Cleaning heat ducts

[Anonymous]

I was told that Consumer Reports found duct cleaning to be basically useless. We have a bad, musty basement smell coming from our registers. Can getting duct work cleaned get rid of the musty smell, or does the whole system need to be replaced? (Any idea how much either would cost in a small house?) TIA.

[Anonymous]

We had our ducts cleaned and it was not useless for us. I saw the before and the after, so at least in our case it made a difference. The previous owners of our house were pigs who never maintained their home, and that was reflected in the ducts. Air flow to our upstairs vents has been improved since we had it done--ie, since we had the unreal volume of dust and muck removed.

That said, you need to have it done by a professional, b/c if someone doesn't know what they're doing, they can aggravate the problem not help it. Check out the Air Duct Cleaners Association for info. I think that's where I looked for my contractor. I'm sure some people do find it useless, but it was worth the $395 we paid for it.

[Anonymous]

PP here--also--we don't have a basement, so I can't speak to that. It might be worth just talking to a professional and maybe getting some references from people they have helped. Also, perhaps you could find an air duct cleaning company that stands behind its work--ie, they guarantee they will get rid of the smell, and if they dont the first time, thy come back or you get your money back? A friend of mine (not in this area) moved into a home that smelled of smoke (the ducts really did) and the company she hired to clean them gave her such a guarantee. I think they use sanitizer or something to get the smell out. We did not opt for the sanitizer ourselves; I am paranoid about chemicals (maybe it's not chemicals, but I just assumed it was). Anyway, good luck.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your post, PP. Yeah, that sanitizer is bad news. It's not healthy and goes throughout the entire house. (We have asthma.)

Did you have the kind of cleaning where they cut open parts of the exposed ducts to clean inside, or the kind where they go in from the register w/ brushes and a huge vacuum?

[Anonymous]

This was beneficial for us, too - our last house was built in the 30's and the guys said they didn't think it had ever been done. There was a LOT of crap in there, gross. This was a while ago so I don't remember who did it, but I felt a lot better afterwards. I just don't think it's something that needs to be done annually or anywhere near close to that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for your post, PP. Yeah, that sanitizer is bad news. It's not healthy and goes throughout the entire house. (We have asthma.)

Did you have the kind of cleaning where they cut open parts of the exposed ducts to clean inside, or the kind where they go in from the register w/ brushes and a huge vacuum?

Hey--we have asthma, too! (PP here.)

They didn't cut anything out--they used the huge vacuum and then used the brushes. I think they attached something to the furnace, too--it was a little while ago so I don't remember too many details, sorry--but I was very happy with having done it. Like the other PP, there was indeed a LOT of crap in there. And it was, indeed, so gross. I saw pictures. I may vomit thinking about it. Anyway...

If you decide to do it, look for a professional who is licensed and certified and make them tell you exactly what they are going to do and what the benefits are. We also are nutty about changing our filters regularly (b/c of the asthma, but also b/c I understand that it helps with systems efficiency and maintenance).

Good luck! We used Washington Consumers Checkbook to find contractors and have been happy with the results.

[Anonymous]

PP here--meant to say I was the 11:30 and 11:34 PP.