Duct Cleaning Service - Northern Energy Systems Inc.

Duct Cleaning

What is in Your Ducts?

FUN FACT: Did you know that your home creates an estimated 40 pounds of dust each year? If you are wondering where that dust goes, the answer is into your air ducts and out into the cool or warm air pumped into each and every room in your home. Other contaminants, such as pet dander, pollen, powdery mildew and mold, and chemicals, will also be circulated along with the dust.

Not only can dusty, dirty air create more housework as you continually clean away the dust only to have it as quickly return again and again, but also cozy, dusty vents and ducts with a nice lining of debris can attract rodents and other unwanted house guests who may be looking for a place to have a nest or spend the winter.

Duct Cleaning can evict unwanted guests.

Why Clean Your Ducts?

Reduce the levels of dirt and debris
Throughout each year, dust, dirt, and debris will naturally find their way into the duct system in your home. This doesn’t mean you are doing something wrong—it is just part of what happens when nature encounters man-made structures.
Reduce the levels of other toxins
Mold, mildew, bacteria, and germs don’t need much help to take hold and start growing. In humid conditions, the growth cycle can be greatly accelerated. In some cases, ductwork can get so infested with mold or mildew that only replacement makes sense.

But if you regularly clean and maintain your duct work, you should be able to avoid pricey replacements while keeping the growth of toxins at bay.
Reduce symptoms from allergies and asthma
Perhaps some members of your family are especially sensitive to allergies or even suffer from asthma or other breathing issues. If you have pets in your family, the dander, hair/fur, and dust they shed can exacerbate existing issues.

In the same way, air ducts that contain allergens (dust, debris, pet dander, pollen, mold spores, mildew, etc.) are likely to exacerbate any existing health conditions as toxin-filled air circulates throughout your home. Cleaning your vents regularly can reduce sick time, doctor bills, personal illness and discomfort, and more.
Prolong the life of your HVAC system
Over time, your air ducts create their own inner lining of dust, debris, and toxins, which are then circulated and re-circulated throughout your home, causing your HVAC system to work harder than it needs, to heat and cool your home.

The dirtier your ductwork system becomes, the harder your HVAC unit must work to push air through the ducts and keep it circulating evenly throughout your home. Your HVAC system motor will experience less wear and tear if its work is made easier by clean ducts.

Regular preventative maintenance is less pricey by far than having to replace your HVAC unit prematurely.
Save on monthly costs
If the presence of dirt, debris, rodents, or toxins is causing your HVAC unit to work harder than it was designed to work, this will also cause the unit to draw more power to keep doing its job. This cycle will drive up your monthly utility costs, especially in temperature extremes of hot and cold.

If you are noticing an upward creep in your energy usage and your monthly bill, dirty air ducts may be the reason.
Ensure your home is safe
Every year many homes catch fire because of debris that has collected in duct work. This tragic situation can be avoided by simply ensuring your home’s ducts are cleaned and maintained as needed.

The risk grows exponentially if you have an older HVAC unit and you also use propane or other fuels to run your furnace, stove, fireplace, or portable heating units. When debris comes in contact with any of these appliances or devices, fire risk increases accordingly. A simple air duct cleaning can drastically reduce your risk and also assess your home for any other existing HVAC-related fire risks.

How Duct Cleaning Works

When you contract Northern Energy Systems Inc. to clean your air ducts, it is important to know what will be done during the cleaning. Only a thorough cleaning will prevent contaminants from spreading throughout your whole duct system again. With a professional duct cleaning job, each of the following will receive an inspection and thorough cleaning:

Step 1: Inspect the ducts
A simple, visual inspection of the ducts leading to the return and supply registers is important.

This is an opportunity for our technician to check the ductwork for leaks or, in the case of flexible ducts, kinks. Northern Energy Systems Inc. can also make repairs and replace damaged ductwork.

Step 2: Create negative pressure
Northern Energy Systems Inc. uses a truck-mounted vacuum collection device to suck dust and debris out of your ductwork. However, before turning on the suction and scrubbing the ducts, we must perform a few preliminary steps.

First, we must hook the vacuum collection device’s large hose to a duct close to the air handler—the heart of your HVAC system.

Next, we will seal each register with an adhesive cover. This is an important step because even an extremely powerful vacuum collection device will be ineffective if the registers in each room of the house are uncovered.
Once we finish these preparatory steps, we will turn on the vacuum unit. This step creates negative pressure, and particles inside the ductwork will be sucked into the collection device as they’re brushed or blown loose.

Step 3: Agitate the dust
Once the system is under negative pressure, we will uncover each register and clean the ducts one by one.
In addition to the above, Northern Energy Systems Inc. uses rotating brushes, compressed air tools, and simple vacuum cleaners to ensure dust is dislodged and sucked into the vacuum collection device.

Step 4 (Optional): BENEFECT sanitizing and disinfectant
Benefect is an antimicrobial cleaning product used for a variety of purposes. Its main job is to disinfect surfaces that have been affected by mold, water damage, or circumstances prone to the presence of harmful bacteria. It can also be used for, you guessed it, cleaning and disinfecting the air ducts of your HVAC system! A thorough duct cleaning doesn’t only entail removing dust and visible mold from the interior surfaces, it also requires a thorough and safe disinfecting process. Benefect spray is one tool that is great for helping Northern Energy Systems Inc. keep ducts sanitary.

Benefect is unique in that it’s comprised entirely of botanical ingredients. The ingredient that does most of the work in disinfecting surfaces is actually an essential oil extracted from thyme plants, which the herb itself uses as a defense mechanism against bacteria. Benefect has been developed from this substance to get rid of 99.99% of bacteria without any of the toxicity or other drawbacks that come from more aggressive synthetic cleaning chemicals.

Knowing that the quality of your air is improved by your HVAC system is one thing. Ensuring that the system is kept clean in total safety is even better!