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.
What is Air Duct Cleaning?
Most people are now aware that indoor air pollution is an issue of growing
concern and increased visibility. Many companies are marketing products and
services intended to improve the quality of your indoor air. You have probably
seen an advertisement, received a coupon in the mail, or been approached
directly by a company offering to clean your air ducts as a means of improving
your home's indoor air quality. These services typically -- but not always --
range in cost from $400 to $1,200 per heating and cooling system, depending on
the services offered, the size of the system to be cleaned, system
accessibility, climatic region, and level of contamination.
Duct cleaning generally refers to the cleaning of various heating and cooling
system components of forced air systems, including the supply and return air
ducts and registers, grilles and diffusers, heat exchangers heating and cooling
coils, condensate drain pans (drip pans), fan motor and fan housing, and the air
handling unit housing.
If not properly installed, maintained, and operated, these components may
become contaminated with particles of dust, pollen or other debris. If moisture
is present, the potential for microbiological growth (e.g., mold) is increased
and spores from such growth may be released into the home's living space. Some
of these contaminants may cause allergic reactions or other symptoms in people
if they are exposed to them. If you decide to have your heating and cooling
system cleaned, it is important to make sure the service provider agrees to
clean all components of the system and is qualified to do so. Failure to
clean a component of a contaminated system can result in re-contamination of the
entire system, thus negating any potential benefits. Methods of duct cleaning
vary, although standards have been established by industry associations
concerned with air duct cleaning. Typically, a service provider will use
specialized tools to dislodge dirt and other debris in ducts, then vacuum them
out with a high-powered vacuum cleaner.
In addition, the service provider may propose applying chemical biocides,
designed to kill microbiological contaminants, to the inside of the duct work
and to other system components. Some service providers may also suggest applying
chemical treatments (sealants or other encapsulants) to seal or cover the inside
surfaces of the air ducts and equipment housings because they believe the
sealant will control mold growth or prevent the release of dirt particles or
fibers from ducts. These practices have yet to be fully researched and you
should be fully informed before deciding to permit the use of biocides or
sealants in your air ducts. They should only be applied, if at all, after
the system has been properly cleaned of all visible dust or debris.
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