Why duct cleaning?

The first U.S. Government-sponsored study to investigate the cleaning of heating and air conditioning systems was concluded last summer in North Carolina. It was conducted under a cooperative research and development agreement between the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA), the study demonstrated that commercially available cleaning equipment and standard industry methods are extremely effective in reducing contaminant levels within residential ventilation systems.

Industry suppliers donated the equipment used in the study, among them was the General, manufactured by Meyer Machine & Equipment, Inc. Of Antioch,Illinois. This was the primary vacuum device used in seven of the nine homes cleaned under the pilot research program.

Engineered to overcome high static pressure losses (24" H20 static capability). The General is capable of moving air at 5,250 cubic feet per minute.

Overall, homes studied showed a reduction in duct dust mass of 93.6%. In the homes cleaned using the General as the vacuum collector, duct dust mass reduction was measured at 96.7%. Duct dust mass includes the weight of dust within both supply and return ducts. Measurements were taken using integrated sampling methods developed by the EPA specifically for determining dust concentration levels on duct surfaces.

According to the final report issued by the EPA, "visual inspection indicated that the dust and debris were effectively removed. Dust samples collected...after cleaning ranged from 0.06 to 1.97 grams per square meter." To put it into perspective, for every square meter of duct surface the amount of debris remaining after cleaning weighed less than a paper clip.

In addition to greatly reducing contaminant levels, cleaning also resulted in increased air flow within the homes studied. " supply air flows increased between 4 to 32% at eight houses," reports the final EPA study.

More than a powerful vacuum is needed to clean ventilation systems. Techniques and equipment to agitate debris stuck to duct surfaces is equally important. One unexpected finding of the EPA study was that a combination of both brushing duct surfaces and air washing them with compressed air renders the cleanest surface. According to the final EPA report, " Brushing followed by airwashing removed substantially more (debris).

The General air duct cleaning system uses a vacuum, coupled with a 12.5 hp air compressor with attached patented " Hurricane Whip System," is the most thorough way to agitate and remove dust and debris from your air ducts.

Dust Mites

Did you know that as many as 1,000 dust mites can live in approximately half of a teaspoon of dust! That same amount of dust contains 250,000 of their fecal pellets. The Dust Mite is an arachnid, a direct relative of the Spider. dust Mites are microscopic and invisible to the naked eye. They are found in virtually all homes, no matter how clean you keep them. They live in dust that collects in upholstery, bedding, linens, carpets, furniture, and any crack or crevice that is hard to reach in daily cleaning. A ten year old pillows weight may consist of fifteen percent Dust Mites and their fecal matter.

The Dust Mite feeds on our dead skin cells, which makes up about eighty pecent of our house dust. They also need water vapor, which they get from us when we perspire and breathe. In one night we produce about one pint.

A dust mite will produce two hundred times its weight in fecal matter in its short lifespan. Considering that there are millions of dust mites in your bedroom, there is vast amounts of fecal matter on our beds. With these kind of levels, Dust Mite sensitive people will experience problems as a direct result of this.

With results showing that most people toss and turn around sixty to seventy times during a nights sleep. Everytime you move and agitate the dust Mites and their fecal matter they are expelled into the air. With the fact that research shows that airborn allergens can stay airborn for up to two hours, Dust Mites and their fecal matter are easily inhaled into our airways and can cause allergic reactions. Certain syptoms could be wheezing, coughing, sniffles, itchy eyes, and in more serious cases, asthma, eczema, and allergic Rhinitis.

A dust mites reaches full maturity from an egg in just three to four weeks. The lifespan of an adult Dust Mite is just six weeks. During that time the females can produce fourty to eighty eggs.

The dust mite themselves is not the cause of the health problems, its the alergens in the fecal matter they leave behind.

Studies show that with a regular cleaning of your homes heating and air conditioning duct system, you can significantly reduce the amount of Dust Mites and there fecal matter in your home, thus reducing the amount of bacteria and alergens in your home. Call today for a professional air duct cleaning! (301) 884-3767.