holes when they are finished. These small puncture holes allow them to inspect every square inch of the ducts to make sure it all gets cleaned thoroughly.

Ductwork Inspection Equipment

Before the duct cleaning team ever gets to work cleaning your duct system they have to do a thorough inspection which means they need to assess the overall state of the air ducts. In order to accomplish this they will likely use a small camera system that shows real-time video feeds of the entire interior of your ductwork. Not only do the professionals assess the amount of dust and debris that has built up inside of your air ducts they will also check the ductwork for any kind of damage or spots that have begun to deteriorate that might be letting air leak out. If for some reason your air ducts have a lot of damage that is beyond repair and need to be replaced the professionals will inform you that you need to have them replaced.

Vacuum Tools And Debris Collection Equipment

The vacuum tools they utilize are specially designed so that when they are used they create negative pressure within your duct system which ultimately keeps any of the dust or debris from traveling back through your vents and into your living areas. Most dust cleaning specialists have a high-powered truck-mounted vacuum that is used to suck out  the debris from the duct system in your home and it is sucked into a large collection tank that sits outside of your home. Keeping the collection tank on the outside of the home ensures that none of the dust or debris gets into the interior of the home during the whole process. Not only that but it is common for professional dust cleaners to utilize portable vacuum units when truck-mounted vacuums aren’t able to be used due to limited parking on the streets, for example at an apartment complex.

Ductwork Brushes

Professionals also utilize manual brushes, pneumatic agitation, and cleaning devices as a part of their cleaning process. These specific tools are used mainly to scrub stubborn stuck on dust or debris that is on the walls of the ductwork. That way the vacuum equipment can effectively suck away any of the debris from the interior of the duct system.

Compressed Air Equipment

There are some cleaning devices such as pneumatically powered brushes and other devices that need an air compressor to subsequently function properly.

Top Benefits of HVAC Cleaning

Below are some of the reasons why homeowners should have their air ducts cleaned regularly.

Indoor Air Quality

If you didn’t know the heating and cooling system in your home is the lungs of your home. Through every day living in our homes we generate an alarming amount of contaminants and even air pollutants which include: dander, dust, and chemicals. All of these contaminants are pulled into the HVAC system and re-circulated up to 5-7 time per day and that’s on average it could be more than that. Over time the circulation of these contaminants causes a build up within the duct work. If you or your family are living with respiratory health conditions, autoimmune disorders, or even some environmental allergies, dirty ductwork can cause havoc on those conditions. So it is really important to have professionals take a look at your air ducts and clean them if necessary.

What is The Proper Way to Clean Air Ducts?

1.   Remove vent covers and wash them.

Take a screwdriver and remove your vent covers. You have two choices when it comes to cleaning them: you can either wash them by hand or place them in the dishwasher. Once they are clean, set them aside to dry.

2.   Cover Vent Openings With Paper Towels

You should put a few paper towels over the openings to your supply registers. This will ultimately prevent dust from being able to blow out of them and evidently land on your interior walls and floors during the time you’re cleaning ducts in the other parts of the HVAC system. You will in fact remove the covers to clean but it’s recommended that you replace them once you are finished.

3.   Loosen The Dust

You will need a brush to tap around the sides of the ductwork that will knock off any stubborn dust that is attached to the walls.

4.   Vacuum

Hook up the nozzle and/ or brush attachment to your vacuum and use them to suck away all of the dust and debris that is within your reach. If you see that there is still dust and debris stuck to the duct walls you can use paper towels to knock it free. Repeat this step for all of the openings to your ductwork.

5.   Change Your Air Filters

After you have removed the dust and debris from the ducts you can ensure that your indoor air is even cleaner by replacing the air filter with a new one.

6.   Replace Vent Covers

Once you have successfully cleaned all of the vent covers you can take an extra step and replace all of them. If you repeat this cleaning process of your air ducts in months between scheduled air duct cleaning you can most definitely ensure that your home’s air is clean and healthy.