Duct Cleaning in Memphis, TN
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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Five months of heating, same ducts the whole time
Your furnace runs from November through March here, five months a year. On the nights that average 34°F, it cycles on and off for hours at a stretch, and every cycle pulls air through the same trunk lines and out into the rooms you're heating.
Whatever settles in the ductwork during one heating season is still there when the next one starts. Dust, pet hair, and debris that collect in the lines get pushed back into the house each time the furnace runs, and that keeps building for as long as the ducts go uncleaned.
- 5 months
- November through March, your furnace pushes air through your ducts
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner does the same
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NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- How often should air ducts be cleaned?
- There's no fixed schedule that fits every home. Clean them when there's a reason, like new allergy symptoms, a musty smell when the system kicks on, or dust visibly blowing out of the vents. A remodel that filled the ducts with drywall dust is another good reason. Ducts that are clean and dry don't need attention just because time has passed.
- Is air duct cleaning worth it?
- It's worth it when there's a real reason behind it, not on a fixed schedule. Dust blowing out of the vents, a musty smell when the system kicks on, or recent work that opened up the ducts are all good reasons. Cleaning ducts that are already in decent shape won't lower your energy bills or stop colds, so it's not something to do just because time has passed.
- What does air duct cleaning involve?
- A contractor connects a vacuum to your duct system and puts each supply and return line under negative pressure while brushing or air-whipping the inside walls to knock dust loose. That dust gets pulled into the vacuum instead of settling back into the ducts. The furnace or air handler, the coil, and the vent covers usually get cleaned too, since they collect the same dust.