Duct Cleaning in Pell City, AL
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What five months of heat does to your ducts
Your furnace runs November through March here, and most St. Clair County homes are the kind that stay put for years, owned rather than rented, so whatever settles in the ductwork settles in for good. Every time the system kicks on, it pulls household dust, pet hair, and whatever else is circulating through the same runs of duct, and over years that builds into a layer along the inside that the moving air can't clear on its own.
The county has seen 60 damaging wind events and a handful of winter storms over the past ten years, and storms like that knock out power. When the furnace stops and starts back up around an outage, it stirs up whatever has settled in the ducts instead of moving air through cleanly. A duct system carrying that kind of buildup makes the furnace push harder to heat the same rooms, and it puts more of what's built up in there into the air you're breathing.
- 5 months
- November through March, your furnace pushes air through your ducts
- 5 months
- May through September, your air conditioner does the same
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- How often should air ducts be cleaned?
- Most homes do fine with duct cleaning every three to five years. Homes with pets, a recent renovation, or someone with allergies may need it more often. If you're seeing dust settle again soon after you clean, or a musty smell when the furnace kicks on, that's a sign to move the timeline up.
- Is air duct cleaning worth it?
- It's worth it when there's a real reason behind it, like dust that keeps coming back, a smell coming through the vents, or work that opened up the ductwork recently. It won't lower your heating bills or fix a furnace that's struggling, so it's not a substitute for furnace service. A contractor can look at your ducts and tell you honestly whether cleaning will help your situation.
- What does air duct cleaning involve?
- A contractor connects a vacuum system to your ductwork, then uses brushes or air tools to knock loose dust and debris from inside the ducts while the vacuum pulls it out. Every supply and return vent in the house gets opened and cleaned, along with the main trunk lines. Some will also clean the blower and coil if they're part of the same air path.