Duct Cleaning in Eau Claire, WI
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Nine months of heating means nine months of buildup
Your furnace runs September through May here. That is nine months of air moving through the same ducts, and whatever is in that air settles in the runs and the joints along the way. On nights that average 9°F, the furnace is working hard and often, pushing more air through those ducts than a milder climate ever would.
Eau Claire County has also seen 27 winter storms and 35 damaging wind events over the past ten years. Storms like that knock out power, and Wisconsin households saw outages of a day or more fairly often in 2024. When the furnace stops and starts back up around outages like that, dust already sitting in the ducts gets stirred loose and pushed into the house.
- 9 months
- September through May, your furnace pushes air through your ducts
- 3 months
- June through August, your air conditioner does the same
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- How often should air ducts be cleaned?
- There's no set number of years that fits every home. Pets, a recent renovation, or someone in the house with allergies are reasons to clean sooner rather than wait. Furnaces here run September through May, so a lot of air moves through those ducts every year, and dust builds up in a way you can't see from the vents. A contractor can look inside the ductwork and tell you what's actually there before you decide.
- Is air duct cleaning worth it?
- It's worth it when there's a real reason for it, not just on a set schedule. Visible dust coming out of the vents, a musty smell when the furnace kicks on, or drywall dust left behind from a renovation are signs the ducts need attention. Cleaning them won't fix a furnace that's running poorly or lower your heating bill on its own. If you're not seeing or smelling a problem, it may not be worth doing yet.
- What does air duct cleaning involve?
- A contractor connects a vacuum system to the ductwork to pull out dust and debris, then uses a brush or air tool to loosen what's stuck to the walls of the ducts. The supply and return vents get cleaned too, along with the coil area near the furnace if it can be reached. The filter isn't part of this, since that's a separate part that catches dust before it reaches the ducts, so plan on replacing it around the same time.