The heat exchanger pictured is definitely not representative of our typical job. Furnace cleaning, when performed regularly, is relatively uneventful, as the technicians use high-pressured air triggers to clean various components inside the furnace, and check key areas for proper function. The goal is to rid the furnace and its inner workings of dust and debris that hinder efficiency and that increase the number of contaminants polluting indoor air. As in any frequent task, however, sometimes unusual or exemplary situations present themselves The symptoms This month a homeowner in St Paul contacted us and scheduled a furnace flue cleaning as well as a furnace cleaning. His gas furnace, manufactured in the 1950s, was less efficient than it had been (not surprisingly, some would say). More importantly, he felt it was not drafting properly. He was getting what he called "funny smells" in the house, and the carbon monoxide detectors were going off. The customer attributed this to a clogged furnace flue, which is certainly not an unlikely cause. The furnace flue serves to vent harmful gases produced during combustion to the outside, so if it is clogged or otherwise hindered, it stands to reason that a primary indicator would be the CO detector registering concerning levels of carbon monoxide. The diagnosis After listening to the homeowner's concerns about the furnace not drafting properly, the technician proceeded to clean the flue, expecting to find it clogged, perhaps with animal nesting or other debris. Though quite dirty, however, it was not so dirty that one would have expected air flow to be greatly hindered or draft compromised. The problem became apparent, however, when the technician was able to see, by way of the access created for the flue cleaning, down into the heat exchanger. It was completely clogged and black with soot, to an extent he'd never seen before. It was clear to the technician that a through cleaning was urgently needed to unclog it and restore it to working order, if possible. A disclaimer would be in order at this point. The average lifespan of a furnace is about 20 years, and the furnace in question was significantly older than that. The customer insisted, however, that it was otherwise working properly and he simply did not have the funds to replace it. Wanting to accommodate the customer's financial situation, the technician agreed to proceed with the disassembly and cleaning of the heat exchanger, with a thorough explanation of what he was doing and the risk involved, and an assurance from the customer that if the symptoms persisted after the cleaning he would consult a repair company. An interesting aside: furnaces of this age rely on natural draft to exhaust gases and are not equipped with a draft inducer. This component is essentially a fan, found in modern furnaces, whose purpose is to create draft and move the products of combustion from the furnace up and out the flue. A furnace equipped with a draft inducer likely would shut down rather than becoming as clogged as this one had, in accordance with its sequence of operation. The solution
The technician began the job by removing 17 nuts and bolts from the panel just to gain access to the heat exchanger. As soon as the panel was removed, it was clear that the gasket surrounding it was completely deteriorated and needed to be replaced. The customer purchased a new one while the technician performed the cleaning. It is unusual that a technician would need to go to such lengths to access a heat exchanger. Typically the heat exchanger is readily accessible, or requires only minimal disassembly in order to access it for cleaning. Moreover, many technicians would likely have passed on this job once observing the amount of buildup needing to be cleaned and the relatively laborious process of accessing the heat exchanger. Likely the customer would have been counseled to simply replace the furnace. However, a combination of a genuine wish to help a homeowner in a tough financial situation and the desire to successfully tackle a challenging and uncommon task inspired our technician to complete the cleaning. Once the heat exchanger was accessible, the cleaning was carried out using a powerful industrial vacuum and various attachments, specifically a 3-inch round brush head. Because the heat exchanger and its associated tubes were so large, it was easy to fit the vacuum and its attachments down each tube, which made this aspect of the cleaning relatively easy, taking only about 20 minutes. On completion, the customer replaced the gasket with the one he had purchased, and the heat exchanger panel was reinstalled. The lesson The heat exchanger after the cleaning was not necessarily a thing of beauty, but it certainly was in a much improved condition to carry out its function of heat transfer. In the end, the tech was wiser, the customer was well-informed and happy, and he also was not out thousands of dollars for the purchase of a new furnace—at least not today. Wanna dig deeper? Download our free tipsheet: 5 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Furnace Cleaning Company. Download Tipsheet Many thanks to our technicians Ben S and Roy S for lending their expertise to this article.
