Deciding Whether or Not
to Have Your Air Ducts Cleaned
If family members are experiencing unusual or unexplained symptoms or
illnesses that you think might be related to your home environment, you should
discuss the situation with your doctor. You may obtain
another free EPA booklet from IAQ INFO entitled The Inside Story: A Guide
to Indoor Air Quality from the EPA website
http://www.epa.gov for guidance on identifying possible indoor air
quality problems and ways to prevent or fix them.
You may consider having your air ducts cleaned simply because it seems
logical that air ducts will get dirty over time and should occasionally be
cleaned.
You should consider having the air ducts in your home cleaned if:
There is substantial visible mold growth inside hard surface (e.g., sheet
metal) ducts or on other components of your heating and cooling system. There
are several important points to understand concerning mold detection in heating
and cooling systems:
 | Many sections of your heating and cooling system may not be
accessible for a visible inspection, so ask the service provider to
show you any mold they say exists. |
| You should be aware that although a substance may look like mold, a
positive determination of whether it is mold or not can be made only by an
expert and may require laboratory analysis for final confirmation. For about
$50, some microbiology laboratories can tell you whether a sample sent to them
on a clear strip of sticky household tape is mold or simply a substance that
resembles it. |
| If you have insulated air ducts and the insulation gets wet or moldy it
cannot be effectively cleaned and should be removed and replaced. |
| If the conditions causing the mold growth in the first place are not
corrected, mold growth will recur. |
Ducts are infested with vermin, e.g. (rodents or insects); or
Ducts are clogged with excessive amounts of dust and debris and/or particles
are actually released into the home from your supply registers.
To Learn More About
Indoor Air Quality
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Radiation and Indoor Air
Indoor Environments Division (6609J)
Arial Rios Building
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20460
(202) 564-9370
(202) 565-2038/39 (fax)
Indoor Air Quality Information
Clearinghouse (IAQ INFO)
P.O. Box 37133
Washington, DC 20013-7133
1 (800) 438-4318
(703) 356-4020 (local)
(703) 356-5386 (fax)
E-mail: IAQINFO@aol.com
The following useful EPA publications are available on their web site. http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/
| The Inside Story:
A Guide to Indoor Air Quality EPA Publication Number:
402-K-93-007 |
| Residential Air
Cleaning Devices: A Summary of Available Information EPA
Publication Number: 4001-90-002 |
Consumer Research Council (CRC)
IAQ Checklist
P.O. Box 12099
Washington, DC 20005-0999
Ask for: How Healthy Is The Air In Your Home? (This is a free
resource, you will need to send a self-addressed, stamped standard size
business envelope)
To Learn More About Air Duct Cleaning
National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA)
1518 K Street, NW Suite 503
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 737-2926
http://www.nadca.com
Ask for: Introduction to HVAC (Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning)
System Cleaning Services
(Although intended for commercial customers, information can be useful to
consumers.)
North American Insulation Manufacturers Association (NAIMA)
44 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 310
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 684-0084
Ask for: Cleaning Fibrous Glass Insulated Air Duct Systems; Recommended
Practice
Other Useful Resources
For a free list of state and local consumer protection agencies and Better
Business Bureaus:
Consumer's Resource Handbook
Consumer Information Center
Pueblo, CO 81009
*Information provided by the EPA website.
