The average national cost to clean ducts & vents is $339, with most homeowners spending between $242 and $438. This data is based on actual project costs as reported by HomeAdvisor members.Did you know that cleaning your ducts and vents can help airflow and increase energy efficiency? According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), duct and vent cleaning can increase energy efficiency and indoor air quality. While the cost to clean ducts and vents might sound high, the benefits to homeowners–especially those sensitive to allergens–is worth considering. What is Air Duct & Vent Cleaning?When a professional cleaner comes into your home to clean air ducts and vents, that means they will clean all the different elements in the HVAC system, including the supply and return air ducts, grilles, diffusers, exchangers, heating & cooling coils, drip pans, fans and the air handling unit. When these aren't properly maintained, they can build up dust, pollen and even mold. This means when the air conditioner or heater turns on, the spores are released into the air for you to ingest.

While some are less harmful, people who have allergies or sensitivity to certain spores will react negatively. Plus, mold is just dangerous for anyone to ingest and should be avoided by regularly duct and vent cleaning.home central air conditioner freonDo Ducts & Vents Need Cleaning?armstrong hvac package unit In most modern homes with up-to-date heating and air conditioning systems, filters are changed regularly through the year, so you may not even need to have your ducts and vents cleaned. sears 2 ton ac unitHowever, keep your eyes open for the accumulation of dust, dirt and mold. If you see it despite regularly changing your filters it could be an indication you need your ducts cleaned. One of the best ways to know if your ducts or vents need to be cleaned is to just check them.

Your eyes will be able to check for indications of mold, dust or pollen buildup in the ducts and vents. You might also be able to smell the presence of mold, which would be a clear indicator there is some in the ducts or vents. Ductwork will have some buildup of dust, since the return registrars pull air back in. However this doesn't mean your ducts have too much debris, and you can easily clean them with a duster or vacuum. If you do have children or spouses who suffer from allergies or reactions to the air turning on, it might be an indication there is something in the ducts and vents making them react. They should speak with their doctors and then get a heating and cooling professional out if it is recommended that airborne pathogens are the cause of their reaction.Here are some clear signs that you might need ducts or vents cleaned: Insulated air ducts get and cannot be cleaned.Recurring mold growthDucts have rats or other vermin crawling in them or their droppings.Ductwork clogged with dust or debris that can be seen in the airVisible mold inside the ducts or ventsRecent constructionCan You DIY Duct & Vent Cleaning?

A do-it-yourself approach will only really scratch the surface, as it is hard to reach some of the ventilation running underneath the floor or into the wall. Although it may help in clearing some of the dust and debris, you really need a professional cleaner to guarantee your system is truly cleaned out. A proper duct and ventilation cleaning procedure uses a powerful vacuum system with multi-brush attachments designed to loosen debris and feed it into the suction. Particles are then blown outside of the house or passed through a HEPA filter inside.If you want to get some of the dust and debris out of your ventilation system, you can mix household cleaners like bleach with water, dip a cloth in the mix and then the clean out the system. This will remove a layer of the spores, which could increase the quality of air a bit and help with the flow of air throughout the house until a professional cleaner can come out. What Professional Duct & Vent Cleaning EntailsProfessional air duct and vent cleaning involves getting the dust and debris outside, so they use outdoor ventilation equipment.

It is so important that homeowners make sure the professional is using good equipment then, as they could otherwise spread the spores into the home and further agitate sensitive family members. In the case of mold, a cleaner will only be able to tell you it is there, followed by needing an additional mold professional to come out and test or remove the mold. Air duct cleaning industry does not require state licensing in many states, so make sure to check for a company with references. Removing dust and debris from ventilation might require the professional getting down on the floor if you have floor vents, so be sure to speak with them about your furniture and other valuables near the vents to avoid any damages or problems. Your air conditioner does two jobs: It cools down the air and it dehumidifies the air. If you live in a dry climate, you want the AC to dehumidify as little as possible because it uses extra energy and makes you spend more on lip balm and hand lotion. If you live in a humid climate, you really want it to do that second job as well as it can to keep your indoor air dry and comfortable.

But where does all that condensate go? In most homes, it goes outdoors through a pipe, like the one above. Sometimes there's a little pump that pumps it out, but most often it drains by gravity alone. Occasionally that condensate line gets clogged. This happened at my condo last week. (We live in Atlanta, Georgia, a mixed-humid climate.) Gunk in the pipe built up to the point where it was barely draining. We could run the AC for a little while and then we'd have to turn it off again. This past weekend I tackled the problem. One of the best ways to do so is with good old air pressure. If you can close off all escape routes except the one in the direction of the clog, you can shoot positive pressure into the pipe near where the indoor unit is located. That should blow the clog out the other end. In our case, that wasn't an option because our condensate line is connected to our upstairs neighbor's air conditioner, too. So I got out my little wet-dry shop vac and set it up to suck the gunk out at the end of the pipe.

The photo below shows the setup. I was hoping to avoid a trip to the hardware store, so I used red duct tape to try to make an airtight connection between the shop vac hose and the condensate line. I took the shop vac hose with me to the store and bought some fittings in the plumbing department. I hooked it all up (photo above) and got a nice, airtight connection this time. With the taped connection, I got maybe half a cup of water out of the pipe. With the airtight connection, I got the bucket full of crud you see below. If you really want to see how bad it was, watch the short video below and you can see my wife pouring it out. Yes, all that gunk was in our condensate line. One problem with condensate lines is that algae can grow in them. In our case, there's also a lot of sediment in that bucket, possibly from a corroded evaporator coil. We replaced our AC in 2009 and the condensate line hasn't been cleaned since then, so some of that crud could have been from our old unit.