Duct and Ventilation Cleaning

Unlike regular home cleaning to remove dust and particulates from spaces that are used and lived in, cleaning of air duct cleaning is often overlooked. To be fair, air ventilation and duct cleaning is not as necessary as you might think it is. Before we get into why air duct cleaning is not a priority thing to do, BRILHO recognizes that as a part of a total home concierge service, it is important to give you the option to choose from various duct cleaning services. Our company wants to be transparent with you, so before you make the decision to clean your ducts, read on to see if it is necessary to clean your ventilation system!

What are duct systems?

Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, or HVAC systems is the complete system of ducts or passages that run through building structures to deliver and remove air. Aside from the entry and exit points for air flow, if a residential or commercial space is constructed well, these systems should be insulated in a way where it is closed off from its surroundings.

Getting your HVAC system cleaned

The prompt to get the ventilation system cleaned in your home might have been a concern for indoor air pollution, build-up of dust circulating in your home, or low levels of air circulation. These are all great reasons, but studies by the Environment Protection Agency in the United States have shown that unless your air ducts and vents are completely dust laden – the cleaning of dust in your air ducts in home or at the office is negligible in regards to air quality control.

Dust that settles in your air duct and ventilation system generally stays where it is. Unless disturbed, the dust there will probably not become airborne again.

What actually makes all the difference is having your air ducts and vents sealed from the exterior properly, and having your HVAC filters replaced regularly.

All that said, it would be a great idea to have your air ducts cleaned for the following reasons:

Mold growth
Vermin and pest infestation
Supply registers (air vents with the grills) are spewing out dust laden air
After a major renovation project
If your home is newly built
Moving into a home where the previous tenants have lived for a long time
If somebody in your household has severe dust allergies

An important point to raise is if the insulation used for your home’s duct system is done with fibreglass with a paper backing. Fibreglass does not support mold growth, but paper does. If your air duct and ventilation system has not been sealed properly, and the humidity from the utilization of your heating or air conditioning has caused a leak into the insulation, there is a possibility for mold growth.

Home infestations are also a dire call to get your air ducts cleaned. Vermin such as cockroaches are attracted to water and food sources. Depending on the proficiency and age of your HVAC system, water leakage may be a possibility. Rodents, cockroaches and other unsavoury house guests may leave their droppings in your duct system as well.

Finally, with new home builds and major renovations, the contracting services and construction that occurs onsite leads to a lot of dust, debris, and particulates that will be collected in the ductwork/ventilation/HVAC system. Before moving or settling back into your new home, it would be a good idea to get the system cleaned.

As you can see, regular cleaning for air duct and vent systems are not required, rather it is more on a case by case scenario.

If you suspect that there is mold growth in your home or have recently had a major infestation outbreak in your home, give us a call to get one of our professionals to come in and inspect your air duct system! If there the dust particulates are causing difficulties breathing in your home, the air in your home is stale, or leading to allergic reactions, reach out to us, and we will be sure to help you out!

Air Vent And Duct Cleaning Services

Duct cleaning refers to the cleaning the heating and cooling elements, as well as the vents, grilles, coils, drip pans, fans, fan motor, and fan housing. Often times, not all of these elements will get cleaned. It may be more important to do a thorough inspection of your duct and ventilation system to get an idea on how well the system is functioning. If your home is old, a more thorough inspection will happen.

We inspect to look for major issues that may affect the indoor air quality of your air in the long run, such as mold growth or major blockages in your vents.

A general air duct cleaning service will include a thorough inspection in the duct system in your home:

Because ducts, grilles, and air passages are often located near the perimeters of your home, professionals will often install corner guards and floor mats to protect your floors & walls – these floor mats will also protect the interior of your home from collecting the dust that is being cleaned out
Depending on the level of debris and dust collection in your air supply vents, any openings on the floor or walls that isn’t the air supply we are operating from will be covered up. This will ensure that maximum vacuum suction occurs
We take care to thoroughly brush, and move around any particulates that have settled inside the air vents – we will utilize air pressure to do this job
If there has been a recent or past infestation that has not been addressed, we will spray and apply our proprietary blend of disinfectant solutions to clean out the ductwork system – BRILHO works hard to be an eco-friendly company, and we do our best to maintain this with every job
After the duct cleaning is complete, we will do a post-inspection on the duct work in your home to make sure everything is functioning properly

What is a HVAC system?

HVAC stands for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. HVAC can include forced and central air systems in home as well. It is the all encompassing term that describes the air system in your home.

HVAC systems function to help control your heating and cooling at home. It relies on sucking in air to filter into the system, wherein, the air will navigate its way through the system. Depending on the type of systems you have in place in your home, such as central air conditioning, or furnace heating, the air may pass through coils to cool down the air. When it comes to heating, air will pass through a heat exchanger, and the air will warm up, and then distributed throughout your home.

How much does it cost for a duct and ventilation system to be cleaned

The cost of vent and duct cleaning varies on a couple of factors:

The size of your HVAC system
How accessible some or all of your HVAC system is
The level of contamination in terms of dust particulates, mold growth, and infestation.

Give us a call to set up an appointment for a quote.

How often should I change my air filter?

At the very least, semi-annually. This answer is based on the general indoor air quality you have at home. How cluttered or minimalist your home is. It also depends on your living habits, whether or not you have pets, if you are a smoker, how regularly you clean your home, and the time of year as well.

Developing the habit to frequently change your air filters is the best way to keep dust, allergens and other particles out of your home. This is also the best way of duct cleaning, which will give you the added peace of mind. If an air duct system is newly installed, take note on when you initially put the filter in. Check every two weeks to a month to track the level of dust and dirt that gets trapped in the filter. This will give you a gauge on how well the air system is working in your home, and how often you should change your filter.

What is the best way to keep my ducts and air vents flowing properly?

The best way to keep your ductwork functioning properly, is to not block the area where the air filtration happens. It’s recommended not to back up any furniture against the filter opening so that filtration unit in your HVAC system can filter out your home’s air quality efficiently. When should I clean my ducts and air vents?

The best time duct cleaning is when your home has just been built or undergone major renovation. Construction is messy. It doesn’t matter if measures are taken into place to try and keep the dirt and dust to a minimal. Contractors do some heavy duty work when building homes, and to no fault of their own, dust and debris will be left in your home. As they continue to work in your home and the renovation progresses, they will need to rely on your home’s HVAC system to be turned on, so that they are breathing in safe air. The construction process will create dirt and dust, and that will make its way into your air ducts.

Another opportunity for you to have your ducts cleaned by professionals is if you are moving into a home that has never had a history of having the ducts cleaned before. This is more for peace of mind – unless the previous tenants were extremely filthy with their living habits.

Finally, if the home has had a history of infestation, it is highly probable that insects or rodents have made their way through your ductwork. This would be a great opportunity for you to get duct cleaning out so that the air you breathe has not passed through any of their droppings or remaining carcasses.