Cleaning Dirty Forced Air Ducts

Overview: Cleaning dirty forced air ducts in your home should be a priority. Keeping your forced air and vent ducts dust free and clean of debris will improve the quality of your indoor air as well as reduce cooling and heat costs. Although many professional air duct cleaners are ready to clean your ducts it will cost you a lot of money for a job you can do yourself. Cleaning dirty forced air ducts can be done by the DIY homeowner. Air duct cleaning is not a difficult task.

Forced air duct systems and grates are all removable. All that is necessary is removing the grates and a section of the duct in its various branches so a long brush and a vacuum house can be inserted into the duct to clean the interior. The dirt and debris will be sucked into the vacuum as you clean each section of duct. After the ducts are cleaned, change the filters at the furnace and you are all set. Cleaning dirty forced air ducts should be performed annually to insure optimum performance of your cooling and heating system.

Tips for cleaning dirty forced air ducts:

Remove the grates in the floor or walls. Insert a common wet dry vacuum hose into the opening and vacuum any dust, dirt or debris from the duct. Hose extensions will be required to reach all the areas of your system.
Remove a section or end piece of the air duct in the basement or ceiling.
Pass the brush with an attached long handle (s) through the duct to loosen the dirt.
Follow by passing the vacuum hose through the duct to suck up the debris.
Filters should be changed at the same time. To help keep your forced air ducts clean the filters should be changed often.

By doing this job yourself you will save several hundred dollars. You can remove all the dirt and debris by following these tips. The duct work usually spans the entire house in the basement but access is quite easy by taking off duct end cap or removing a section of the duct at a curve joint. It only takes a few standard household tools to gain access to the ducts in the basement or attic.

If you live in an older house there will probably be a lot more dust, dirt, and debris in the ducts because older houses have more openings and air leeks for duct and dirt to get into the system. Newer houses are a lot more air tight and do not get as dirty as older houses.

In you live in a newer house you may be able to get away with cleaning your duct less often than annually. However, they should be cleaned every two or three years, especially if you use the same duct system for your air conditioning system and heating. Cleaning dirty forced air ducts is not a difficult task but it can be messy. Insure than you wear proper safety equipment while cleaning the forced air ducts.

Deck Cleaning

Pressure Washing Your House

Window Washing

For more DIY information Check out these Resources

A Great DIY Guide