My wife is insisting that we have our ducts cleaned and I am curious as
to how this is done. Do the workers snake brushes through the duct work
to loosen dust/gunk? How is the debris removed? The previous owner was a
smoker so should I be concerned about smokers gunk lining the duct work?
thanks, cj

On 10/16/2011 7:32 AM, cj wrote:
My wife is insisting that we have our ducts cleaned and I am curious as
to how this is done. Do the workers snake brushes through the duct work
to loosen dust/gunk? How is the debris removed? The previous owner was a
smoker so should I be concerned about smokers gunk lining the duct work?
thanks, cj

The professionals (i.e: Steamatic, Blackmon Mooring, etc.) will use a
"rattler". It is a device on a long stiff cord that can be pushed
through the duct work and bangs around on the sides to shake loosen
debris. The rattler is more like a black tennis ball than a brush. The
debris removal comes from a large vacuum attached to the registers.

I have always wanted to examine a section of duct before and after this
treatment to see how effective it is, but have never gone to the trouble
to do so. IOW, I am a bit suspicious about how well it works.

--
Robert Allison
New Braunfels, TX

cj wrote:

My wife is insisting that we have our ducts cleaned and I am curious
as to how this is done.

http://www.iapofva.com/images/washpost110305.pdf

http://magazine.angieslist.com/air-d...-cleaning.aspx

http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/mah...gemare_011.cfm

You should probably be asking yourself (or your wife) what you expect
the duct cleaning will actually accomplish - besides lightning your
wallet by about $500.

On Oct 16, 9:33*am, Home Guy wrote:
cj wrote:
My wife is insisting that we have our ducts cleaned and I am curious
as to how this is done.

http://www.iapofva.com/images/washpost110305.pdf

http://magazine.angieslist.com/air-d...es/air-duct-cl...

http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/mah...gemare_011.cfm

You should probably be asking yourself (or your wife) what you expect
the duct cleaning will actually accomplish - besides lightning your
wallet by about $500.

Yeah - If there is dirt in the ducts, it should either be blown out in
normal usage, or else it just sits there and does no harm, unless it
is moist and harbors growth stuff. But then you have a bigger
problem. If there is a smoke smell, then maybe cleaning is
worthwhile. Otherwise, unless you have filters on each air outlet, I
would expect some non-removed dirt to come out into the rooms when the
system is first turned back on after the"cleaning".

On 10/16/2011 8:32 AM, cj wrote:
My wife is insisting that we have our ducts cleaned and I am curious as
to how this is done. Do the workers snake brushes through the duct work
to loosen dust/gunk? How is the debris removed? The previous owner was a
smoker so should I be concerned about smokers gunk lining the duct work?
thanks, cj

Assuming you have kept up on the furnace filter changes, and have not
just sanded all the drywall in house with furnace running, main thing it
cleans is your wallet. Sure, dust and gunk builds up in there, just like
in the exhaust line from your dryer. But a month or two after they have
been cleaned, they will look just the same.

Having said that, aside from the money, it can't hurt anything, unless
they trash your grates, in-line dampers, or furnace plenum when they
cut an access hatch. They clean with big brushes (sometimes motorized)
and a monster exhaust fan. If she is insisting, you know how pointless
arguing is. Just for giggles, I'd do a few before and after swabs and
photos on your own, on biggest duct run you can get a good shot at.
Then do it again a month or two later, and lay all three baggied white
cloths and photos out side by side for her.

As to previous owner being a smoker- yes, the gunk they pull out will be
brown. If house still has that smoker smell, the cleaning may actually
help with that.

--
aem sends...

cj wrote:
My wife is insisting that we have our ducts cleaned and I am curious
as to how this is done. Do the workers snake brushes through the duct
work to loosen dust/gunk? How is the debris removed? The previous
owner was a smoker so should I be concerned about smokers gunk lining
the duct work? thanks, cj

Even the EPA questions duct cleaning.

http://epa.gov/iaq/pubs/airduct.html

On Oct 16, 7:32*am, cj wrote:
My wife is insisting that we have our ducts cleaned and I am curious as
to how this is done. Do the workers snake brushes through the duct work
to loosen dust/gunk? How is the debris removed? The previous owner was a
smoker so should I be concerned about smokers gunk lining the duct work?
thanks, cj


Some people see how much dust is in the cold air return ducts and
think that gets into the air coming out of the heat vents. That's what
the filter is for.

I've seen those commercials for air duct cleaning and the big pile of
dust they show that they cleaned out but I bet most of it is from the
cold air vents.

