air duct cleaning service forum
Sand in the ducts I have a past customer who contacted me insisting that I pay to have his ducts cleaned. Apparently when he took possession of the property he removed the registers and saw sand in the ducts and now thinks that it is something that I should have reported. 1. The SOP does not state that we need to do an inspection of the interior of the ducts and contractually he has agreed to the SOPs. 2. Cleaning ducts is a part of the general home maintenance that one takes on when purchasing a used home. But he still wants me to pay for the duct cleaning since a contractor told him that because it is sand it will cost about 1k to clean it all out. I am also wondering; why would there be sand in a heat register? I say no sand in the filter and no sand around one of the open cold air returns. Surety Home Inspections, LLC Need a home inspection in Arkansas? listing of Arkansas certified home inspectors. find a home inspector anywhere in the world with our inspection
Re: Sand in the ducts Please Visit the InterNACHI Awards page I recommend all Ontario NACHI members read this and form their own opinion on OntarioACHI . David you are not forthcoming with enough info about your duct system I must assume you are speaking of a slab on grade foundation with the ducts embedded beneath the slab and of course the ducts are normally buried in sand. The age of the home determines the type of material the ducts are constructed with. I have three types in my State that I see on a regular basis Transite, metal and last but not least came plastic PVC schedule 20. All three types can get sand on the inside during construction at any or all of the fittings very common here. During the construction stage if the ducts are exposed to rain water before the concrete is poured it is a guarantee that the ducts will have sand migrate at the fittings. Another source of sand in the duct system is if ground water enters beneath the slab due to improper drainage away from the slab you will also find sand along with some water marks in the duct system as viewed from the registers with a light and a mirror.
Moisture Intrusion Expert Witness I almost always find dirt in the heat register boots beside exterior doors kitchens, bathrooms or where ever there are tiles.
heaven best carpet upholstery cleaningI tell my clients to suck it up with a vaccuum cleaner. I advise them not to use a duct cleaning company (see Roy's attachment why). I explain that the purpose of the furnace filter is to keep dirt out, and that eventually any that is there will get blown toward to the heat registers, so pulling them and checking them for dirt and vaccuuming heat registers out every so often and maintaining filters is a must do home maintenance item. If it is underslab ducting, what Charlie says. New construction should probably be cleaned by the contractor, or with a really big shop vac, some contractors will use a duct cleaning contractor, wonderful!, ducts should be clean when the house is turned over to the buyer, check em all if you are doing a new house inspection.
I sometimes see that some of the trades working inside a mostly finished house sometimes use heat registers as garbage cans, especially flooring guys !!!! East Side Home Inspection Certified Inspection Services, LLC 5521 Mission Road #1422, Bonsall, CA 92003 San Diego Home Inspection Like me on Facebook Plus 1 on Google Plus Award Winning Sample Report Check out my blog Check out the HG User Group on FB ITC Certified Level I Thermographer Originally Posted by frotte Remember where you live its the land of strange the only time the ducts here were encased in concrete was at the fittings when using metal duct and most of the time it was just the top of the duct which was kinda dumb Originally Posted by cbottger Alberta must be kinda strange too It is in CA after all. We used to wrap underground in poly and cover it with concrete. Every so often it would float if it wasn't secured properly. (never happened to me) Originally Posted by eschmidt
Never had one float up but basically buried in sand it was not going anywhere. Once had to help when I was a pup dig sand out of the ducts and I mean dig it out they were half full of sand from a plumber driving a stake through a water line that was pressured up and he did not tell anyone he just repaired the line. We took a coffee can and tied wire to both ends and use it to scrap the sand loose to allow a large air compressor to be used to blow the sand out spent several days under warranty cleaning that mess and I was not the installer just the newbieOut of sight, out of mind is how many people treat their air ducts and and grates covering the vents - and I used to be guilty of that, too. I was in the habit of forgetting (or ignoring) my air ducts, until I noticed my two little darling girls hovering over the vent enjoying a game of "let's drop things in the air duct". As I checked to inspect what they were dropping down the vent, I was unpleasantly surprised to see a gross little collection of dirt, dust, scraps or paper, bobby pins, barrettes and who knows what else that had been quietly growing inside the vent since the house was originally built.
