Like plumbing work, air ducts are also lowly regarded as most of us are oblivious to the importance of the ductwork. It is imperative that every new homeowner understands the importance of maintaining your air ducts in good working condition in order for it to function properly as the last thing you want is to suffer from a chilled room during winter or to have to endure sweltering heat in the summer. A clogged air duct will also require plenty more energy to either heat up or keep a room cool, thereby making it much more expensive to operate as well.

Why Air Ducts Need Cleaning

Like every other fixture or furnishing at home, your air duct will also collect dust particles, mould, smoke, hair, skin, dandruff, pollens and other floating particles in the air. Overtime, these specks of dirt will create a built-up of grime in your air ducts, making it that much more difficult for air to flow freely from one piping to another. Besides learning how to flush these offending dirt out of your ductwork, every homeowner should also learn the basics of cleaning and maintaining other components of air ducts as well, including the heating and cooling coils, drip pans, heat exchangers, air handling unit housing and fan motor housing as all these components will also affect the efficiency of your ductwork.

A well maintained air duct will ensure that your household residents will enjoy a constant supply of fresh, breathable air. Besides that, keeping your air ducts clean will also extend the lifespan of your electronic equipment such as computers, radios, hand phones, stereos and television sets as dust particles such as these equipments will come in minimal contact with dust particles. A well cleaned air duct will also be able to keep mould spores away from your furniture as well, thereby protecting the integrity of your furniture as well.

When Should I Clean My Air Ducts?

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), air ducts should only be cleaned if the state of the air duct manages to trigger an allergic reaction or illness. An air duct is also recommended for cleaning if there are visible duct or mould deposits in the ductwork or if there is a musty odour being emitted from the ductwork.

There are also other general symptoms of an air duct in need of cleaning, such as noticeable increase of dust particles in your room even after sweeping and a sudden, frequent onset of headaches, sinus problems or nasal congestions. If there is noticeably less air flow being produced by your vents, it is also probably time to clear the ducts out before someone suffers from an allergic reaction, especially if there are asthma patients residing in the unit.

Air Duct Cleaning Tools

The good news is that anyone can clean their air ducts as the tools needed for such an operation can be easily found in any household. You will need to procure a vacuum cleaner, gloves, a brush, a hose, rag cloths, a screw driver, hot water, lubricating oil, a face mask, sponges and household cleaning liquid.

How to Clean the Grills of the Air Duct

The grills of the air duct must be cleaned periodically as it acts as a filter for your duct system. When a grill is much too dirty, it cannot trap allergens and prevent it from escaping into your rooms. As you will be in direct contact with plenty of dust and dirt, it would also be prudent to first wear a face mask before proceeding with this cleaning exercise.

The air duct is constantly sucking in and pressurizing air outwards, so do be sure to first switch the power off before beginning any cleaning expedition. Depending on your ductwork design, your air ducts may be covered with return-air grilles, vent covers or registers. Unscrew these grills or covers to get to the grills of the air duct.

The grills are porous by design so that substances that cause allergic reactions can be trapped in the sponge-like surface area. To clean the grill, you can either soak the entire construct in a pail of hot water mixed with household cleaning fluids or you could also wash the grill down while laying it on sheets of old newspaper. Once that’s done, dry your grill under natural sunlight. You might also want to run the vacuum cleaner over the grills once it’s completely dried as well.

How to Clean the Air Ducts

Air ducts are long and winding, so it is important to only use cleaning tools which have long reaches as the last thing you want is to accidentally drop a hose or a brush down your air duct. Hence, we recommend that you use a strong powered vacuum cleaner to suck all the dirt stuck in your air duct.

Once you’ve completely vacuumed the ducts, you can then choose to wash the ducts down with household cleaning liquid. Do use gloves for this exercise though as air ducts can have sharp edges and your cleaning liquid might be much too harsh for direct skin contact. Once that’s done, you can then reattach the grill.