-C-

I've thought about having the ducts cleaned too. I have dust allergies and I assume some dust is being blown around by the blower through the vents. I guess my evidence is when I pull off a vent and swipe with a white tissue, I get a lot of dirt and dust. I would be curious to know how fast the dust returns once it has been cleaned? I would assume that if there is not filter over the cold air intake, the dust will be sucked right back into the system but then the furnace filter should catch that dust correct?

On Sunday, October 16, 2011 at 7:32:59 AM UTC-5, cj wrote:
My wife is insisting that we have our ducts cleaned and I am curious as
to how this is done. Do the workers snake brushes through the duct work
to loosen dust/gunk? How is the debris removed? The previous owner was a
smoker so should I be concerned about smokers gunk lining the duct work?
thanks, cj

The Horror of Blackmon Mooring Duct Cleaning Services
On the day of the service, I watched the two technicians fumble while trying to find tools and other items on their truck and explaining to me that they couldn't find the right tools or whips on the truck because it wasn't the truck they usually used. Later, while watching the technicians I became concerned with the process, which at that time they were only using a long ShopVac hose to remove the dust stirred up by the small whip. I called and talked with the service manager to make sure the proper cleaning protocol was being followed; prior to their visit I had researched best practices from professionals for using duct cleaning whips and centrifugal vacuums to properly evacuate dust and particles from solid HVAC ducts. I complained to the service manager and asked him why the crew wasn't using the centrifugal vacuum, a few minutes later the service manager called his crew, the crew finally brought out the large centrifugal vacuum to evacuate the dust. The technicians seemed a little aggravated that they had received a call from their supervisor.
In combination of spraying a chemical called Microban and maybe some other chemical not allowing the product to dry sufficiently, the product was blown throughout our home. I was then told I would have to leave the home for two hours after the treatment. When I returned, I noticed a strong smell in the home and a dusty, slightly oily feel to the furniture in my house, evidently the product was blown throughout our home that left an acidic chemical like odor on our furniture and walls.
We called Blackmon Mooring again to speak to the supervisor, at which time we we're told he was out of the office and would call us back. We did not hear from the supervisor for two more days after our call. After two days the smell had not dissipated and seemed to get stronger throughout our home, we were even noticing the smell on our clothing. We called Blackmon Mooring again and they (the general manager) told us they had never experienced any issues with the product they used and that the cause must be caused by something else. At this time we did not know what could be causing the issue but had decided that since Blackmon Mooring wasn't concerned with investigating the issue. Being told that the problem was not their responsibility and that it could not have been caused by the treatment Blackmon Mooring did, we set off to find other reasons for the odor. All-Mold Pro later informed us that the problem was due to the moderate to high level of formaldehyde and acetone, probably caused by the Microban and gave us two solutions to remedy the situation, one was to continue cleaning the house as we had been doing, which also included raising the temperature of the house and opening the windows in hopes of performing a "Burnout" of what chemical smell there was, the second was also to have the house remediated with a product called MDF-500 by a professional which would cost $5000.00 - $10,000.00 dollars. We continued trying to clean the home on our own and performed the burnout process. During that period we had also tried to hire the services of Armstrong Forensics. After speaking on several occasions and divulging the name of the company "Blackmon Mooring" the individual chemist/doctor at their location and explaining the situation and the company responsible, we were told the company could not help us.
By this time my wife had started feeling dizzy, nauseous and forgetful and I noticed that when she walked through the house she appeared to be staggering, I had also begun to feel slightly disoriented. She and I had also started feeling a burning sensation, much like the kind you get when you have sunburn. After a couple of more weeks of cleaning the house in this fashion, my wife had built up such a sensitivity to whatever Blackmon Mooring sprayed into the house that she could not be in the house for more than 10-15 minutes without beginning to feel ill.
We then decided to forward our complaint to the Better Business Bureau of Arlington (the Joke). Soon after posting the complaint, the vice president of operations called me on my cell phone and had expressed a concern with the complaint with the BBB and had asked if they were some type of equable solution we could come to. After receiving the reports the vice president said that they had decided to handle the complaint through the BBB and their insurance company, AIG.
We are now back in our home after 4 months and spending thousands of dollars to save our home, much of our personal belongings are gone, what we have been able to save has cost us dearly and the company Blackmon Mooring has yet to accept responsibility for the mishandling of the product.
Additionally my wife and I have become highly sensitive to chemicals scents and odors.