0 Comments
As a furnace cleaning company, we sometimes get calls for issues that would be more appropriately referred to a furnace repair company. Sometimes customers with furnace troubles attempt the process of elimination to reach a diagnosis, eliminating the least-expensive potential fix first (cleaning). Though there is some minor overlap between cleaning and repair, if your furnace is not working, your first call should be to a repair company. With that said, furnace cleaning can help minimize the need for furnace repair, and on occasion, the recommended repair is simply to clean a specific malfunctioning (read: dirty) part. Additionally, furnace cleaning technicians are typically equipped to replace minor parts, such as flame sensors and hot surface igniters Your Furnace's Sequence of Operation To understand the relationship between furnace cleaning and the unit's smooth functioning, it helps to understand a furnace's "firing order," formally known as its sequence of operation. This is the series of steps a gas furnace runs through before generating heat. In a nutshell, once heat is summoned by the thermostat, the draft inducer motor begins whirring. The air pressure switch then monitors the air flow being generated by the inducer to make sure it is sufficient, and if it approves, a connection is made between the inducer and the hot surface igniter. The igniter then glows and the gas valve opens, creating a flame. The flame sensor, for its part, then asks, is there a flame? If the answer is yes, the process remains uninterrupted and heat is generated. If the answer is no, the system will shut down, in order to prevent the release of raw gas into the atmosphere with no flame to consume it. This process continues until the thermostat reaches the desired temperature. Any interruption to this sequence of operation will effectively halt the furnace, and there are plenty of factors that can contribute to an interruption. If the draft inducer is compromised, for example, the pressure switch will not communicate to the igniter that everything is A-okay, and the igniter will not spark. Dirt and debris can play a major role in these interruptions. A furnace flue clogged with debris would prevent the inducer from creating enough draft to close the pressure switch, stopping the process before it even gets started. A worn or dirty flame sensor incapable of detecting a flame would result in the gas valve shutting off. You get the idea. The Primary Goal of Furnace Cleaning Despite furnace cleaning sometimes resolving what would seem to be repair issues, its chief aim is maintenance—helping to keep the system in working order by improving air flow through the removal of system-clogging debris. As explained above, a single dirty component can stop the heating process in its tracks. Maintaining system cleanliness will minimize disruptions to your home's heating. An additional aim of furnace cleaning, and HVAC system cleaning in general, is the improvement of indoor air quality: by removing debris and contaminants from your furnace and other system components, you reduce the number of pollutants circulating throughout the system only to be expelled into your living space. That same debris that clogs up HVAC system parts and hinders air flow doesn't do your lungs any favors either. Overlap Between Cleaning and Repair If we refer back to our sequence of operation and the issues that can disrupt it, we have to consider that sometimes the problem is as simple as a single faulty part. Though the lifespan of a furnace is roughly 15-20 years, the lifespan of some individual parts is much shorter. The igniter and flame sensor, for example, have lifespans of only about 5-7 years, so it stands to reason you'll need to replace these before you replace the furnace itself. Because these parts are fairly easy to install and small enough to carry a sufficient stock, many furnace cleaning technicians will replace these, with the customer's approval, if they observe much wear on the part. The replacement of these components, in addition to capacitors and contactors, are about the extent to which furnace cleaning technicians will engage in parts replacement. One of the biggest (and most dangerous) cleaning-related repair issues is when the furnace shuts down due to a clogged furnace flue. The flue, of course, is the channel or pipe through which harmful gases produced by the combustion of your furnace are exhausted to the outside. If the flue becomes clogged with animal nests, leaves, or other debris, harmful carbon monoxide can back up into your living space and put your family at risk. Furnace flues without caps are particularly susceptible to this hazard. Our technicians are frequently called to the homes of customers whose furnaces have been red-tagged and shut down by a repair company due to a blocked flue. A surprisingly common contributor to furnace overheating and subsequent shut-down is a clogged air filter. If the filter is choked with dirt, air flow from the return duct into the furnace is restricted and can cause the high-limit switch to detect too much warmth and shut off the burners. A blanket of dust over the evaporator coil can have a similar effect, restricting air flow from the heat exchanger to the supply duct and causing a backdraft. Because the entirety of the HVAC system is dependent upon proper air flow, any hindrance to this flow in the form of dirt or debris can wreak havoc and lead to repair issues. When to Call it When If your furnace is not working, or not working well, your first call should be to a repair company. It may end up that the diagnosis involves the evaporator coil needing to be cleaned, or that the furnace flue is dangerously clogged, both of which you'd likely be referred to an HVAC cleaning company for. However, the diagnosis should come from a licensed HVAC repair technician. Sometimes similar symptoms can have different causes, so to rule out any other issues, a proper evaluation should be performed.
