Had our HVAC service today and they’re recommending duct cleaning and related stuff.
How do you tell what’s really needed vs. them just trying to make some $?
They’re offering several packages:
I am a very long way from an expert on this, so my ignorant and offhand opinion is don’t get it unless you have identified a specific problem with your ductwork. Lived in Michigan with forced air heat & A/C for about 30 years in my various houses. Lived here in dusty NM for 25 years with evaporative coolers using ducts (radiant heat, no ducts). In all those years, I’ve never had the ducts cleaned. I have heard that it may help someone with serious allergy problems who is having an issue indoors.
1 Like
We definitely have a dog hair issue, but luckily no allergies, and I doubt ductwork would fix that. Just a change in dogs, which isn’t imminent.
My only related issue is the lint and my subsequent sneezing due to my wife’s handling, measuring, cutting and weaving miles of yarn.
It would seem to me that home owner could pull off a register and peer in. If you see lots of dirt and little tin, then go for it. One would think that “service” man would have shown you pitchers.
Of course they might not be of your ducts, like the time an unscrupulous car mechanic brought out air filter with dog food on it and told late wife that a rodent had gotten in…
I’m not sure if the worth the money but I had mine cleaned and sealed. I will say the house smelled a lot better. The air felt cleaner and my air purifier didn’t run as often.
I had a similar experience a couple years back. A guy changing my oil at a jiffy lube came to me with a beat-up cabin filter with dead bugs in it and looked like a mouse had been chewing on it. I told him no, don’t change it, I have one at home and I’ll take care of it.
I went by a NAPA store and picked one up (at half the Jiffy Lube price) on the way home, and when I pulled the old one, guess what? … no bugs and not chewed on.
That’s like the garage guy who uses an oil can to squirt on a shock. Then says: “Your shocks are leaking”. How can these slime balls sleep at night?
About the HVAC, that’s why you change your filter every 3 months. In 2 weeks I’ll be changing my 20 X 20.
Several years ago I went to get my car inspected at the place I always went and trusted. They were out of inspection stickers. I went ti a local mom and pop and they gave me a laundry list of stuff I needed done. I went back to my place to have it done and they looked at the list like it was written in Greek, they asked my why I didn’t come there and I told them I did, they had new stickers and gave me an inspection for free.
Long, long time ago, before everything was computerized, would be able to buy the stickers on the “Black market”.
This topic was automatically closed 7 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.