Notes on Cleaning Other Components of the Air Duct

While you’re at it, you might also want to spring clean your furnace, air conditioning system, cleaning coils, fan motor and drip pans as well to fully enjoy your newly cleaned air duct. Do note though that the cleaning methods for these components vary according to the manufacturer so be sure to read the instruction manual before proceeding on your own.

Once you’re done cleaning everything, do give your entire household a thorough vacuum as well.

When to Seek Help

The thing about DIY air duct cleaning is that while anyone can do it on their own, it is very time consuming and in some cases, can be downright dangerous especially if you aren’t confident about what you’re doing. For instance, an air duct infested with allergens can cause illness in the household if it is not handled properly. In cases like this, we highly recommend that you contact your local microbiological laboratory to have the mould investigated. It should be noted that mould cannot be simply vacuumed away but instead should be removed with the appropriate disinfectants, depending on the type of mould growing in your air duct.

When in doubt, it is always best to hire professionals as the last thing you want is to spend an obscene amount of time and effort on air duct cleaning. Air duct cleaning experts would also be able to help you quickly identify health hazards and help you better protect your loved ones from harmful allergens as well.

Standard Air Duct Cleaning

An unfortunate truth about air ducts is that since you don’t see them on a daily basis, you tend to forget about them altogether. This is a crucial mistake, since while you can’t see them, they’re performing a vital function. And though it might seem like air duct cleaning is just a matter of removing dirt and debris, it’s actually much more important than that. A build up of dirt and other material in air ducts can put your health at risk.

Don’t believe me? If you fail to clean your air ducts, they can build up all sorts of unsavory contaminants, dust and dirt being the most minor of culprits. The things you have to be concerned about include mildew, mold, grease, fungi, bacteria, and soot, all of which are filtered through the ducts and get dispersed into the air. Failing to hire air duct cleaning services could cause sick building syndrome, wherein indoor air is much more dangerous to breathe than outdoor air. In fact, according to the American Lung Association, the standard air duct prior to cleaning is covered with more germs and contaminants than a chicken coop. Can you believe that? Disgusting!

On top of that, the Environmental Protection Agency or EPA notes that indoor air may contain 70% more pollutants and contaminants than outdoor air. And you can safely bet this is largely to blame on filthy air ducts.

Thankfully, air duct cleaning is a straightforward process that doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg. By using an organic cleaning solution, the dangerous contaminants are removed and the air is safer to breathe in your home or business. It’s important to hire a professional to perform these services, however, to prevent the sudden dispersal of mold into the air. Air duct cleaning contractors always wear protective gear including a facial respirator to protect themselves from inhaling these substances. That’s why you’d never want to complete this task on your own.

Dryer Duct Cleaning

The dangerous build up of contaminants and dust doesn’t limit itself to just air ducts, however. You may also need to hire a contractor to take on dryer duct cleaning. Also known as dryer vents, these ducts can be dangerous for the same reason as air ducts can be dangerous. They build up a thick layer of dust, dirt, and debris, and can block proper airflow. However, dryer duct cleaning is important for more than just cleanliness. If there’s a large build up of dust and lint, it could block airflow so much that the heat of the dryer causes the lint to ignite and a fire breaks out. As you can imagine, this is very dangerous. But even a small obstruction or build up of lint could simply make your dryer work less efficiently, meaning you’d have to run it for several cycles to dry your clothes. Over time, this could cost you a significant amount of money in energy bills.

On a related note, a similar service you may need is vent hood cleaning. This can be found on dryers and in kitchens where exhaust fans are located. In any case, you’ll probably want to have vent hood cleaning performed as well while technicians are in your home or place of business. At the end of the day, making a small investment to have dryer duct cleaning services performed on your dryer is well worth it to save you money in the long run and to protect your family.