If you are looking for a cleaning of your furnace or furnace flue as part of routine maintenance on your system, or if you are looking to improve your indoor air quality by minimizing pollutants present within, call a furnace cleaning company. During the course of their service they'll make mention of anything they see amiss and refer you to a repair company if appropriate. Wanna dig deeper? Download our free tipsheet: 5 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Furnace Cleaning Company. Download Tipsheet Many thanks to our technician Roy S for lending his expertise to this article. Or rather, some stories. Everybody loves the before and after photos some companies offer after an air duct cleaning job. Customers like to see the results of the service and the accompanying assurance that their money was well spent, not to mention the visible affirmation that they'll be breathing cleaner indoor air. HVAC cleaning companies enjoy showcasing their work, and before and after photos provide explicit testimony of the benefits of the service. Below are a few examples, with context and caveats The images above are from a 70-year-old home in St. Paul whose ducts had never been cleaned. The duct is a standard sheet-metal return, fairly easily cleaned with a multi-tentacled air whip such as the Viper Clean Sweep, our technicians' tool of choice. The photos were taken (as all of ours are) with the technician's cell phone—not, as many customers assume, with a scope. The reason we opt for cell-phone photos over those of borescopes is due mainly to resolution, and ease: a cell-phone photo has a much higher resolution than that of a scope, providing a high-quality and detailed image. Cell-phone photos can also be shared much more easily, quickly sent from the technician's phone to the customer's e-mail. Finally, a visual representation of the condition of the ducts can be had more easily from an access point or vent than from deep within the duct (which would require the use of a scope), with the latter providing no obvious advantage. The images above were taken inside a Minneapolis home built in the 1960s in which the trusses (the cavity between the main-level floor and the basement ceiling) were used for return air. This building practice was relatively commonplace until recently. These kinds of duct spaces can get quite dirty, due to the porousness of wood and the tendency of dust particles to coagulate within that space. That is to say, dust particles stick more easily to wood than, for example, to metal, and once one particle sticks, subsequent particles stick more easily, resulting in quicker and more abundant buildup than inside a metal duct. This cavity was also cleaned with the Viper Clean Sweep. In cases of newly constructed homes (above), the ducts are often dusty with drywall particles, which are ubiquitous and stubborn. At first glance this debris may not appear as voluminous as that in some of the other photos. However, because drywall dust tends to collect so densely, it can be considered equivalent to twice its amount in run-of-the-mill household dust. Drywall dust is easily disturbed, and because its particles are so small and lightweight, once rendered airborne, they create a nuisance everywhere they settle—within HVAC system components, on your furniture, in your lungs. You may notice in the image that a few larger (relatively) pieces have been left behind inside the ducts. These are heavier bits of concrete or rubble that, because of their weight, cannot be removed by duct cleaning tools. This is of little consequence—these are too heavy to become airborne and thus are not going to compromise indoor air quality. Flexible poly return ducts (above) are commonly found in townhomes in Minnesota. That pictured is from a townhome built in the early 2000s. Because this particular duct was located in the main living space, the dirt within was an accumulation of debris generated over several years, from the kitchen, dining, and living areas. The after photo demonstrates the subtle power of the Viper Microline, a single-tentacled air whip perfect for smaller cavities. Because it is not as forceful as multi-tentacled air whips (or brushes), it does not harm flex lines, but its gentle and swift thrashing loosens debris from every nook and cranny. Because debris from wood-floor sanding is easily airborne, it often finds its way into a home's air ducts (above). Like drywall dust, this debris tends to cling to the walls of the ducts and its removal requires a more advanced cleaning than that which simple air-pressure provides, such as a rotary brush or tentacled air whip. Our technicians prefer the latter, especially in rectangular ducts (as rotary brushes are circular).
A final word on before and after photos: those that you see online, for obvious reasons, tend to place toward the end of the best-to-worst spectrum, the above included. Though those included here are fairly typical jobs that our techs see regularly, there are plenty of others that are not so remarkable or exemplary, especially in homes whose ducts are cleaned regularly. The salient point here is that no matter what your ducts looked like before cleaning, the top-level cleaning, utilizing an advanced agitation method as opposed to simple air pressure, will get them picture-perfect after. Wanna dig deeper? Download our free tipsheet: 10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Air Duct Cleaning Company. Download Tipsheet Many thanks to our technicians Ben S and Roy S for providing photos and lending their expertise to this article. It's a fair question, as the two are very similar, and in one case (the fireplace flue), they're the same. The two terms are often used interchangeably, even by industry insiders, as there is much overlap. But there are distinct differences between the two as well. Let's break it down What's the difference between a chimney and a flue?
