- How often should I get my heating and air conditioning system cleaned and checked?
We recommend annual inspection of all heating and air conditioning system equipment. We perform comprehensive tune-ups and safety inspections of all types of furnaces and boilers. We verify that your system is not generating inordinate amounts of carbon monoxide, and that products of combustion are not making their way into the occupied spaces of your building. Carbon monoxide in sufficient concentration is deadly. Beyond ensuring safety, an annual tune-up ensures your system will operate reliably and at peak efficiency throughout the current season. Regular tune-ups also ensure a longer lifespan for your equipment. We also recommend and perform annual maintenance of electric heating systems and heat pumps to ensure their efficiency and reliability. See our planned maintenance page or call us for additional details.
- "How often should I have my air ducts cleaned?"
According to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), "Duct cleaning has never been shown to actually prevent health problems. Neither do studies conclusively demonstrate that particle (e.g., dust) levels in homes increase because of dirty air ducts. This is because much of the dirt in air ducts adheres to duct surfaces and does not necessarily enter the living space. It is important to keep in mind that dirty air ducts are only one of many possible sources of particles that are present in homes. Pollutants that enter the home both from outdoors and indoor activities such as cooking, cleaning, smoking, or just moving around can cause greater exposure to contaminants than dirty air ducts. Moreover, there is no evidence that a light amount of household dust or other particulate mater in air ducts poses any risk to your health." (ref. http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/airduct.html).
Short of direct instruction by a board certified medical professional, we do not see any reason to ever have your air ducts cleaned.
If your system was properly designed and installed, the ducts should never need cleaning. It is our opinion that improvements in the reliability of heating and air conditioning equipment has resulted in the loss of work for many in the industry. In an effort to create new markets, there has been a push by some to market duct cleaning services. However, if dirt enters your return air system and you have a properly installed filter (a must for any system - to improve air quality and protect your equipment), it will capture that dirt and it will not be circulated through your home. Any other dirt that is caught (i.e. settles in and sticks to the inside of supply air duct work), is not going anywhere. It is not going to harm you. It is like dirt on the ground outside. Dirt and dust never accumulates to the point where it will seriously obstruct air flow in an average system (albeit there may be a layer of dirt in the return air ducts of old homes, where such ducts are many decades old).
- "Do you do air duct cleaning?"
No; see comments in previous section about why we do not think you need to have your ducts cleaned.
HOWEVER, NOTE: We do clean and install dryer vents.