Chimney Cleaning

You might not think it’s related, but chimney cleaning is another service beneath the air duct umbrella that you should consider having performed in your home or business on a regular basis. A build up of soot can be hazardous to your health. Likewise, a big enough build up, or even a blockage like a bird’s nest, can cause the smoke to funnel back down into your home, sending toxic fumes right into your lungs. Even worse, it could cause a chimney fire, which puts your entire house at risk.

Maintaining your home or business requires that you pay attention to all ventilation systems including ducts, vents, and chimneys. With air duct cleaning services, you’re certain to cover all of these aspects and keep the space clean and safe.

To begin with, clogged-up and dirty air ducts are a serious problem for any home or business. Just like any fan or air conditioner that has air moving through it, these ducts will become clogged up with dust, dirt, and any number of things that aren’t supposed to be in there. This not only leads to a drop in performance and a heavier burden on your system to move the air properly, but it could also be dentrimental to your health if you allow the problem to go unresolved for too long. For example, if your air ducts are lined with layers of dirt and dust, then that same dirt and dust is being blown into the air and into the lungs of all the people in your home or business. This could be especially bad if someone inside has allergies or is otherwise sensitive to lots of dust in the air. An Atlanta air duct cleaning company will help to remove that problem.

Not only will more dirt and dust be going into the air from your ducts, but more serious problems could develop also. Just like the heart has to work harder if the arteries are clogged up with cholesterol, an air system also has to work harder if its ducts are blocked up. That will lead to a system that breaks down more often because it’s working harder, not to mention an unpleasant increase in your utility bill. Save yourself some money, and help your system to last longer by having your ducts cleaned out every now and then.

The benefits of hiring a professional Atlanta air duct cleaning service are numerous. Not the least of these advantages is having a trained professional take care of the work for you. These people have been in the business a long time and know exactly what to do to resolve any problems in your ventilation systems. In addition to that, you’ll have peace of mind, knowing that you’ll have a satisfaction guarantee. If things aren’t to your liking after the technician has finished, then all you have to do is call up the company and they will do everything they can to make it right. This is certainly a better alternative than doing it yourself, or worse yet, not having it done at all!

The assessment

Before you do any work on your chimney, you must evaluate a few things. Take note of the size of your flue and the length of your chimney. For overly small or overly large chimneys, you might need special tools. However, assuming your chimney is of average size, all you need to do is figure out the length and diameter of the chimney column itself.

Shop for the right chimney cleaning tools

Go to your local hardware store, and purchase the proper poles, brushes, and ropes you may need to reach the full length of the chimney column. Other things you will need, include:

* duct tape

* plastic sheeting

* tarp - so soot doesn’t come into your home

* plastic creosote scraper - to dislodge large chunks

* dust mask

* safety goggles

Lay the tarp

Spread the tarp on the floor of your fireplace and open the damper. Lay out more sheeting over the opening of the fireplace, to make sure you have a tight seal, so that dust and soot don’t enter your home.

Open windows

Open all nearby windows, so you can get plenty of ventilation during and after the chimney sweeping process.

Climb up to the roof

Put on the shoes that provide you the most traction, gather all necessary tools, and climb up to the roof using a stable latter (you might need to make a few trips).

Beginning with the chimney sweep

Put on your mask and goggles, and with your chimney sweeping pole, rub the chimney column’s interior walls firmly for 2-3 minutes. Subsequently, shine a flashlight into the column to make sure you’ve done a good job. Remember to never go up on the roof in icy conditions. The best time to clean your chimney is in the spring, after months of using your fireplace regularly.

Return to ground level

Remove the sheeting in front of your fireplace, fold the tarp (that is not filled with debris) and put it into a trash bag. Be sure to be wearing your gloves, mask and goggles while doing this.  Use a gentle motions to sweep up all of the other debris, to minimize the amount of dust in your home.

Use flashlight again

Do one last visual inspection from the ground level with your flashlight. If you see cracks in your chimney column, these could be carrying acidic gases into the walls of your home. If this is the case, purchase a chimney liner that eliminates this problem, and makes it much easier to clean in the future.

