We had a new HVAC system installed a couple of years ago and the techs keep pushing duct/system cleaning when they come out for periodic check ups on the system. They’ve shown me pics, I assume they are really of my system, and they do indeed show dust / etc. Is this a legit need? I have an electrician HVAC tech for a neighbor that works for this outfits biggest competitor. I think I’ll ask him what they would charge as well.

I would not only not do the cleaning, I'd ditch the periodic checks by techs and just change the filters myself.

There is very little to service/checking to do as long as the system is functioning and installed correctly.

If the ducts are new, then no you don't need it. If they are old and you've been in the house for years, then yes.

I'd say they always need at least 1 good cleaning after the first 10 years and then it depends on who's in the house and what you think got down the ducts.

We found all kinds of junk from the builders when we did ours.

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Originally posted by 220-9er:
I would not only not do the cleaning, I'd ditch the periodic checks by techs and just change the filters myself.

There is very little to service/checking to do as long as the system is functioning and installed correctly.

Careful with that…

Many warranties require yearly service or repairs will be denied.

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Originally posted by Patriot:
Many warranties require yearly service or repairs will be denied.

I knew there had to be some kind of catch with these home warranties.

They flushed and steamed the ducts aboard one ship I was on. Black shit ran down to a collection point…..the corpsman said,” no wonder everyone is sick”.

Ship was built in 1983. The cleaning occurred in 1999.

But my question OP, are the ducts hard (made of metal)? If it’s plastic tube with insulation and plastic on the exterior, how are they gonna clean it?

quote:

Originally posted by Patriot:

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:
I would not only not do the cleaning, I'd ditch the periodic checks by techs and just change the filters myself.

There is very little to service/checking to do as long as the system is functioning and installed correctly.

Careful with that…

Many warranties require yearly service or repairs will be denied.

I had a new system including ductwork installed 18mths ago.. by getting the companys biannual checkup, if any issue arises, all labor and service call costs are covered for the factory's 12yr parts warranty

in my old house I had the metal ducts cleaned as I moved in, it was amazing the amount of dust, dog hair, cat hair, etc etc came out of them. I'm happy it was done

HVAC ducts shouldn't need frequent cleaning if you're replacing your intake filters regularly, but be sure to clean out your dryer vent duct every year or two.

If your dryer vents out a short horizontal run (as is best practice), it's simple to do it yourself with a shop vac. That's what I did at my last house.

If it's a longer run, or vents out the roof, it may be worth paying a duct cleaner to do it. My recent roof vent cleaning cost a little over $100, and I think that was worth it not to have to climb on my steep roof.

If you have pets, particularly dogs that shed, duct cleaning can be a good thing, particularly if you notice your furnace filters getting dirty quickly. That was our situation; our GSDs shed like a hurricane on a tin roof and I was shocked at how much hair and gook came out of our ducts when we had them cleaned a few years ago. Based on what we learned and saw then, we're planning to have our ducts cleaned about every 5 to six years.

quote:

Originally posted by Patriot:

quote:

Originally posted by 220-9er:
I would not only not do the cleaning, I'd ditch the periodic checks by techs and just change the filters myself.

There is very little to service/checking to do as long as the system is functioning and installed correctly.

Careful with that…

Many warranties require yearly service or repairs will be denied.

220-9er is absolutely correct with his post.

As far as the second goes, there's no requirement for proof of maintenance and never saw a factory warrantee denied.

If you happen to be referring to home warranty companies, well, they're a sham from the first word out of their mouth.

When I had the furnace replaced, I tried to look at the main plenum. There is some debris in there. The installers were able to reach a clump which turned out to be the installation directions to the original 1979 furnace. The air returns are where most of the gunk is. They are flex duct though
You could try a smaller diameter shop vac hose though the floor vents and see what you get

Our house was about 30 years old when we purchased it. It has 2 of the dual-fuel gas pack type heat pumps that sit outside the crawl space. All metal ductwork but the end that connects to the unit is technically outside the crawl space. We had both checked and there was mold on the supply side where it comes out of the unit, probably from the condensation off the AC.

We had all the ducts cleaned and coated for the mold and it was amazing the crap that was in there. Our house is all one level but it is setup differently so that the big unit has the main supply duct that is about 80 feet long in a straight line and the ducts going to the rooms come off of it. Over the years before we owned the house there was some critters in there, acorns, sticks, plastic army men, dog hair and a long-dead, >10 yrs, chipmunk.

We were glad we did it and we should not need to do it again unless something gets inside the ductwork.

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Originally posted by Excam_Man:
If you happen to be referring to home warranty companies, well, they're a sham from the first word out of their mouth.

Are they? Honestly, I don't know. What's the story?

Needless to say, I don't have one of these warranties.