A flue is the channel, pipe, or tube through which gases and smoke travel from a source of combustion (fireplace, furnace, boiler) to the outside environment. It is usually a vertical channel, but in some cases, as in fan-powered PVC power vents on newer, high-efficiency appliances, the flue can be horizontal. But here we are speaking of the traditional draft-style flue. That is, those that rely on natural draft—the upward movement of air as a result of differences in temperature and pressure—to safely vent the products of combustion from the home. A chimney is, on the other hand, in its simplest definition, the housing that encases the flue. It is usually made of masonry, brick, or stone. Its exterior, extending upward beyond the roof line, is generally what we think of when we consider chimneys. It's worth noting that a chimney that does not have a flue inside it or a liner is basically serving as the flue itself. How do chimney sweeping and flue cleaning differ? Bearing in mind that a flue is the path through which the byproducts of combustion vent to the outside, a "fireplace flue" is the same thing as what laypeople think of as a chimney—that structure which Santa will hopefully climb down later this month, if we're lucky. So, a fireplace flue cleaning and a chimney sweeping refer to the same process. During the service, the technician generally uses a stiff-bristled brush or other chimney cleaning system to brush the inside of the flue to remove creosote buildup from its walls. A utility flue cleaning—as opposed to a fireplace flue cleaning or chimney sweeping—would be focused on the vertical flue associated with the furnace, boiler, or water heater. Because these appliances do not generate creosote (which is a byproduct of burning wood), their flues typically do not get as dirty as fireplace flues, and the buildup they do accumulate is not as hard or caked-on, so to speak. For that reason, the tool of choice on a flue cleaning (though every technician is different) would be a tentacled air whip. Because these are powered pneumatically by air pressure rather than manually, they are highly efficient and are quite effective at removing the scale-and-sediment buildup prevalent within utility flues, as opposed to creosote, which requires more aggressive methods. How are they similar? The two processes are similar in that they are both designed to remove buildup and blockages from the inside of the flue to allow free and safe passage for the gases and smoke produced by combustion. In the case of blockage removal, the process is virtually identical, as the debris that blocks both fireplace flues and utility flues is almost always of the same origin: animal nesting. To remove it, the technician will break up the nest using whatever brush or whip will work most effectively, simultaneously sucking up the debris with a vacuum attached below. He'll then complete the job by thoroughly brushing (or whipping) the sides of the flue to remove any remaining or stuck-on debris. Finally, no body of information remotely associated with flue or chimney health would be complete without reference to the importance of chimney caps. They're vital, and without them, your roof has a gaping hole, inviting all kinds of weather damage and critter entry. It's the single easiest and most cost-effective way to maintain your chimney—or flue! Wanna dig deeper? Our flue cleaning service page has a detailed description of the process involved and tools used, as well as links for further reading. Learn More Can you guess what caused the damage to the below flue cap? Before we identify the culprit, a few words about the importance of caps. Chimney or flue caps are indispensable for protecting the integrity of your chimney interior and maintaining air flow and draft. They do so by preventing the infiltration of rain and snow into your flue, which can cause water damage, and by preventing (or minimizing) the entry of animals, who bring with them lots of flue-clogging nesting debris. The problem This month a homeowner in St. Paul had their power company out to do a routine pre-season check on their boiler. To their surprise, it was red-tagged and shut down, after a determination that their boiler flue was clogged. This left the homeowner without heat in the cold of a Minnesota November. They called several companies seeking to have a boiler flue cleaning, but because of the cold and wet conditions, and the pitch and height of their roof, they were repeatedly turned down. Their roof's pitch was 10/12, and a 32-ft ladder fully extended was required just to get to the roof line. From there it was another 15 feet to the top of the chimney. The diagnosis When our technician arrived on the job, he first read through the notes from the gas company, who had indicated there was a backdraft from the flue, presumably due to a blockage, to such an extent that some of the plastic components on the top of the water heater had melted (the water heater and boiler shared a flue). The technician began by disassembling the portion of the flue located in the basement, where the flue enters the chimney stack, expecting to immediately find a blockage there—but there was none. This area is typically where clogs are found—at the elbow where the flue goes from horizontal to vertical after entering the brick. Animals frequently nest in this area due to its warmth. But this occurrence is extremely rare when a cap is in place over the flue, which was the case with this home. All of this left our technician a bit stumped. To further his investigation, he climbed the roof for a closer look. On reaching the top, he observed that a very determined animal had gnawed through the screening of the aluminum chimney cap. On removing the mangled cap and peering down the chimney, our technician spotted the problem: an enterprising squirrel had constructed a nest a quarter of the way down the flue, causing a complete obstruction. This would have blocked the exit of dangerous carbon monoxide produced by the boiler, and thus the red-tagging by the gas company. Cell-phone images taken from on-high have their limitations, but here's a bit of a closer look: The solution