So although you might get a little dirty, as long as you followed the steps above, you should be left with a pretty clean chimney. If the process with a bit difficult for you, don’t worry - the more you clean your chimney, the easier it gets.

If you’re interested in having your chimney swept, or you simply want to learn more about chimney cleaning, don’t hesitate to contact Atlanta air duct cleaning, your premier Atlanta chimney sweepers!

Why It’s Important to Have Your Air Ducts Cleaned

Since most people can’t see inside their air duct system, they don’t realize just how dirty it might be. Dust, dirt, mold, insects and rodent droppings are often found in air ducts of people that don’t participate in regular air duct cleaning. And, as you probably figured, these elements can cause health problems as they are carried with the air, and let out into the home. Even if you have a newly constructed home, air duct cleaning is essential to rid the ducts of random wood chips, saw dust, and any other dirt that might have gathered during the construction process.

Hiring Professional Air Duct Cleaning Contractors

Although you might think that the process of air duct cleaning can be done on your own, if you want it done right, you should always contact your local professional air duct cleaning service. These contractors ought to be highly experienced, licensed, and bonded. Make sure to choose air duct contractors that carry their “Institute of Inspection” and “Cleaning and Restoration Certification.” There is no doubt that skilled air duct cleaners have the proper knowledge and tools to ensure the cleanest result for your air duct system.

Air Duct Cleaning Tools

Your air duct cleaning service will likely use a variety of tools to rid your air ducts of debris:

Air Hose: The air hose is what your air duct cleaners will use to actually clear out debris. There are a number of attachments that can be put on the air hose, which work together with compressed air in order to remove debris from the ducts.

Whips: Whips attach to the end of the air hose, and as you might imagine, whip around. The cleaner will push these tentacles through an air duct, and they will pound against the edges of the tube to loosen up an debris, so it can be removed.

Air Duct Cleaning Solution: Most air duct cleaning companies will use a special cleaning solution to make your ducts spotless. The best air duct services will use an organic, non-toxic solution that will potent, is safe and environmentally friendly.

If you or your family experience allergies, or you simply haven’t had your air ducts cleaned yet, don’t hesitate to contact Atlanta Air Duct Cleaning. We’re your premier air duct cleaning service in Atlanta!

The 3 Stages of Creosote

1st stage - fine black powder

2nd stage - drippy tar / crunchy chunks

3rd stage - shiny glazed hard material

A Large Flue

When an older fireplace insert is vented into a masonry chimney, often times the flue is too large. This increases the smoke’s “residence time” and decreases draw.

• modern specifications call for a 6″ round flue.
• older inserts may be vented into a 13″ x 17″ flue.

In these cases, the flue rapidly builds up creosote, as the large air space cannot get hot enough.  This causes rapid creosote condensation.  

Restricted Air Supply

Simply put, the longer the smoke is in the flue, the more likely creosote will form. If the air supply of a fireplace is restricted by closed glass doors, or by failure to open the damper wide enough, creosote will build up rapidly.   

Wet or Unseasoned Wood

As rule of thumb, never use wet wood to fuel your fire, it creates a lot less heat, and it doesn’t do a very good job of burning the available fuel in the wood.  The “smoke” of unseasoned wood is heavily laden with unburned creosote.  Because unseasoned wood causes the whole system to burn cool, the creosote laden flue gas quickly condenses on the surface of the flue.  Dry, well seasoned wood is the only wood that should be used in any chimney system.  Tar-like creosote found in an open chimney system is more often than not ,caused by burning wet or unseasoned wood.

Cooler Flue Temperatures

Believe it or not, the main cause of creosote in your chimney is a cool flue temperature.  Metal, prefabricated zero clearance fireplace chimney’s are extremely prone to creosote build up.   Their light sheet metal construction actually causes the interior flue temperature to be abnormally cool.  Due to this, creosote condenses inside a prefabricated chimney at rapid rate.

