Heating Ducts Cleaning
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Air duct cleaning
Feb 2013
We really need to get our air ducts cleaned, and I would
love a recommendation on a service somewhere between the
apparent scam mail-coupon companies ($49!) and the high-end
environmental companies (minimum $650). From what I've read,
the coupon companies should definitely be avoided, but we
were hoping to find something a bit more affordable, if it
exists. Most of the postings here are several years old --
has anyone had this done more recently and have a
recommendation to share? Thanks! jillian
We used AJ Services (http://www.ajservicesllc.com/) in June
2011 and were very pleased. The tech actually spotted a
leak in one flue and jury-rigged a fix until we could get it
fixed properly. Highly recommend.
We recently used The Irish Sweep on two dryers, at two
different locations. One was very simple, the other more
complicated as it was difficult to get access to the tube.
The owner came with an assistant. They were quick and
cleaned up afterward. Paid $180 total. Greta
Dryer Duct Cleaning
Sept 2011
Does anyone know what happened to the Lint Extractors
company? Their phone number has been 'temporarily
disconnected' for quite some time. Failing that, does
anyone know of another company that provides a similar
service (cleaning out backed up dryer lint from the piping)
in the East Bay? thank you! Claire
Lint Extractors came to my home about a month ago. They
left quite a few deep, fresh scratches in my expensive
linoleum, the width of my dryer legs, sold me an expensive
brush for lint that is cumbersome at best, and I have no
improved heat inefficiency in my dryer even after they
charged me for replacing some of the ducting. I called and
talked to Kim who said Steve would get back to me and come
look at the damage. He never did, and a few days later
their line was disconnected. Scratched floors
Looking for air and dryer vent cleaning
Sept 2011
Looking for air duct and dryer vent cleaning recommendation.
All I can find are lots of bad review on Yelp. Thanks!
anon.
I purchased a Living Social deal a couple of months ago for
Fresh Environment, and was pleased with the results. Our
house was built in 1923, so needless to say the ducts were
pretty scary when we moved in 2 years ago.
I found their customer service to be excellent, the
technicians called when they were on the way, and although
they did the predictable upsell when they got to my house,
they didn't press the issue when I said I was going to stick
with the basic service. We can all really tell the
difference since the cleaning was done! The air flow is
much more powerful, and the air quality is a zillion times
improved.
The only thing that annoyed me was that I made a point of
telling them that our cat does NOT go outside, and to please
let me know when they needed access to our bedroom so I
could put her in another closed room. This didn't happen,
and I got royally scratched catching my terrified cat as she
tried to bolt out the back door.
If you're interested, feel free to email me and I'm happy to
give you the name of the specific technician who performed
the service for us (I'm sure they have many). Cara
Duct cleaning
April 2010
We need someone to clean the duct that runs from the dryer
to the outside, as it's very long. We may as well get our
heating ducts cleaned, too. Can you recommend someone who
will get the job done, at a reasonable price, and won't try
to upsell a new furnace, etc?
Thanks!
Yucky Ducts
i didn't get the dryer vent cleaned, but i got our house
ducts cleaned by Atlas Heating and Air Conditioning Co in
oakland 3 months ago - 510-893-1343. there are several
companies that advertise for $75 in valu-pak mailings, but i
opted to go with a recommended company via BPN. i think it
cost $235 and took about 90 minutes.
melvin from atlas arrived with a big truck that sucks out
the dust while he went around with a blower on each register
to ''push'' the dust out. (btw, he'll drill a large hole by
the furnace where he attaches a hose to his truck, then
cover that hole with sheetmetal.
and wow, our furnace worked better and cleaner, as i am very
sensitive to irritants. also, melvin NEVER tried to sell me
anything. just did the job, then left. even wore booties
over his workboots while walking around the house. though
many people wouldn't have noticed any difference, it was to
me. in fact, i might hire them again soon because it seems
like our neighbors' massive amount of second-hand smoke from
the one party they had may have infiltrated our system - i
knew i should've changed the filter which was very dirty,
only after 2+ months, sigh...
clean duct fan
Air Duct Cleaning for Allergies
Aug 2009
My 12 year old son has severe allergies. Testing showed that the
primary irritant is dust mites. We have covered the mattress and
pillows as recommended and run a hepa filter in his room. But I'm
wondering if having our air ducts cleaned would be helpful or cause more
problems? I have noticed ''stuff'' coming out of the air duct in our
bathroom which looks like insulation that we had blown into our attic
many years ago. Why would that be coming out? It is even coming out
when we are not running the heat or fan. Has anyone had their air ducts
cleaned/vacuumed out? What were your results? Would you recommend for
or against it? Any recommendations for companies who do this kind of thing?
B
While I don't about the dust mite situation, I do know that having our
ducts cleaned somewhat regularly has made a HUGE difference in our house.
My whole family has allergies of some sort (dust, pollen, etc.), and our
allergy attacks have been reduced since we started getting our ducts
cleaned. We use Atlas, which is an air and heating company. Most of the
companies that install and repair HVAC equip also do duct cleaning.
