Curious if the benefits of air duct cleaning are worth the price?
It is understood that air duct cleaning isn’t a cheap procedure, but is it worth the price? The prevailing benefits of air duct cleaning include an increase in air-flow efficiency and improved life-time of HVAC equipment. This means you will spend less in the long-term on energy bills and HVAC system repair. A thorough air duct cleaning will pay for itself while also improving the airflow balance of your home and decreasing the amount of dust that comes from the ducts and settles on furniture. So air duct cleaning is worth it – if you hire the right company.
How does one identify the “right company” for air duct cleaning? Due to the nature of air duct cleaning as a service, it can be difficult for the average homeowner to directly see the improvements, so there is a justified skepticism when homeowners are told that an area of their home that they have never seen was dirty before the service and is now clean.
If you think you’ve found a cheap air duct cleaning, do your research into the business. If a business quotes an air duct cleaning to be less than $300, there will usually be one of two catches: either the price will increase after the service begins or the service isn’t a complete air duct cleaning.
A reputable air duct cleaning company will send a National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) Certified technician who can give you a firm price before they begin working and will spend 2-4 hours in multiple areas of your home. A less competent air duct cleaner will not be NADCA certified, will only spend around an hour, charge more than what you were initially quoted, or will just be a person with a portable shop-vac. Like most products and services, you get what you pay for.
If you are having a lot of home maintenance done, particles like carpet fibers, drywall, saw dust, etc. will end up in your home’s air and air ducts. Because air ducts are out of sight and difficult to access, they should be the last step of your home maintenance projects.
To maintain the benefits of air duct cleaning, it is recommended you have them cleaned every 3-5 years. This will depend on how many people live in the home, if any residents have asthma, the number of pets in the home, recent construction projects, and other factors like fire or water damage.
When gathering information to set up an air duct cleaning, be sure to ask about the technician’s certifications. Make sure the business is registered, insured and see if it has a good or bad reputation online. A little extra research on your part could save you from wasting money on an inadequate service.
If you live in Michigan, Safety King, Inc. is the most reputable air duct cleaning company around! Safety King has 49 years of experience in the duct cleaning industry and has been training other duct cleaners internationally since 1985. Safety King’s founder is also one of the founding members of NADCA and Safety King has a NADCA certified technician on every jobsite. Safety King also provides complimentary before & after pictures so you can see exactly what you are paying for. If you live outside of Michigan, you can go to NADCA.com to find a certified duct cleaner near you.
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