Duct Cleaning in Virginia Beach, VA
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Six months of heat pushes air through ducts that rarely get checked
Your ducts run heat through the house from November through April, six months a year. On the cold nights in that stretch, averaging 35°F, the system cycles on and off for hours at a stretch, pushing air through the same ductwork night after night. Dust and debris settle in the runs during the months the system sits idle, then get stirred up again once the weather turns and the furnace starts pulling air through them.
Virginia Beach also sees its share of wind and winter storms, and storm damage that cuts power can force a duct system to sit unused for a stretch, then restart. That kind of interruption gives dust and debris more time to settle before the air starts moving through the ducts again.
- 6 months
- November through April, 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?
- There's no fixed number of years that fits every home. Ducts collect dust and pet hair the whole time the system runs, so a house with pets or anyone with allergies will need it sooner than one without. A good sign it's time is dust settling back on vent covers within days of cleaning, or dust you can see just inside the vent itself. A contractor can look at your ducts and tell you where you stand.
- Is air duct cleaning worth it?
- It's worth it when there's a real reason behind it, not as routine upkeep. A vent blowing out visible dust, signs of rodents in the ductwork, or drywall dust left over from a renovation are all reasons cleaning solves an actual problem. Without one of those signs, the difference it makes to the air in a typical home is small. Ask a contractor to look at the actual ducts before deciding.
- What does air duct cleaning involve?
- A contractor connects a vacuum to the ductwork, then uses brushes or air tools to knock dust and debris loose from inside the duct walls so it can be pulled out through the vacuum. Every supply and return vent gets cleaned this way, along with the main trunk lines. The furnace or air handler and the coil usually get cleaned too, since dust settles there as well.