The technician began the job of removing the obstruction by using a Viper GFK Chimney Cleaning System, which features a coiled rod—65 feet fully extended—to which brush heads of various sizes and materials (poly or steel wire) can be attached. He inserted the poly brush into the flue from above, attempting to push through the nest. His assistant was below, capturing the falling mess—the smaller debris with an industrial vacuum, the larger debris with his hands. After managing to get the poly brush all the way through the nest and down to the elbow—almost 50 feet from the top of the chimney to the basement--the tech switched to the steel brush to finish the job (the poly brush was successful in removing only about a quarter of it). After 45 minutes, they managed to remove the entirety of the nest and ended up filling a 5-gallon bucket with nesting debris, mostly consisting of large sticks and grass clippings. On completion, daylight was observed from down below, entering through the top of the flue. When a lighter was held at the opening, the flame was pulled toward it, indicating proper draft. The homeowner was assured that the flue was clean and clear of debris and that it was safe to call the gas company and get the appliance turned back on. Before leaving, the technician placed a new type B gas vent cap on top of the flue. The lesson Unfortunately, there isn't really a huge insight to reveal here. In our technician's almost 20 years of experience, he had never observed a capped flue that suffered such an obstruction. (Uncapped flues are another story altogether.) By ensuring that each of your flues has a cap, you reduce the chances of animal intrusion to almost zero. Checking the fit and condition of your cap occasionally, or having someone else do it, will virtually guarantee your flue remains unobstructed, and elevate you to super-homeowner status. Wanna learn more about utility flue cleaning? Visit our flue cleaning service page. Learn More Many thanks to our technician Ben S for lending his expertise to this article. It's understandable that when taking up residence in a new home you'd want to start from a clean slate, so to speak. You want the house you move into to be spotless so you can make it your own. If it has not been cleaned prior to your arrival, for example, you wipe its floors and countertops before you begin unpacking your boxes. After all, it's one thing to live with your own dirt, but quite another to live with someone else's. This line of thinking leads lots of people to wonder whether they should have the air ducts cleaned when moving into a new residence. Here are a few things to consider to help make the call. First, a word about some of the goodies our technicians find inside HVAC ductwork: lots of things you can imagine, and some that would never enter your mind. These finds range from the benign (Legos, marbles) to the disgusting (garbage, dead animals, rodent feces, dirty diapers) to the dangerous (guns, traps, needles, etc). This is on top of the everyday grossness present in uncleaned air ducts, such as pet dander, dust mites, construction dust, and lots of other fun things. The scenario pictured above is common in households with children—lots of food items shoved down the vent ("I wonder what would happen if I put this in here . . ."), including in this case a partially consumed peanut butter and jelly sandwich. The curiosities below were found inside the ductwork of a house in Minneapolis that was being flipped. Over the years the various residents had dropped all manner of debris—including crumpled paper, garbage, and a broken broom handle--down the floor vents. Because in most cases you don't have detailed knowledge of who inhabited your home before you and what they did there, it's wise to consider having a thorough duct cleaning performed on move-in. Sometimes, to increase the attractiveness of the home to buyers, the seller will have the ducts cleaned before putting the house on the market. Even if this is the case, a more thorough cleaning may be desired. Air duct cleaning typically is offered in "good," "better," and "best" options, and the difference between them can be significant. It's not typical for homeowners to select the top-tier service if they know they're on their way out.
But what if you're moving into a newly constructed home? In most of these cases, too, a thorough duct cleaning is warranted. Our technicians remove all manner of construction debris from the ducts of newly built homes, including concrete chunks and other building materials, and most insidiously, drywall (aka Sheetrock) dust. Drywall dust is ubiquitous in newly built or remodeled homes, and it is notorious for infiltrating every component of the HVAC system and choking off the air flow that is so vital to HVAC system efficiency. It settles as a fine, chalk-like powder in the ducts and is recirculated throughout the system, polluting indoor air and dirtying the living space. Some conscientious builders, for the above reasons, will commission a top-of-the-line air duct cleaning on completion of the home. This is of course the ideal scenario. Other builders will unfortunately order only a standard cleaning when circumstances really warrant a higher level. All this is to say that if you are moving into a new home and want a fresh, clean start—out with the old occupants (and their dirt) and in with the new—consider adding air ducts to your list of spaces that warrant cleaning. Then you can have peace of mind that your whole house—its living space and its inner workings—is as clean as it can be. Wanna dig deeper? Download our free tipsheet: 10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Air Duct Cleaning Company. Download Tipsheet Many thanks to our technician Roy S for lending his expertise to this article. What is dryer vent cleaning? Ask someone what dryer vent cleaning is and you may be surprised by how many are under the impression that it means emptying the lint trap compartment. It's a forgivable error. Lots of homeowners, especially new ones, are surprised to find that cleaning the dryer vent—or more precisely, the dryer vent line--is a critical task for the sake of unit maintenance, but more importantly, for fire prevention. For the record, dryer vent cleaning is the removal of lint and debris buildup from inside the dryer vent line--the pipe or duct that runs from the back of your machine all the way through to the outside vent. Why is dryer vent cleaning necessary?
