How to Clean Air Ducts in 6 Easy Steps
Your air duct should be kept clean to sustain the HVAC system’s and the home’s functionality. As time passes, the ducts collect dust, hair, or other debris and build mold if moisture flows through.
Insects and rodents can also disrupt your HVAC system, leading to poor indoor air quality. This guide will teach you how to clean air ducts quickly and effectively in six simple steps.
What Are Air Ducts?
Air Ducts are a series of pipes that work as pathways through which hot or cold air moves to different parts of your house via the HVAC system. They can be rectangular or round and constructed from metal, fiberglass, or plastic.
Bigger ducts are usually found in the basement or up and down a house, while smaller ones wind their way through the walls, floors, and ceilings.
Ducts are of two types:
- SUPPLY DUCTS: These ducts carry cooled air from your HVAC system to the rooms.
- Return Ducts: These ducts return air to the HVAC system.
What You’ll Need
- Equipment / Tools
- Screwdriver
- Shop vac with extension hose
- Dryer vent cleaning brush
- Cleaning brush extension pole
- Nylon bristle brush
- Electric drill
- Flashlight
- Materials
- Dish soap
- Duct tape
- Replacement HVAC filter
How to Clean Air Ducts in 6 Simple Steps
HVAC maintenance expert Kassidy Barber said, “Air duct cleaning averages five to seven hours for most homes. To help speed things along, remove furniture around your corresponding vents before starting the process.
Remove the Air Duct Covers
To begin, turn off your HVAC system at the thermostat or circuit breaker to prevent dust from accidentally adhering to your interior. Then, take away the supply and bring back the vent grills. Others can be held into place with screws, and these will require a screwdriver or drill.
Supply and Return Grilles –Adult cleaning process.
Use warm, soapy water or a soft nylon brush to remove dirt inside the grilles. Large grilles can also be cleaned in the sink or hosed off outside. After cleaning, leave them to dry.
Inspect the Air Ducts
Connect the extension pole to the air duct cleaning brush and shine a flashlight into the air duct. Teeducts will also allow you to determine the size and orientation of the duct, as some ducts can take different routes.
Loosen Air Duct Debris
Guide the grease duct cleaning brush and extension pole up the length of the duct until only about a foot of the pole remains outside. Use the one with an extension pole that can attach to a drill to rotate the brush.
If not, rotate the brush manually. Gradually remove the pole to shake off dirt and dust. Repeat this process for every branch if there is a tee in the duct.
Clean the Air Duct
Vacuum up the loosened debris with a shop vacuum. Fit the extension hose in the top of the vac, secure it with duct tape, and feed it to the duct.
Start the vacuum and pull the hose back out slowly, moving it in circles for a more thorough cleaning. Do this for each duct in your home.
Turn On the HVAC System
Once clean, reinsert the grilles and run your HVAC system for 20 minutes to half an hour. This will help catch the rest of the debris in your filter. Then, put the new filter back and turn the system on again.
When to clean the air ducts?
A government study by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) found no hard evidence that cleaning air ducts prevents health problems. Research also has not concluded that unclean air ducts raise dust levels in homes.
This is because a great deal of the dust in ducts adheres to dusty duct surfaces and rarely becomes airborne, where residents can inhale it. However, if you notice, you need to clean your air ducts.
When the ducts are clean, your HVAC system’s efficiency and indoor air quality increase. Clean air creates a cleaner living environment.
These six simple steps for clean air ducts will help ensure that your HVAC system works more smoothly and efficiently, delivering cleaner air into your home.
