Duct Cleaning in Dundalk, MD
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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Seven months of heating pushes a lot of air through your ducts
Your furnace runs October through April here, and on nights near 26°F it cycles on and off for hours at a stretch. Every cycle pushes air through the same ductwork, and whatever is sitting in those ducts, dust, pet hair, drywall dust from an old repair, moves with it.
That buildup settles in the bends and joints where the airflow slows down. Over a winter like this one, it thickens, and the furnace has to push harder to move the same air through a duct that is narrower than it used to be.
- 7 months
- October through April, your furnace pushes air through your ducts
- 4 months
- June through September, your air conditioner does the same
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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. Homes with pets, a smoker, or someone with allergies build up dust and pet hair faster in the return air, and that gets pulled through the system again and again, so those homes need it sooner. If you see dust kicking out of the vents when the furnace or air handler starts up, that is a sign to get it looked at rather than wait.
- Is air duct cleaning worth it?
- It is worth it if your ducts actually have a buildup problem, not as something to do on a schedule for its own sake. Dusty vents, a musty smell when the air handler runs, or dust that resettles within a day or two of cleaning the house all point to ducts that need attention. If none of that is happening, cleaning ducts that are already reasonably clear will not change much about your air or how your system heats and cools.
- What does air duct cleaning involve?
- A contractor connects a vacuum system to the ductwork and uses brushes or air whips to knock dust and debris loose from the inside of the duct walls, then pulls it out with negative pressure so it does not spread into the house. This covers the supply and return ducts, the grilles and registers, and usually the coil and blower area near the furnace or air handler. The filter is not part of the ductwork, so it still needs to be changed on its own schedule even after the ducts are cleaned.