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) warns that "the leading cause of home clothes dryer fires is failure to clean them." Thanks to organizations such as the NFPA, local fire departments, and dryer vent cleaning companies, awareness of the importance of cleaning your dryer vent is increasing. So, why is it necessary? With every load of laundry you run, small bits of cloth loosen from your clothes and end up in the machine. The lint trap catches a good amount of this debris, but some of it invariably ends up in your dryer vent line. This lint, which is extremely combustible, builds up over time, reducing air flow and, in sufficient quantities, creating a fire hazard. Its removal is essential to the smooth—and safe--functioning of your dryer. How are dryer vents cleaned? The most common method (and that embraced by lots of DIYers) utilizes a brush head attached to flexible rods that are fed into the dryer vent line incrementally, adding length as the distance increases. The rods are powered by a handheld drill that serves to rotate the rod-and-brush combo inside the vent line, loosening lint and pushing it out (or pulling it in) the other side. This method can be successful for most vents, especially those that are shorter or do not contain many turns. A more effective method (we've found) utilizes a spinning skipper ball with reverse-blowing air nozzles. The tool is fed through the vent line from the outside until it reaches the dryer. Once engaged, the ball spins around and shoots out air behind it, toward the vent (thus "reverse-blowing). As the tool is pulled toward the technician, the lint is blasted out with it. When should I have my dryer vent cleaned? Frequency of cleaning will depend on household size and how often you use your dryer. The ideal home maintenance schedule would include a yearly dryer vent cleaning. Spring or summer is the best time of year for the service if you have a rooftop vent, so the technician does not have to negotiate an icy roof (most won't). Some indications you're due for a cleaning are if your clothes are taking longer than usual to dry or if your machine (or the laundry room) feels hotter than normal. One of the surest ways to tell if there's a clog in your vent line is to check for airflow from the outside vent when the dryer is running. Is the flap being pushed open? Is warm air coming out? No sign of air flow is cause for concern. How much does dryer vent cleaning cost? Pricing on cleaning out a dryer vent tends to vary less than for some other HVAC cleaning services, like air duct cleaning. That's because in most cases, it is relatively straightforward, allowing most companies to use the same process or tool for each situation. With that said, however, there are a few factors that can affect pricing. The number one reason you'll be charged more for the job is if your dryer vent is difficult to reach or on the roof, which entails more risk and liability. Some companies also charge more for a longer vent line or multiple turns. At any rate, the price for having your dryer vent cleaned is negligible when compared to the possible cost of not doing so! Wanna dig deeper? Download our free tipsheet: 5 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Dryer Vent Cleaning Company. Download Tipsheet Many thanks to our technicians Ben and Kris for lending their expertise to this article. What is air duct cleaning? Air duct cleaning is the process of removing dirt, debris, and the general filth that comes to inhabit a building's heating and cooling ducts over time. While residential air duct cleaning refers to the process as it applies to homes, commercial air duct cleaning applies to business or industrial sites, including multi-unit dwellings such as apartments or assisted-living facilities. Why is air duct cleaning necessary?