Now that I knew about it, I couldn't ignore the dirt, dust and grime any longer. I have always liked taking things apart anyway, so I pulled out my cleaning supplies and trusty tools. Cleaning inside the air duct isn't hard, and "dust bunnies" are less likely to build up on the outside of the intake vents because even a small amount of grime makes it more likely that dust will catch on the edges of the vents. If you begin to see the tell-tale signs of a dirty air ducts or vents, simply follow my tips and clean it up fast. You'll breathe easier knowing that your air ducts are clean. I know I did! You've probably seen advertisements for professional air duct cleaning services. I know I've received a ton of flyers advertising cleaning for a very low price and often promoting significant discounts for senior citizens. Before you schedule an appointment for your air ducts to be professionally cleaned, you should be aware that the air-duct cleaning industry has had problems with a decade-long "bait and switch" scam, often targeting senior citizens.
It is important to keep vital parts of your heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system clean. The vital components are the cooling coils, fans, filters and heat exchangers that can be damaged due to reduced air flow located inside your furnace or air conditioner. But do your research first and don't be tempted by the ridiculously low price. Know when and why air ducts need to be cleaned and avoid getting talked into expensive cleaning that is not only unneeded, but if done improperly, can be harmful to those with breathing problems. Air ducts are part of a home's heating, ventilation and air conditioning system (HVAC). The duct itself does not move and is usually a square or round tube made of sheet metal. Air ducts' only purpose is to carry cooled or heated air from a homes ventilation system into individual areas in the home. The EPA recommends that you DO NOT clean your home's air ducts regularly, but only as-needed. Cleaning Air Ducts "As needed" means:
Mold and mildew grow in damp conditions, and if the air ducts have excessive amounts of dirt or have been infiltrated by rodents or insects then you have a problem that needs to be repaired before you consider cleaning. Address any leaks or holes in the air ducts or ventilation system first before attempting to clean the air ducts as the problem will eventually return. Mold, mildew, insects and rodents can cause very serious health problems. Don't stir up any of that unhealthy dirt and grime trying to clean it yourself! If your ducts meet the EPA's qualifications for needing a deep clean, call a professional. Check with the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) to find a reputable and ethical company to do business with. If you have surface dust and dirt in your air ducts like I did, and you want to clean it yourself, the good news is that you can easily clean them. Cleaning your home's air ducts and vent covers only requires a few basic tools.
Just follow these quick, easy tips to get your home's air ducts and vent covers looking like new: The air ducts both supply heated or cooled air and also return air back into the ventilation system. The return grills are usually much larger than the supply grills, and are located on the wall or ceiling rather than the floor. Another way to explain this is that the return vent sucks air out of the home, and the supply ducts blow heated or cooled air into the home. The air flows only one way (in or out) in each individual duct. They both get grimy, but the intake vent is commonly dusty on the outside, and the supply vents on the floor usually more dirty on the inside and collect the miscellaneous debris. Some vent covers are held in place with screws (usually the walls or ceiling), others just lift out straight or at an angle (usually on the floor). If you have screws holding the vent in place, carefully remove and store these screws so they are ready to re-use once the ducts and vent covers are clean.
I like to place the screws in plastic baggies to make sure they don't get misplaced or scattered. Once you have removed the vent covers, they can be soaked in in the sink or bath tub with warm water and a little mild soap. DO NOT soak wood vent covers. Let the vent covers soak until you have finished cleaning the air ducts (assuming your going to get right to the cleaning). We'll come back to them when the inside of the ducts have been cleaned. Air ducts that are located on the floor can be a treasure trove of all sorts of interesting objects, especially in homes with pets and small children. Don’t be surprised to find toys, pet food, crackers, pencils, crayons, paper clips, bits of paper, barrettes, and many other long-lost items in your air ducts once the covers are removed. Pick up the larger items by hand. Be careful when removing the debris so you don't accidentally drop or push it further down the air vent. A soft brush attachment is really helpful because it will mold to the bends and angles in the duct work.
It's a little more awkward to clean the duct if your vacuum doesn't have a brush attachment, but that's okay. You can also use the regular flex hose with or with out the crevasse tool. Once a majority of the dust and debris has been vacuumed out, wipe the vent down as far as you can reach by hand, to clean up and remove remaining grime: Once the air duct vent is thoroughly clean it’s time to revisit the vent covers. The vents covering an air duct can become filthy, especially the grate covers (most likely return vents) in kitchens and bathrooms. They are especially prone to attracting dirt and grease, etc. and it's helpful to soak them before cleaning them. Once the covers are clean and dry, screw them back in or drop them back into place. Air conditioning and heating systems are much more effective when the air filters are replaced (or cleaned) regularly. Changing the air filter frequently also increases air quality in your home. *Always rely on the the manufacturer’s instructions to verify how frequently your filters should be replaced.