There are many reasons to clean the duct in your house. When ducts are tidy, the heating unit lasts longer (because there is less dirt breaking its parts), we dust less typically, and the air we breathe in your home is cleaner. For those of us with allergies, this should be a welcome enhancement.
Most likely you don't own a high-powered, truck-mounted vacuum system with 150 foot-hoses; perhaps you can't afford the expense of such service. However I am going to tell you how you can clean air ducts yourself. Sure, you will not have the ability to reach every nook and cranny, but you can still eliminate roughly 85% of the dust in your system without investing anymore than the cost of your new heater filter.
There are lots of different designs of duct systems, such as attic systems and underground systems, but the theory of cleaning up these systems is the exact same. You may not be able to gain access to all parts of these systems (for instance, underground ducts), but you can make a difference in your air quality by cleaning up the parts of the system that you can reach.
Prior to we begin, check out this video of what one of those high-powered, truck-mounted vacuum systems appears like at work on a quite overlooked duct system.
2. Turn on fan. You desire the fan running while you are cleaning up, to move the dust along that you are going to loosen with your banging and brushing. Set the thermostat to "fan on," and turned off the "heat/cool" mode so that just the fan is running. If you don't have a fan-only option, you can run the heat, or you may take this chance to install a newer thermostat with this handy choice.
3. Inspect filter. Make sure your old heater filter remains in place, so that the dust you knock loose doesn't wind up getting pulled into the fan motor.
4. Loosen dust in ducts. Knock loose any buildup of dust in the duct. Just take the handle of your brush and begin tapping on any available duct work you have in the basement. This will help separate any deposits of dampened dust that might have stuck to the within the duct.
5. Tidy supply registers. Now you can start purging the dust in your supply registers. With the vacuum running and the end of the tube near the register, lift the register. Use the tube to capture any dust that is being pushed out by the fan, and continue to sweep as far into the register's piping as your pipe can reach. Use your brush to scuff loose any built up dust in the register.
As you go through your house sweeping out the supply registers, you can get rid of and deal with the paper towels you've put in location. 6. Clean return air registers. Purge your return air registers. These will likely be fastened with a screw and need your tool to remove them. Once again, brush and sweep as far back into the register piping or cavity as you can. 7. Shut down fan and heating system. Shut the fan off at the thermostat and the power off to the furnace by means of the service switch or breaker panel. Do not just shut down the thermostat, since that doesn't switch off the power to the system.
8. Clean out blower compartment and return air boot. With the power off, you can get rid of the panels on the front of the heating system and access the blower compartment and the return air read more boot. Utilize your vacuum to sweep up the dust developed in the blower compartment and return air boot. This is where the great bulk of your dust will be. Considering that you're in here, you need to clean up the furnace fan too.
Have an appearance at the detailed post (with photos) I composed, How to Clean a Heating System Fan for a guide on doing this. 9. Replace heater filter. Buying a better filter will certainly cut down on the dust in your house. But the better the filter, the more frequently you ought to alter it; a filthy filter restricts the air flow to the fan, which results in the blower motor running hotter and lowering its life expectancy. How typically you must change your filter depends upon your home, your family pets, and your place.