In a nutshell, debris in the HVAC (heating, ventilation, and air conditioning) system hinders air flow, and the system relies on good air flow in order to function optimally. Dirt in the air ducts spreads to other components of the HVAC system—the furnace, evaporator coil, etc—clogging up parts and reducing efficiency. In a commercial setting as well, air moving through dirty ducts is going to affect the performance of the system as a whole, which is why it is recommended that all system components be cleaned at the same time. Cleanliness of the air ducts also affects indoor air quality. Air moving through dirty ducts is eventually going to end up in the occupied space and, by extension, in your family's (or your employees') lungs. Clean air ducts mean fewer pollutants being pushed into the room through the vents. How are air ducts cleaned? Most companies offer a few different levels of service, depending on how dirty the ducts are and how long it's been since they've been cleaned. Typically the basic level of service will involve blowing air into each of the vents via a high-pressured air wand or air trigger, in combination with the negative pressure of a vacuum and a containment system to capture the debris. This basic process is usually referred to as the "push-and-pull" method. Higher levels of service will add the use of agitation tools—air whips, rotary brushes, etc—to physically sweep the walls of the ducts, dislodging debris and sending it toward the vacuum. Commercial duct cleaners will use methods similar to those of residential cleaning, with the addition of some more specialized tools, and a physical crawl-through method if duct size allows. When should air ducts be cleaned? For residential jobs, air duct cleaning is generally recommended every one to three years, depending on several factors, including whether pets are present, whether the occupants have allergies or asthma, whether remodeling or construction has recently taken place, etc. It's especially recommended after new construction or remodeling, when large amounts of dust and debris tend to be generated. Drywall dust is particularly insidious. In a commercial setting, the recommendation is roughly every 5 to 10 years. Most commercial duct cleaning companies will send a project manager to assess the condition of the air ducts and HVAC system at no cost, in order to provide an estimate for cleaning as well as a timeline for future work. When deciding to clean or not to clean, the appearance of the visible components of the duct system (vents and register covers in a residential system, diffusers and grilles in a commercial system) is a fairly reliable indicator of whether the ductwork system as a whole should be assessed for cleaning. Register covers sporting dust bunnies, for example, aren't likely to have pristine air ducts behind them. How much does air duct cleaning cost? Costs for cleaning residential air ducts are all over the map. Some companies charge per vent, while others charge by total square footage, and a lesser number will only quote a price on seeing the home firsthand. Some company-based factors that will affect pricing are technician experience (skilled techs command a higher wage) and company reputation and longevity (a well-established company can weather the seasonal highs and lows of the industry without having to slash prices in order to remain in the game). Some factors that will affect pricing for your home in particular are how large it is (or how many vents), how many systems it has (one heating or cooling unit represents one system), and which level of cleaning you choose (how dirty your ducts are). A reputable company will spell out all costs before work begins. The you-get-what-you-pay-for adage applies well here: a "$49 duct cleaning special!" will buy you the lowest tier of service and will probably apply only to the smallest of homes without surcharge. Very generally speaking, you should not expect to pay less than $400 for a quality duct cleaning on a home of average size (around 2500 sq ft according to most estimates). Wanna dig deeper? Download our free tipsheet: 10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Air Duct Cleaning Company. Download Tipsheet In preparation for winter, as you inventory your supply of hats and gloves, you may also want to take stock of your HVAC system—especially your furnace. Not only are HVAC system interruptions costly, but during the wrong season they can be extremely uncomfortable, even dangerous. Because you're going to be relying heavily on your HVAC system to keep you comfortable and safe this winter, it's a good idea to have all of its components cleaned and checked beforehand. Furnace Cleaning Your furnace is one of the most expensive and valuable appliances in your home. Before you call it into service for 6 months straight, do the right thing and have your furnace cleaned and checked. Even something as seemingly minor as a faulty flame sensor or ignitor can stop it cold. Further, your furnace works more efficiently when it's cleaned of debris that hinders air flow, so do your wallet a favor and have it serviced before the winter marathon. If you're one of those reactive personality types who thinks about your furnace only when it's not performing as expected, try being proactive this year! Air Duct Cleaning The transition from cooling to heating (or vice versa) is a good time to consider HVAC system cleaning. A lot of dirt and contaminants build up in your air ducts over time. This accumulation of debris recirculates throughout the system—through the return vents to the furnace and A-coil, then back into your living space via the supply vents. Before you close up your house for 6 months, make your lungs happy and have your air ducts cleaned of all of the debris within, to keep your indoor air as clean as it can be Chimney Sweeping The recommendation on frequency for chimney sweeping is approximately every 50 fires. Do you know how many fires you've lit since the last time your chimney was cleaned? Most people don't. Embarking on a season of heavy usage, best practice would be to have it cleaned beforehand to avoid the danger of a chimney fire due to excessive creosote buildup. By having your chimney swept in the early fall, you'll also conveniently avoid the pre-holiday rush that inundates chimney sweeps from mid-October to late December. Also, having the service performed before the snow falls will still allow for the technician to climb your roof if necessary. It is a rare technician who would agree to climb an ice-slicked roof, and you may in that case have to delay the service until spring. Dryer Vent Cleaning
