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