Getting Rid of Creosote

Around 25,000 fires a year occur in homes with chimney problems.  Much of this has to do with creosote buildup.  These fires can easily be prevented with a simple chimney cleaning.

If you’re concerned about the creosote in your chimney, please feel free to contact Atlanta Air Duct Cleaning, your premier choice for Atlanta chimney cleaning!

“Rule of Thumb” Chimney Cleaning

Many people set a specific rule on chimney cleaning: “once every 50 uses”. This is a common rule of thumb, and it’s a decent way of keeping your chimney in working order.  However, to get the most out of your fireplace, you should gauge exactly how dirty the chimney flue is.

Freshly-Cut Wood and Slow-Cool Fires

The things that are going to make your fireplace the dirtiest is if you are burning fires using green wood (freshly cut wood that hasn’t had time to dry), slow cool fires, or slow cool small fires in conjunction with green wood.  With these fireplace practices, you can clog up the chimney with creosote, which can actually catch on fire if enough accumulates, and it can burn the whole house down.

Insects and Rodents

Even a chimney that has not been used for a wood burning appliance can become blocked by dead rodents or insects, such a hornet’s nest.  Don’t forget to inspect the flue before lighting the first fire of the season, because animals and insects could have obstructed the flue over the summer. If you have a properly screened cap on your chimney top, you’ll keep out the animals but unfortunately not the insects.  

Oil & Gas-Fired Chimneys

Part of regular oil-fired heating service includes dis-assembly and cleaning of the flue vent connector. Ask your heating service tech to check the chimney itself and order a cleaning if needed.  Gas fired heating appliance chimneys ought to be inspected regularly.  A blocked off gas-fired chimney can create a serious risk of improper gas appliance operation, which is likely to produce dangerous, potentially fatal carbon monoxide.

Future Cleanings

Once you’ve had your chimney cleaned, future cleanings can be scheduled based on how many fires you’ve had, and the type of wood you’re burning.  

Whether you want a simple inspection, or you’re chimney is in desperate need of a cleaning, please Contact Us Today. We’re the authority in Atlanta chimney sweep service!

When you buy a house you probably don’t know much about who was living in it before you, and you know even less things that may have been done in the house.  Going back through all of the people who previously lived in the house, a lot of living may have been done there, and you never know what could have been stashed, stored, or thrown away up in the air ducts.

Right now, as you sit in front of your computer reading this article, there could be a fortune stashed up in your air ducts.  Maybe someone who lived in your house back in 1910 was an eccentric millionaire who didn’t trust banks.  He could have put his life savings up in the air ducts and not told anyone.  If you had your aid ducts cleaned regularly by a bonded and insured air duct technician, you would be rich right now, and you could afford to move from that old house!

Only kidding, but we have found some valuables in people’s air ducts before.  But the things that I’m really talking about are mold, dust, animal droppings, bacteria, and other allergens and contaminants.  When you are moving into a house that is new to you, there is no way for you to know when, or if, the last owners had the air ducts cleaned.  There could be mold up there that has been growing for years, or dust deposits and inch thick.  Aside from mold and dust, there can be living pest of a larger nature in your ducts, like insects and rodents, and it is a good idea to have a professional make sure that the ducts are free of pests.  It is common sense to start off on a clean slate and get your air ducts cleaned when you move into a different residence.

Now you might say that this makes sense if you are moving into a house that has been previously lived in, but my house is brand new so there is no reason to have the air ducts cleaned.  This is not necessarily true.  During construction, there could have been supplies left up in the ducts that can deteriorate and blow around in the air that you are breathing.  It is a good idea to have the ducts nice and clean from the time that you move in to your new home, and keep up a regular cleaning schedule so they stay that way.

You never know what may be lurking in your air ducts….until you call Atlanta Air Duct Cleaning.  Our experienced technicians use state-of-the-art duct cleaning equipment and organic, eco-friendly cleaning solutions that will leave your ducts safe and clean.  Call us at (770) 806-6006 for an estimate or to set up an appointment, and you will no longer have to wonder about what may be lurking in your ducts.