Want to g et our ducts cleaned before winter
Sept 2008
We want to have our air ducts cleaned before winter when we turn on our heater.
We
received an estimate from COIT, figuring they were a reputable company, but had
a
horrendous experience with them cleaning our drapes. I wouldn't trust COIT to
do
anything in our home. Can anyone recommend a good company?
Janet
Disclosure: I'm in the heating and air conditioning business.
We don't do duct cleaning, so this shouldn't be a conflict of
interest.
Most duct cleaning companies do a terrible job. Either they
have the wrong equipment, poorly trained technicians, little
integrity, or the work is a pretext to get in your house and
sell you additional services. One company (who will remain
unnamed) has a policy of condemning any furnace over 8 years
old. I recommend that you find a vendor who isn't in the
heating business. Coit is one possibility, I've heard about 80
percent positive on them. My favorite is Synergy Environmental
Services who also do asbestos abatement and don't sell furnaces
or repairs.
Berkeley Choate
Oct 2006
We have lived in our 1920's house for about 7 years, and I
would finally like to have the (forced air) heating air ducts
cleaned. My husband thinks this is unnecessary; that Coit and
others who try to sell us on this don't do anything that
frequently-replaced furnace filters couldn't clean. Can anyone
set one of us straight? The only thing I like less than a dusty
house is spending money superfluously!
anon
I would say, yes, you need air duct cleaning. We lived in our house about 6 years
before we had it done, and I could totally tell the difference in air quality
afterward. I'm
pretty sure your heater will run more effeciently if the ducts are clean, too. There
will
be less dust and dirt restricting the air flow
On cleaning the air ducts. We just had our old metal ducts
(covered in asbestos) removed and replaced with new flexible
ones (that are actually quite light & delicate- seemed to me) by
Harry Clark Heating Co. I talked wth the workman who was very
conscientious and he said they actually recommend putting in new
ducts when you need to clean, not hiring Coit, etc....Paying to
clean them is just not going to be as thorough as you might
like. The asbestos removal was done by Synergy Companies in
Hayward - rec. by HC and then 3 days later the duct
installation. This winter our house will smell so much better!
The East Bay Monthly had an article about furnace
work/contractors Oct.or Nov. 2006 so look for it
contented customer
Jan 2003
We just finished some remodeling and turned on the heat for
the first time this season. The result was a lot of dust and who
knows what else coming out. Can anyone recommend a
company that
cleans heating ducts? Thanks!
Ebba
I am looking into having the ducts and furnace cleaned. My
wife has been having allergies all winter. WE have called
a few places so far and the quotes are about $400-425 for
the ''1st 10 ducts.'' I have heard that there are many
unscrupulous cleaners out there and you have to watch them
to make sure they do the job. Any suggestions/advice would
be greatly appreciated.
adrian
We just had our heater ducts cleaned today by Atlas.
This is the second time we've hired them to do this job,
and they are great! They come when they say they will,
within a 30 minute window, are clean (the workman wears
booties so as not to track dirt around), and it is as
painless as such a project can be! It cost $175 (we have a
fairly large house) and took about and hour and a half.
They also inspect your furnace, change the filters, etc. I
highly recommend them.
Judy
Nov. 1999
I had mine done last year by the company with the big ads,
and it was a great success. Got rid of a lot of dust and musty smell. The
guy even tried, for free, to fix a part that was almost broken. And he
charged me less than the advertised price for some reason. I was really
happy with the results. This isn't the same as having your furnace checked
out, which you should also do once in a while.
I just had an estimate done from Freschi Air Systems 800-794-2653. I
originally saw the full page ad but I always check the Better Business Bureau
and ValueStar before I contract with a service person. Apparently there is a
big difference between the $79.00 full page ads and a full service cleaning.
The lower price cleaners basically use a shop-vac and take about an hour. A
more extensive clean takes uses a larger suction system cleaning system and
thoroughly cleans out each register. It runs about $500 depending on the
size of the house but my neighbor and I are both getting it done so they
dropped the price to 409.00. It will take them about 4 hours to do each
house and they recommended the cleaning every 10 years for normal dust areas.
You can look into you heating vents with a flashlight and see for yourself
the amount of dust in your system.
We, too, saw the ad in the paper for the bargain duct cleaners, but
something about it rubbed us the wrong way. Coincidently, friends had just
had their ducts cleaned by Atlas Heating and Air Conditioning Co. They were
charged a flat rate of, I think, $160, and were satisfied, so we called
them. They charged us the same for our two bedroom house with six or seven
vents, came on time, were very neat, and we are happy. Their number is
893-1343.
We had one company come to our house and clean our ducts--it's probably the
one whose ad you saw. (They run full-page ads all the time.) They were very
neat and polite. We have hardwood floors and didn't want them clomping their
equipment around on it, and they were very careful not to. They did try to
sell us special air filters and spray for killing bacteria in your duct, but
they weren't hard-sell and we didn't buy anything.
There was one small mishap--the guy accidently dropped an irreplacable duct
cover screw down a duct. He graciously and patiently waited while my husband
and I went through the contents of his vacuum cleaner looking for it (to no
avail).
this page was last updated: Feb 14, 2013
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