Though not technically part of your HVAC system, the dryer vent line often gets lumped in with it because they both include ducts and vents, and the tools used to clean dryer vents and air ducts are similar. A buildup of lint in the dryer vent system is an extreme fire hazard, so consider having your dryer vent cleaned when you clean the various components of your HVAC system. In the case where your dryer vents onto the roof, you'll want to ensure you request the service before the snow falls, when your roof is still safe to climb. Add a "multiple services discount" into the mix, and you should have all the incentive you need to group your services together in the fall. Multiple Services Discount Many companies offer a multiple services discount as an incentive for customers to consider additional services--the company's savings on travel time and fuel is given back to the customer as a discount. (Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning offers $30 off every additional service performed on the same visit.) If you have 4 services performed, this could save you almost $100. So grouping all of your HVAC services together on one visit not only eases the task of remembering how long ago/how often you had each of them done, but it can save you quite a bit of money as well. Want to learn more about our HVAC services? Our service pages contain detailed descriptions about the tools and processes each service entails. Visit HVAC Services Page Many thanks to our technicians Ben S and Nick M for lending their expertise to this article. As the season for sitting by the fireplace nears, chimney sweeping finds its way onto the to-do list of many Minnesota homeowners. In the run-up to the holidays, as people prepare their homes for festivities and to receive guests, getting the chimney swept is unfortunately often a last-minute addition to the list of preparations. Why the rush? The seasonal nature of chimney sweeping means a flurry of activity during peak months (October through December) and little to none off-season, during warmer weather. Savvy homeowners and early birds will take advantage of this respite to have their chimney cleaned before the rush begins—when prices may increase and appointments are harder to come by. Some of the reasons for chimney sweeping include the following:
The above reasons for having your chimney swept become amplified during the colder months. Let's break each of these down. Removing creosote buildupCreosote buildup is detrimental to your chimney year-round, even in the warmer months when you're not using it, as it slowly corrodes the walls of your chimney. But the real danger comes during the colder months when you light a fire and risk that combustible buildup igniting and starting a dangerous chimney fire that can quickly spread to the rest of your home. This is the number one reason to have your chimney swept, especially just before the season starts. Installing a chimney capChimney caps serve many purposes, including to keep rain, snow, and debris from entering your fireplace flue, to keep animals out, and to prevent water from pooling at the seam of the crown and the flue tile, where trapped water freezes and expands, wreaking havoc. Though animals can enter an unprotected chimney year-round, they are more likely to do so when the weather becomes cold. Additionally, you'll definitely want to have a cap in place before the freeze-thaw cycle begins, to avoid cracks due to water pooling around the perimeter of your flue tile. Clearing blockagesAny blockages from nesting animals will necessarily be cleared by a chimney sweep. Though these blockages may be a mere nuisance in the warmer months, with animal young (and parents) inhabiting your flue and the cacophony and stench that their presence entails, it is not inherently dangerous until the colder months come around and you light a fire, risking major damage with all of that combustible material inside. Before the season starts, eliminate the risk of a small forest fire in your chimney and have that debris cleared Checking for disrepairOver time the wear and tear on a chimney and exposure to the elements causes slow deterioration of the masonry. Once cracks and chips have begun to form, water finds its way more easily into those weakened areas and into the flue itself. Cracked crowns, spalling bricks, holes in the liner—all of these issues become worse after the freeze-thaw cycle, when water enters compromised areas and expands as temperatures drop, then recedes as temps warm, causing further damage. Pinpointing and addressing these compromised areas with prompt repairs before the snow falls will help your chimney weather the cold months. Checking the "other" fluesBesides your fireplace flue, there are other flues in your home that need regular checking, such as utility flues—those that vent your furnace and water heater. If these are uncapped and clogged with debris, the dangerous fumes that under normal circumstances exhaust via these channels to the outside of your home can end up backing up into your living space. Before animals begin seeking warmth within, have a technician check that all blockages are cleared and a cap is securely in place.
For all the reasons there are to have your chimney swept and inspected regularly, there are even more to have it done before the onset of winter's cold. Why not go ahead and schedule your service now? Our office staff are quick to answer the phones, and our online booking widget stands ever-ready to receive your appointment, at your convenience. Book Now Want to learn more? Download our free tipheet: 5 Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Chimney Cleaning Company. Download Tipsheet |
SearchArchives
April 2022
|
Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning - Open 7 Days a Week 8AM to 8PM