Duct Cleaning in Burlington, VT
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Nine months of heating pulls a lot of air through those ducts
Your furnace runs September through May here, nine months of the year. That's nine months of air moving through the same ductwork, carrying dust, pet hair, and whatever else settles in a house, past through the system and out again. On the cold nights, averaging 12°F from December through February, the furnace is running long and often, and that means more air moving through ducts that haven't been cleaned.
Vermont also sees its share of power interruptions, with 21% of households losing power for a day or more last year. When the power drops and comes back, and the furnace cycles off and on around storms, dust that had settled in the ducts gets stirred up and pushed back into the house. Over years of that, buildup in the ducts works its way into the air you're breathing.
- 9 months
- September through May, your furnace pushes air through your ducts
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner does the same
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- How often should air ducts be cleaned?
- There is no fixed schedule that fits every home. If anyone in the house has allergies, or you have had rodents or a water leak near the ducts, get them checked sooner rather than later. If the filter has been changed on schedule and the system runs clean, the ducts likely do not need attention on a set timeline. A contractor can look inside and tell you whether there is enough buildup to bother with.
- Is air duct cleaning worth it?
- It depends on what is actually in the ducts. If you can see dust coming out of the vents, or there is a musty smell when the furnace kicks on, cleaning them will help. If the ducts look fine and the filter has been kept up, cleaning them will not make the air noticeably better. A contractor can look inside the ductwork and tell you whether there is enough buildup to matter.
- What does air duct cleaning involve?
- A contractor connects a vacuum system to the ductwork and uses brushes or air tools to knock dust and debris loose so it can be pulled out. Each supply and return vent gets cleaned this way, and the main trunk lines get the same treatment. The furnace or air handler is often cleaned at the same time, since dust collects on the blower and coil as much as it does in the ducts.