How can you be sure you have hired the right air duct cleaning contractor? With primarily three different methods used to clean the air ducts in your home and prices ranging from $59 to $800, you want to be well informed before you start contacting air duct cleaning companies.
So why the huge disparity in prices? The answer lies somewhere between homeowner preferences and business marketing practices. For example, someone who is a very clean person that has just purchased an old home from a party that had several pets, may not care about the price. On the other hand, someone that just wants to get their ductwork cleaned because their neighbor just had it done, might only want to pay a minimal amount. Residential air duct cleaning companies know this and will base their marketing around it.
So what are the different methods? The most common are:
- Rotary vacuum brushing, with camera
- Rotary vacuum brushing
- High-pressure air washing
Rotary vacuum brushing
If you or someone in your home suffers from severe allergies, you might want the re-assurance which using the camera can give you. You will know for certain that all dust, debris and grime have been removed. But be prepared to pay a price! This method is very time consuming so the technicians will not be able to see as many customers per day. Typically, these folks will come out and give you a bid. You might want to consider at what point it is better to just replace the old air ducts with new!
High-pressure air washing
The air-wash method is very quick and very affordable. But will it be effective enough in removing caked-on grime? Most likely not. What if you have a newer home with new duct work which still has factory-processing oils inside it? Conversely, if you just had your air ducts cleaned last year, it might not be necessary to have such a thorough job done this time.
These are questions only you can answer. If you are an extremely tidy person (have you been called a neat freak before?) you might be most comfortable with the camera method. Or, if the ductwork was recently cleaned, you may prefer the high-pressure air-wash method.
Most people are somewhere in between. If the company you hire is reputable and you can trust the duct cleaner to do a good job, you might want to consider using the brush cleaning method (minus the camera) first. Later, once all air ducts have been brushed, you can switch to the lower cost air-wash method.
Certainly, brushing with or without a camera, or simply using the high-pressure air-wash method is better and healthier for you and your family than doing nothing at all. Either way, you will have peace of mind, knowing that decaying pet and rodent hair and excrement will not be blowing around your house. As one company says; 'If it's in the air, it will soon be in your lungs'.
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