Has anyone here had their air ducts cleaned? Was it worth it? I am thinking about doing this at my mom's home. My siblings whine incessantly about the "ambient" cat dander that I am bringing in and I am looking for ways to shut them up!
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Air duct cleaning
- Thread starter addiebee
- Start Date
Yes, and it is something that needs to be done on a schedule, at least every ten years. However, there are a HUGE number of scammers out there. They'll charge you hundreds of dollars to just run some cheap vacuum into your vents and it doesn't have near the power to do anything, and there's no chemical treatment whatsoever.
So research who you are going with, that they have a good reputation, and be aware that it should cost you around $500 and a full day of work, with the vacuum being a very large typically truck mounted unit. Anything less really, and you're just paying for the idea of clean ducts, not clean ducts.
The best method of course is prevention. Go to filtersfast.com (best prices I have seen), and I would recommend going with a good MERV8+ filter. Personally I like the 3M black, which are reasonably priced if you buy the box of six ($20 each, no tax, $2 shipping per total order regardless of how many filters). Then go into your calendar system, I like Google calender since it emails me and texts my phone, and setup a reminder to replace the filters every 2-3 months depending on how many animals/dust/etc is in the home. Combined w/ regular vacuuming and dusting will keep the air very clean and fresh, and the AC system in top efficiency for lower electrical bills.
So research who you are going with, that they have a good reputation, and be aware that it should cost you around $500 and a full day of work, with the vacuum being a very large typically truck mounted unit. Anything less really, and you're just paying for the idea of clean ducts, not clean ducts.
The best method of course is prevention. Go to filtersfast.com (best prices I have seen), and I would recommend going with a good MERV8+ filter. Personally I like the 3M black, which are reasonably priced if you buy the box of six ($20 each, no tax, $2 shipping per total order regardless of how many filters). Then go into your calendar system, I like Google calender since it emails me and texts my phone, and setup a reminder to replace the filters every 2-3 months depending on how many animals/dust/etc is in the home. Combined w/ regular vacuuming and dusting will keep the air very clean and fresh, and the AC system in top efficiency for lower electrical bills.
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- #3
Thanks, Ducman... I use Angie's List for those kinds of referrals. Also, there is a MERV 11+ filter in there right now but needs to be changed (York system). The contractor charges me $35 for them!!!! Apiece! 20x25x5. I can get those online? Groovy!
Oh wow, and then takes himself out for ice-cream, I'm sure!
Yeah, if you don't mind generic, Merv11 filters are $6.50 a piece in packs of six.
http://www.filtersfast.com/Filters-F...ir-Filters.asp
If you get the 3M ones, don't forget the mail in rebate.
Home Depot and Lowes sometimes have special filter sales, but I find that after tax, its still cheaper online.
Yeah, if you don't mind generic, Merv11 filters are $6.50 a piece in packs of six.
http://www.filtersfast.com/Filters-F...ir-Filters.asp
If you get the 3M ones, don't forget the mail in rebate.
Home Depot and Lowes sometimes have special filter sales, but I find that after tax, its still cheaper online.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #5
At the five inch thickness?Originally Posted by Ducman69
Oh wow, and then takes himself out for ice-cream, I'm sure!
Yeah, if you don't mind generic, Merv11 filters are $6.50 a piece in packs of six.
http://www.filtersfast.com/Filters-F...ir-Filters.asp
If you get the 3M ones, don't forget the mail in rebate.
Home Depot and Lowes sometimes have special filter sales, but I find that after tax, its still cheaper online.
Looking online.. the York MERV filters retail for $33.95... IDK what the HVAC contractor pays for them.
Our air ducts get cleaned every other year, but it's for the heater (we don't have ac). The vents are on the floor, so dirt and dust and other stuff drops in there that I can't vacuum out, and the furnace in the basement gets up to 450°, which kinda freaks me out. The last time the guy came to clean them out he told me he found mice in the ducts! He pulled out 3 little mouse cat toys that had fallen through, lol!
LOL @ the cat mice!!
One of my jobs was in an older building and you could tell they never cleaned the air ducts. We constantly requested it; never happened. A few weeks ago my Grandfather was talking about when he got his done. He has been in his house +50 years. He was saying that the guy opened this one panel at the bottom of a duct in his basement (I don't really know how to explain it...) and it was like over a foot thick of piled up lint and dust and who knows what!! He was shocked! He said after that his furnace ran better too. It did cost him several hundred dollars; but its just a regular part of maintaining a home I guess.
DH does change our filters regularly too. He is allergic to our girls and he says it is a big help and he can tell when they need changing. Our house is only a couple years old so we haven't had the duct-work here cleaned yet.
One of my jobs was in an older building and you could tell they never cleaned the air ducts. We constantly requested it; never happened. A few weeks ago my Grandfather was talking about when he got his done. He has been in his house +50 years. He was saying that the guy opened this one panel at the bottom of a duct in his basement (I don't really know how to explain it...) and it was like over a foot thick of piled up lint and dust and who knows what!! He was shocked! He said after that his furnace ran better too. It did cost him several hundred dollars; but its just a regular part of maintaining a home I guess.
DH does change our filters regularly too. He is allergic to our girls and he says it is a big help and he can tell when they need changing. Our house is only a couple years old so we haven't had the duct-work here cleaned yet.
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- #8
