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A metal HVAC air handler with attached flexible and rigid ductwork installed in an unfinished attic with exposed wooden rafters and fiberglass insulation.

Duct Cleaning in Herndon, VA

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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
A flexible silver HVAC duct connects to a metal air handler unit mounted in an insulated attic with exposed wooden rafters and a circular gable vent.

Seven months of heat pushes whatever is in your ducts through the house

Your furnace runs from October through April here, close to seven months a year. Each time it kicks on, air moves through the ductwork, and whatever has settled in there moves with it, into the rooms you're heating.

That buildup does not clear itself out. It sits in the ducts between heating cycles and gets pushed through again the next time the furnace fires, on the next cold night and the one after that.

7 months
October through April, your furnace pushes air through your ducts
4 months
June through September, your air conditioner does the same
Isometric cutaway illustration of a gray house showing interior rooms with furniture and a network of round ductwork connected to a mechanical unit.
Your ducts carry heat October through April and cooled air June through September.

NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals

How often should air ducts be cleaned?
There is no fixed schedule that fits every home. If anyone in the house has allergies, or you had work done that left drywall dust or debris in the ducts, cleaning them makes sense sooner rather than later. Homes with pets or a recent renovation tend to need it more often than one without either. A contractor can look inside the ducts and tell you whether yours need it now or can wait.
Is air duct cleaning worth it?
It depends on what is actually in the ducts. If you can see dust coming out of the vents, or a room never seems to get the air it should, cleaning them clears the path and lets your furnace and air conditioner move air the way they were built to. If the ducts look fine and the house is not unusually dusty, there may be nothing to gain. A contractor can look inside the ducts with a camera and tell you which case you are in.
What does air duct cleaning involve?
A technician connects a vacuum system to the ductwork, then agitates the inside of each duct to knock dust and debris loose so it can be pulled out. Every supply and return vent in the house gets cleaned this way, along with the main trunk lines. The coil and blower housing on your furnace or air handler often get cleaned at the same time, since dust collects there too.
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