Should I Get My Air Ducts Cleaned? A San Antonio Duct Expert Answers.

The answer? It depends.

Generally, ducts should only be cleaned on an “as-needed” basis—not as a routine maintenance, as some less honest San Antonio techs might suggest.

According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), you should only get your ducts cleaned if:

• There is visible mold growth in your ductwork
• Your ducts are infested with vermin (insects, rodents, raccoons, etc.)
• Your ducts are clogged with dust/debris

The bottom line? You need to have your ducts inspected before moving forward with any duct cleaning services.

We’ll explain.

Need a pro to tell you if you need a duct cleaning? Call us at (210) 227-8358 or schedule an appointment online.

As the name implies, a duct inspection is a thorough examination of your entire ductwork system.

The purpose of an inspection is to see exactly what’s going on in your ducts to:

1. Confirm whether or not you need a duct cleaning
2. Most importantly, catch anything of concern like:

• Leaks or holes in the ducts
• Ducts that have disconnected or fallen away
• Asbestos-containing materials (can only be removed by specially trained contractors)

To find those problems, our duct professional will do the following during a ductwork inspection:

• Visually examine the ductwork for leaks or holes
• Measure static pressure to find blockage or leakage
• Open the supply to check for microbial growth
• Use a flow hood to measure air flow
• Take particulate count readings to measure air quality

If your tech finds that you do need ductwork repair, it’s financially in your best interest to fix your ducts sooner rather than later.

You see, leaky ductwork raises your energy bills because you’re wasting conditioned air on unconditioned spaces like your attic. Plus, leaky ductwork draws dust and insulation into your ducts, which ends up clogging filters and wearing down components in your HVAC system (costing you money on repairs).

You probably need a duct inspection if you’ve noticed any of the signs below:

• Odd noises coming from your ducts. A strange noise in your ductwork could mean anything from a loose seal rattling against itself to a vermin infestation.
• Dust accumulating around your supply vents (or more dust than usual in your home). This could mean you have leaks (holes) in your supply ducts that are sucking in dust from your attic or crawlspace and blowing it into your home.
• Uneven temperatures or weak airflow. These could be signs of ducts that have separated at the seams or disconnected completely.
• Higher-than-normal energy bills. When your ducts have leaks or have fallen away, your system runs longer than it normally should, running up your energy bills.

Duct cleaning services have gotten a bad reputation as a scam in the HVAC industry because so many techs recommend them as a routine service.

Red flags that you’re being scammed into buying duct cleaning services include:

• The tech can’t or won’t show you evidence of mold, debris or an infestation
• They aren’t insured or licensed
• They don’t follow industry regulations set by the National Air Duct Cleaning Association (NADCA) and North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA) guidelines (if insulation is involved)
• They offer super low duct cleaning prices (you get what you pay for)