My house has metal ducting, it's an early forced air system circa 1951

My air returns seem like they need cleaning and I've been meaning to do this since we bought the place 5 years ago, but I recently had an opportunity to stick my hand inside a main trunk duct while I was sealing up a hole left by a louvered vent I removed. The vent was in the basement and I noticed it leaked cooled and warmed air into an area we don't need cooled or heated so I took it out and sealed it with a piece of sheet metal.

Stuck my arm way in and expected it to come back full of dust and gunk like my returns seem to have and was surprised that it was nearly as clean in there as the day it was installed in 1951!

The high school I attended sold elevator keys to the freshman so they could skip the stairs. Only problem was there was no elevator in the building. The cleaning is a sham in most instances.

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Originally posted by StarTraveler:
If you have pets, particularly dogs that shed, ...

Or cats.

We had duct work replaced in the Man Cave That Is To Be in order to raise the ceiling. When they pulled the old duct work out I was appalled at the layer of crap that was in there--particularly the cold air return duct. I'm talking a half-inch deep. No kidding.

We had the duct work cleaned. We will get it done again in another year or two.

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Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
The cleaning is a sham in most instances.

Not in our case, it wasn't.

Interesting comments. I’m not dealing with a “home warranty”, so that’s a non starter. My HVAC system, which is new… well 2-3 years old…is under warranty as you’d expect. I don’t pay for system checks in the spring or fall so no issue there either.

Our house was built on 2005 and far as I know the ductwork has not been touched. We’ve been here 10 years and have not had it cleaned. Dryer vent has been serviced and blown out.

Only reason I ask is cause I don’t know if it’s a legit issue. I can see it being a sales pitch, but there probably comes a point when it *should* be done, no? We do have two very big dogs as well. I typically change the systems filter (which is a big one) every 3-4 months.

I have an electronic air filter supplemented by changeable filters.

As far as home warranties go, I had one come with the house, which I bought in January of 2018. In Feb, when the temperature hovered round ten degrees, a heat unit went out. The contract repair man came out and declared the unit had been improperly repaired and the warranty was void. I dug out the packet the prior owner had given me, and the SAME COMPANY had done the "improper" repair. I ended up paying my own way, and was so angry I filed a complaint with the realtor who facilitated the sale. They got me a refund for the amount of the warranty, rather than face civil litigation.

Funny, the warranty man couldn't come out for three days, but the guy I paid came in an hour and had the whole system replaced in 3 hours.

quote:

quote:
Originally posted by ZSMICHAEL:
The cleaning is a sham in most instances.
Not in our case, it wasn't.

^^^^^^^
I have all ceramic tile and no pets so in my case not needed. I do have the coils cleaned and the indoor unit cleaned as well, but not the duct work.

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Originally posted by parabellum:
Are they? Honestly, I don't know. What's the story?
Needless to say, I don't have one of these warranties.

Warranty companies like to paint a pretty picture too collect premiums.
Then play games when it comes time to repair/replace the equipment.

Most have no network of service providers. They simply call companies after you make a claim.
Calling until they get someone who will say they can be there today. Getting you a hack in the industry.
I know of no reputable company who will work for these people.

They'll pay $100 to multiple companies who condemn a piece of equipment. Trying to find someone who will hack it together. Before making any large payout for repair/replacement. All while leaving you with a non working system.

Since they get the "lowest service provider", you're almost guaranteed to end up with a mess. Shoddy workmanship, code violations, crappy/hacked in service technics that only a chimp would perform. Many times leaving behind a dangerous situation.
Ex.
Loose hose clamps, leaking condensate or flue gases (Carbon Monoxide).
Taping PVC piping together with electrical tape.
Not tightening piping, unscrew it 1/6 of a turn and the pipe falls out (water heater, safety relief piping).
Bypassed temperature or rollout safeties.
Replacing pressure switches with ones having the wrong pressure ratings.
Knocking out site glasses on furnaces and water heaters, bypassing the sealed combustion safety system.
Improper flue venting (or loose/leaking), again Carbon Monoxide hazard.

The list of no-fucking-way-you-have-to-be-crazy ideas from these techs is unlimited.

When you get to the point of needing a new system, they'll delay, postpone and do anything to get out of doing a job properly.
Hoping you'll get tired and frustrated enough to hire/pay for your own company to make said repairs.

Some companies will try and tell the service provider what they are allowed for service rates and parts markup. Basically, you'll do me a favor and this is all you're going to charge me! They don't care if you make a profit, they just want the customer to go away, with costing them as little as possible.

They will send out letters to providers stating you have been selected to do the job (as well, with other listed companies), making it look like you're already in contract with them and are ready to provide service. When you've never been in contact with them. Remember, I stated mail, so meantime, your system isn't working.

Or send a text requesting/asking you to provide service to their unfortunate customer.

Comes down to time and money.
Can you get there TODAY and be the CHEAPEST?
That never translates to quality, lasting service, or one which provides comfort and safety.

We could talk for a month and never run out of good content.

Simply put, my feelings towards these people are the same as yours are towards the scammers who infest the forum.