WILL MY HOUSE BE LESS DUSTY AFTER YOU CLEAN THE AIR DUCTS?
Yes, the inside of your ductwork is the equivalent of an extra room in your home that never gets dusted or vacuumed. When the furnace or air conditioner blower fan turns on, dust from the ductwork becomes airborne and distributed into the rooms of your home.

WILL AIR DUCT CLEANING HELP MY ALLERGIES?
Many people are allergic to dust mite waste. Dust mites feed on debris found in ductwork. Remove the debris and you remove their food. Also, by greatly reducing particulate debris in your ducts, there are less dust particles and potential allergens in the air to aggravate those with respiratory illnesses.

I LIVE IN A NEWER HOME.  DO I STILL AIR DUCTS CLEANED?
Very possibly!  Up to 50% of air duct system cleaning is done in homes that are less than five years old.  During new home construction, the ductwork is exposed and the furnace is running many times without a filter.  During this time, construction debris such as pieces of plaster, drywall, wood, dust, insects and insulation, are accumulated in the ductwork.  keep this in mind as well, industry standards advise HVAC/Air Duct systems be professionally cleaned every 5 years.
 
HOW CAN I BE SURE MY AIR DUCTS NEED TO BE CLEANED?
Using video inspection, Air Medic technicians can show you how dirty your system is. Customers can request “before” and “after” documentation of your duct cleaning, so you know that it’s a job well done.
 
WILL YOUR EQUIPMENT WORK IN MY AIR DUCTS?
Be assured, Air Medic is a professional air duct cleaning business servicing commercial and residential customers since 1998.  We invest in modern cleaning equipment, technology and staff training used to clean air duct systems in all types of air duct construction, including flex duct, round metal ducts, square metal ducts, and fiberboard. It can easily accommodate right angle turns and multiple bends found in most types of duct systems.

Todd came last Thursday and spent a good four hours thoroughly cleaning the ducts, caulking areas where cold air was leaking in, and cleaning and replacing the registers.  The previous condo owner had fastened screening material inside some of the registers, presumably to keep the dust from blowing into the rooms.  Todd disabled and discarded these ineffective homemade “filters.”  Using powerful, specialized equipment, he was able to remove decades of filth from the ducts.  He also cleaned out the dryer vent and the exhaust vents in the bathrooms.  It was rather obvious from the amount of dirt, dust, and lint that had accumulated in the ducts and vents that they had not been cleaned out since the building was constructed in 1972!

The service Air Medic performed was not exactly cheap, but it was worth every penny.  Our allergies are still with us, but we are no longer miserable.

Pat B.

Let’s take a closer look: Your system turns on to keep your home comfortable, and the fan kicks on to start circulating air. As soon as the fan gets up to speed, your leaky return ducts start to suck in air from your hot attic or cold basement or crawl space. Instead of dealing with air returning from your house at indoor temperatures, your system encounters unconditioned air that’s much hotter or colder. Your furnace or air conditioner has to work extra hard to make this air the right temperature.

Okay that’s bad, but that’s only the half of it. Now you’ve got air that’s not quite “cold enough” or “warm enough” traveling down your supply duct system, and your leaky supply ducts let some of this air (which you’ve already overpaid to heat or cool) leak out instead of delivering it to your home. As a result, your system needs to be larger and run longer and you have uncontrolled “bad air” leaking into your living space. Your allergies flair up, and your house is dirty and dusty even a day or two after cleaning. Okay, so ducts are really important… yeah, really important.

AIR DUCT SUPPLY AND RETURN AIR IS A BALANCING ACT - What Goes In (must) = What Goes Out. Efficient HVAC performance depends on balanced airflow. The air volume your system returns from your house should equal the air volume your system supplies to it. If one is greater than the other, there is an air pressure imbalance. Negative pressure in a room can act like a vacuum, pulling air into the room from outside or from “bad” sources like a crawl space or attic. Drafty or uncomfortable rooms may be the result of imbalanced airflows.

DIAGNOSING AIR DUCT PROBLEMS – It takes the right tools and good diagnostic skills to detect duct leakage and other duct problems. When Air Medic tests your ductwork system, you will see instantly how you are loosing energy and wasting money. You’ll also find out if your ductwork system is causing pressure imbalances that can encourage outside air to leak into your house.

SEALING STRATEGIES – What follows after leak detection is leak sealing. The best sealing strategy for your ductwork depends not only on the type of ductwork, but also on the accessibility of the leaking ducts. Air Medic has the right tools, specialized materials and professional techniques to do a sealing job that’s effective and durable to improve your comfort and indoor air quality while also saving you money!

