You have just moved into your new home and you would like to have your air ducts cleaned. You make a few calls and quickly discover there are several different techniques. Each company telling you their way is the only way to clean air ducts. You also discover that each company has it’s own unique way of marketing their service. It can very quickly get very confusing.
First, because it isn’t practical to use water, there are really only 3 ways to clean your duct work:
- Replace all your existing ductwork. (not very practical, and very expensive)
- Brush and vacuum the inside of your air ducts.
- Blow the dust out of your air ducts into a vacuum.
Since replacing ductwork is generally not very practical for most people, the first option is most likely out of the question. So that leaves the brush and vaccum method also known as Rotobrush cleaning, and the blow and vacuum method. But first, you need to understand that whichever type of air duct cleaning method you decide on, will be better than doing nothing at all.
The Rotobrush air duct cleaning method:
Imagine a portable shop vac with a soft bristled brush attched to a spining cable, which runs inside the vacuum hose. As the duct cleaners feed the vacuum hose and brush through the air ducts, a tornado-like effect is created. The brush loosens up the dirt, hair and microrganisms, while the vacuum removes it from your air ducts. The brush polishes the inner walls of the duct work to “like-new” condition. Follow the link to watch the Rotobrush air duct cleaning video.
The high pressure air-wash cleaning method:
A truck-mounted industrial vacuum is attached to the furnace. With all register vents covered, highly compressed air is blown through the air ducts. Often referred to as an “air-wand” or “air-snake”, this tool is fed through each vent, blowing the dust into the main supply line. Once all the duct lines have been blown clear, another air-wand with a reverse nozzle, resembling a hook, is fed to the end of both the hot and cold air supply lines. The dust is then drawn backwards to the vacuum.
To help illustrate the two methods of air duct cleaning, think of an automated car wash. Some carwashes only use high pressure water, while others have brushes or hanging rags. If you have a really dirty car, you have perhaps noticed that only spraying water on your car is not very effective. However, if your car is fairly clean, this type of carwash might suit your needs just fine.
The same is true with air duct cleaning. If your duct work was just cleaned last year using the rotobrush technique, the high pressure air-wash method might get your ductwork clean enough. If it has been a while since your last air duct cleaning, or if you are uncertain how long it has been, you might wnat to use the Rotobrush air duct cleaning method.
The important thing to remember when it comes to air duct cleaning is YOU should make the decision. Make the choice without feeling pressured one way or the other. While some people clean their carpets every spring and again in the fall, others clean them only when they seem dirty. You might want to consider applying the same approach to air duct cleaning.
About the author: David L. Trosdahl has been the CEO of 3 regional sales & marketing companies and founder of a non-profit corporation. Involved in air duct cleaning in Minnesota for several years, David has helped numerous families decide on the best method of air duct cleaning and at what intervals their ductwork should be cleaned. David has also bought and sold numerous residential properties, and has helped many people find a house for rent. David is also the founder of the real estate investing website: RentToOwn-MN.com and many others.
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August 30, 2011 @ 8:39 pm
Mr. Trosdahl,
First of all, I’d like to congratulate you on your nice website. I looked it over, and it has lots of good information.
And I agree, “any duct cleaning” is better than none, and some are better than others.
I’ve worked in the duct cleaning industry for over 25 years, and in that time have used every type of system available.
Brushes, although they can do a good job of cleaning ductwork, do have a couple of major drawbacks:
1.) They typically don’t go around corners in ductwork very well, and they’re bulky & clumbsy.
2.) Years ago when ducting was made of sheet metal, brushes were okay, as the ducts could withstand the aggressive agitation.
Nowadays, most ducting is made from a very thin plastic membrane.
Any minute tear or abrasion in this membrane can (and often does) end up being torn to shreds from these brushes.
There are other drawbacks to brush systems, but these are the top two, and the ones most often complained about by duct cleaning professionals.
Compressed air blown through a “skipper ball” that glides through ducting and around corners effortlessly is the preferred way to clean modern ducting.
With a medium sized air compressor, the air blasts at 120-200 PSI which is MORE than enough to strip dust and debris from the duct walls, without disturbing the duct’s delicate plastic membrane.
As an added bonus, the newest compressed air system on the market- The RamAir System also utilizes a clear plastic box which shows all the dust and debris as it’s being removed from the duct system!
In the course of the last 4 years, thousands of RamAir Systems have been sold all over the globe, and people are loving it’s performance, swearing to never go back to brush cleaning.
Mr. Trosdahl, I appreciate your willingness and cheerfulness in letting me post this comment which gives another view of “brushes vs compressed air.”
We are both working toward the same goal- to clean ducts properly and improve the quality of indoor air.
David W. Hart- Founder/CEO RamAir Industries
September 1, 2011 @ 8:09 am
Thanks for the useful information. As the owner of CleanMyFurnace.com we are primarily working only with metal ductwork. Once in a while we run into some flex-ducting and I totally agree that a rotobrush is simply to risky.