Duct Cleaning in Mequon, WI
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Eight months of heating puts a lot of dust through your ducts
Your furnace runs October through May here, eight months of the year. Every one of those months, air is moving through your ductwork, and whatever is riding in that air settles out along the way. By spring the buildup inside is heavier than a house that only heats for a few months would ever see.
Winter nights averaging 16°F mean the furnace is on often, not just running long. Ozaukee County has also seen 18 winter storms and 30 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and storms like that can knock out power and shut the system down mid-cycle. When it starts back up, it pushes that settled dust straight back into the rooms you're breathing in.
- 8 months
- October 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?
- Most homes do fine with duct cleaning every few years, though a contractor can tell you what your system needs by looking at it. If anyone in the house has allergies, or you have had a remodel that left dust behind, sooner makes sense. Homes with pets often need it more often too, since fur and dander build up in the duct runs. If you cannot remember the last time it was done, that is reason enough to have it looked at.
- Is air duct cleaning worth it?
- It depends on what is actually in your ducts. If you can see dust blowing out of the vents, or there is a musty smell when the furnace kicks on, cleaning solves a real problem. Your furnace runs eight months a year here, October through May, so ducts that are dirty get worked hard during that stretch. If the ducts look and smell fine, a contractor can check before you spend money on something you may not need.
- What does air duct cleaning involve?
- A contractor connects a vacuum to the duct system to pull air through it, then agitates the inside of each duct run with a brush or air tool to knock loose dust and debris so the vacuum can carry it out. Every supply and return vent gets cleaned this way, along with the main trunk lines. The furnace or air handler itself usually gets a look too, since dust settles there as well. Registers and grilles come off during the process and get wiped down before they go back on.