DUCT TAPE?  NO WAY – Duct tape has thousands of uses, but it shouldn’t be used on ductwork. This tape was originally developed during World War II to keep moisture out of ammunition cases. Servicemen appreciated the tape’s waterproof qualities and the fact that the cloth backing was made from cotton duck cloth, so the name “duck tape” was coined. After the war, duck tape became “duct tape” when contractors began using it to seal ductwork. But time has taught us that duct tape dries out and disintegrates when used on ductwork. Its sealing effectiveness doesn’t last very long. So, the moral of the story is that duct tape is handy to have around; just don’t use it for sealing leaky ducts.

Without adequate insulation, the conditioned air that you paid to heat or cool travels through your ductwork with little or no protection against extreme air temperatures.  Imagine a sheet metal duct system in a sweltering attic on a hot summer day. How much do you think cool conditioned air might warm up as it flows through hot ducts? Or, how about heated air running through ducts in a freezing crawlspace? How much do you think this heated air will cool down as it passes through freezing ductwork? These energy losses can really add up fast, and they have a negative effect on comfort as well as energy efficiency.

AIR DUCT INSULATION – Adding insulation can help to reduce energy losses in duct runs. Air Medic will know the best type of insulation, as well as the proper insulation levels to use to maximize ductwork energy efficiency.

Josh Merkow

SMC Contracting, Inc.

Most people are now aware that indoor air pollution is an issue of growing concern. Air Medic provides professional services intended to improve indoor air quality. You have probably seen an advertisement, received a coupon in the mail, or been approached directly by a company offering to clean your air ducts as a means of improving your home’s indoor air quality. Professional air duct cleaners such as Air Medic typically — but not always — range in cost from $350 to $1,000 per heating and cooling system, depending on the services offered, the size of the system to be cleaned, system accessibility, system type, level of contamination and type of cleaning process used (e.g., negative air, rotobrush, etc…).

Air duct cleaning generally refers to the cleaning of various heating and cooling system components of forced air systems, including the supply and return air ducts and registers, grilles and diffusers, heating and cooling coils, condensate drain pans (drip pans), fan motor and fan cabinet, and the air handling unit housing.

If not properly installed, maintained, and operated, these components may become contaminated with particles of dust, pollen or other debris. If moisture is present, the potential for microbiological growth (e.g., mold) is increased and spores from such growth may be released into the home’s living space. These contaminants may cause allergic reactions or other symptoms in people if they are exposed to them. If you decide to have your heating and cooling system cleaned, Air Medic recommends all components of the system are cleaned and is qualified to do so. Failure to clean a component of a contaminated system can result in re-contamination of the entire system, thus negating potential benefits. Methods of duct cleaning vary, although standards have been established by industry associations concerned with air duct cleaning. Air Medic uses specialized tools and equipment to dislodge dirt and other debris in ducts for both residential and commercial applications using high powered vacuums which generate between 2,000 to 5,000 CFM. These powerful pieces of vacuum equipment use HEPA filtration while controlling and collecting the dislodged dirt and debris. Air Medic also cleans to NADCA specs.

In addition, the Air Medic may propose applying chemical treatments (sealants or other encapsulants) to encapsulate or cover the inside surfaces of the air ducts and equipment housings to control potential mold growth or prevent the release of dirt particles or fibers from ducts. They should only be applied, if at all, after the system has been properly cleaned of all visible dust or debris.

Note: Use of sealants to encapsulate the inside surfaces of ducts is a different practice than sealing duct air leaks. Sealing duct air leaks can help save energy on heating and cooling bills. For more information, see EPA’s www.energystar.gov/ducts

Our dryer wasn’t drying like before. It was taking forever to dry the clothes. A friend of ours suggested that we have our dryer duct cleaned out before we call someone to look at our dryer. We called Air Medic and spoke with Todd and explained to him our problem. He stated that a clogged vent would make the dryer work harder and that’s not good. We set up an appointment and he showed up right on time. He checked our dryer connections first to make sure they were on correctly. After checking those, he went right to work. He started with the vent on the side of the house and after 10 minutes he showed us what he had cleaned out so far. We were amazed at how much lint came out. He then continued with the vent inside the laundry room and after another 10 minutes he was done. He told us to follow up with him on how the dryer worked after the cleaning and he suggested that we have the vent cleaned at least once a year to prevent damage to the dryer.

We used the dryer that evening and it was back to working like it did when it was new! It works perfect now!

I would recommend Air Medic to anyone who needs their ducts cleaned. Todd was very friendly and courteous. Great Job!

Thanks again Todd

Luis and Norma Pacheco

Often a simple application of weatherstripping and caulk to doors, windows, plumbing, electrical boxes can reduce or eliminate these leaks.  With fireplaces, remind building owners to keep the flue damper tightly closed.   

These are some simple ways building owners save money and energy.  Use of blower door and infrared equipment greatly enhances test results and ability to maximize results.  Air Medic has the tools, knowledge and equipment to perform these type of energy diagnostics testing.  For more information drop us an email at airmedicreno@gmail.com or call at 775-827-3871.

Hope you enjoyed this helpful weatherization information…..Todd