Word of mouth is always the best way to know for sure that you are dealing with a reputable Atlanta air duct cleaner. If family members or friends recommend someone, you can logically expect that you will like their work as well. This is true of air duct cleaners, but it is true of any type of service. Always ask a few friends and family members if they have any recommendations before you make a commitment to a service company.

Experience in the area is another key thing to consider before you enlist the services of an air duct cleaner. If you just ask them over the phone how long they have been in business in Atlanta, that will tell you a lot about how trustworthy they are. In fairness it should be noted that all new businesses are not necessarily dishonest or incompetent. But if you work with a company who has been successful for many years, you can be absolutely certain that you will get what you are paying for, because there is no substitute for experience. Plus, that longevity is telling you that this company’s customers keep coming back, so they must be satisfied.

Licensing and certifications are the last factor that we would like to highlight. Georgia air duct cleaners are required to be licensed by the state, so when you are talking to an air duct cleaning company you should ask them if the have a currently valid license. You might also ask them if they are insured and bonded.

If you are looking for an air duct cleaner in Atlanta who meets all of the qualifications above, look no further than Atlanta Air Duct Cleaners. We have been in business for over twenty years, and we have countless loyal customers to thank for that. They recommend us to their families and friends, and we have built our longevity on word of mouth advertising. All of our technicians are insured, licenses, certified and bonded, and they are committed to excellence. For top quality air duct cleaning in Atlanta at prices you can afford, there is only one logical choice: Atlanta Air Duct Cleaners.

Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a public health situation that occurs as a result of spending time in a particular building.  According to the EPA, some of the symptoms of SBS are headaches; eye, nose and throat irritation; itchy or dry skin; fatigue; dizziness; nausea; and difficulty maintaining your concentration.  When people experience these types of symptoms when they are in a particular building, but there is no specific cause that can be identified as the origin of their discomfort, such as a particular airborne contaminant, they are said to be suffering from SBS.

Building related illness (BRI), on the other hand, is the term that is used when an identifiable illness can be specifically diagnosed as being caused by an airborne contaminant that is present in a particular building.  Inadequate ventilation is the primary cause of these public health problems.

Atlanta air duct cleaning is our business, so we are well aware of SBS and BRI, and we are thoroughly trained and equipped to identify sources of airborne contaminants and eliminate them quickly and efficiently, restoring indoor air quality.  These acronyms and diagnostic terms sound very clinical and complicated, but in the end, it is all a matter of common sense that “officialdom” has only recently decided to name and catalog.

When you spend a lot of time in a closed building that utilizes temperature control technologies to keep the building at a constant temperature throughout the year, particulates circulate throughout the building.  Molds, pollen, dirt, dust, viruses, hair, dead skin, and just about anything that can collect on carpets, walls, floors, furniture, ceiling, fixtures, etc. is wafting around in the air that you breath.  The ventilation systems in many buildings are simply inadequate to cleanse the density of this matter, and even the best ventilation systems in Atlanta need cleaning and regular maintenance. That is where Atlanta duct cleaning specialists come in.

“Closed buildings” and “temperature control technologies” sound kind of modern and high tech, but once again, it is just old fashioned common sense we are talking about here.  What is “spring cleaning” all about?  Your home has been all closed up to keep out the cold for a few months, and a winter’s worth of dust, fireplace soot, carpet dirt, and whatever is up in the heating ducts has been blowing around the house up for a few months.  Come spring, you need to clean out the ducts, shampoo the carpet, and get the clean air circulating again..  That is what Atlanta duct cleaners and carpet people do to maintain indoor air quality for our customers.

An ounce of prevention is truly worth a pound of cure when you are talking about indoor air quality.    To stop health problems before they happen, get in touch and we will make sure that the air that you breathe is fresh, clean, healthy and free of air borne contaminants.