A metal HVAC air handler with attached flexible and rigid ductwork installed in an unfinished attic with exposed wooden rafters and fiberglass insulation.

Duct Cleaning in Kiryas Joel, NY

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A flexible silver HVAC duct connects to a metal air handler unit mounted in an insulated attic with exposed wooden rafters and a circular gable vent.

Eight months of heating moves a lot of dust through your ducts

Your furnace runs October through May here. That is most of the year pushing air through the same ductwork, and every bit of dust in the house travels with it. On the nights that average 21°F, the furnace cycles on and off for hours, and each cycle pushes more air, and more dust, through the same runs of duct.

Storms add to it. The county has seen 20 winter storms and 155 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and outages come with them. When the power drops and the furnace stops, then starts again, whatever settled in the ducts during that stretch gets stirred back into the air.

8 months: October through May, your furnace pushes air through your ducts
3 months: June through August, your air conditioner does the same

Isometric cutaway illustration of a single-story house with a dark shingled roof, showing interior rooms with furniture and a network of round ductwork connected to a central unit.

Your ducts carry heat October through May and cooled air June through August.

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NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals

How often should air ducts be cleaned?: There is no fixed schedule that fits every house. Most homes go years between cleanings, and how fast dust builds up depends on pets, allergies, and how much the system runs. Homes here run the furnace from October through May, eight months a year, so a system with pets or a smoker in the house will collect more than one without. A contractor can look inside the ducts and tell you whether there is enough buildup to justify cleaning now.
Is air duct cleaning worth it?: It is worth it when the ducts actually have a buildup of dust, pet hair, or debris inside them. It will not fix an allergy problem caused by something outside the ducts, and it will not lower a heating bill on its own. A contractor can open a few vents and show you what is actually in there before you decide, rather than cleaning on a schedule with no evidence behind it.
What does air duct cleaning involve?: A contractor puts the duct system under negative pressure with a vacuum unit, then agitates the inside of each duct to knock loose dust and debris so it gets pulled into the vacuum instead of blown back into the room. Every supply and return vent gets opened and cleaned this way. The furnace or air handler and the coil usually get cleaned in the same visit, since the same debris collects there.

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