Alliance Air Quality Services - Professional Duct Cleaning in Charleston and surrounding areas
allianceairqualityservices.com provides quality duct cleaning in Charleston and surrounding areas at reasonable prices
FAQ
- How can I tell if my HVAC-System needs to be cleaned?
- Look for dirt and dust visible on supply and return registers or a shadow on ceilings or walls surrounding the vents. Presence of these contaminants is an indication for the need of duct cleaning.
- Odd smells, such as wet dirt, moldy odors, or “dirty socks” can point to a dirty air handler or open ductwork. If you dust your furniture and the dust reappears the next day, you can benefit from this service.
- I have an allergy sufferer in my home. Will having my system cleaned help?
- If your home or office is a problem area for that person, they might be sensitive to contaminants in the HVAC system. Often a dirty air handler is the culprit. A system inspection can pinpoint the problem and determine what corrective steps are required.
- How often should I have my HVAC-System cleaned?
- Typically, a residential system in good condition with proper filters in place should stay clean for three to five years. Office or work-space systems with high traffic or unusual conditions may require cleaning in as little as one to two years.
- There are many variables affecting how quickly a system returns to a dirty state after cleaning. System age and condition, structural tightness of the space, traffic in and out of the home or office, and proper filter usage are just a few examples. The correct cleaning process and proper filter usage net the best results.
- What should a complete service include?
- All ductwork cleaned while under negative pressure from a separate recovery unit (not a vacuum cleaner).
- While under a negative pressure, all ductwork (not just the branch runs) should be cleaned with some type of agitator, preferably with the help of compressed air.
- The air handler should be cleaned completely. Attention should be paid to individual components, i.e. the blower, evaporator coil, and drain pan.
- How can I tell if I'm talking to a competent contractor?
- The representative should be able to answer your questions in detail, without making vague references to numbers and pet names for procedures. You cannot correctly clean a duct system by simply connecting a recovery unit to it or by fogging it with chemical agents. Also, be wary of sales pitches touting whole-system sanitizing or coating ducts internally to seal contaminants in place. These are not proven procedures and should raise suspicion on your part.
- How much time will the job take and how much will it cost?
- A single system in an average home (1-2,000 square feet) should take two technicians a minimum of four hours in a small home or apartment to six or more hours in a larger one. The price will range from $500 to $1,000, depending on system size, services offered, or if any repairs are needed. Most first-time customers are amazed at the amount of energy and time it takes to do this work correctly.
- Multi-system homes or businesses require more time and are priced according to size and conditions.
Glossary of Terms
- AHU
- air-handling unit
- air wash
- a method of cleaning surfaces with high-pressure air in areas where aggressive mechanical agitation is not viable
- air-handling unit
- an assembly of equipment (typically fans, coils, and sometimes filters) for the treatment of air so as to control simultaneously its temperature, humidity, cleanliness, and distribution to meet the requirements of a conditioned space.
- air handler
- see air-handling unit
- boot
- often referred to as the vent, is the area behind a supply register where air enters the occupied space; typically located in the ceiling or floor
- branch runs
- smaller portion of the duct system connecting the trunk to the supply vents
- diffuser
- see register
- duct cleaning
- see Alliance Air Quality Services!
- evaporator coil
- also an indoor coil; a device that is designed to absorb heat in the air in order to change the liquid refrigerant that flows through it into a vapor
- flex duct
- a resilient, round, inner-air tube wrapped with fibrous glass insulation and sheathed with an outer jacket
- grille
- a flat square or rectangular inlet generally made of metal and used at the entrance of an HVAC system to direct air into the return; often houses the air filter
- HVAC
- Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning
- hard-pipe duct
- round, galvanized-metal material used to construct trunks and runs in an HVAC system
- main duct
- see trunk
- mastic
- a pasty material used to seal gaps in ductwork; also used to seal insulation
- media
- the fine material of a filter that traps dirt, dust, mildew or bacteria
- NADCA
- National Air Duct Cleaners Association; a non-profit association who publishes standards and guidelines for the duct-cleaning industry
- negative pressure
- reverse movement of air in a duct system acting as a vehicle for source removal
- package(d) unit
- a heating and cooling system contained in one outdoor unit
- plenum
- an enclosed space in an HVAC system that houses the air before it is forced through the coil; the plenum is usually located behind the filters or sometimes attached to the AHU
- recovery unit
- machine used to create a negative pressure in ductwork and to collect and control the spread of contaminants dislodged during the cleaning process
- register
- a circular, square, or rectangular air-distribution outlet generally made of metal and used at the exit-end of an HVAC system to release, regulate, and direct air flow; usually located in the ceiling or floor
- return-side ductwork
- the portion of the ductwork where air is directed to the AHU to be sent back through the system
- source removal
- mechanical cleaning of system components to remove dirt and debris
- split system
- an outdoor unit combined with an indoor unit; typically a condensing unit and an air-handler
- supply-side ductwork
- the portion of the ductwork that delivers conditioned air to the occupied space
- supply runs
- see branch runs
- trunk
- larger portion of the duct system that is located between the AHU and branch runs
- vacuum collector
- see recovery unit
- vent boot
- see boot
