| FAQ's
Q. Why do heating and ventilation systems need cleaning?
A. Dust is made up of dirt, pollen, mold spores, hair and other allergy causing
particles all of which get drawn into your HVAC system. As much as 90% of these particles pass through your filter and will accumulate on the the blower motor and the fan blades (reducing the air flow) as well as inside of your duct work, on the grills, and back into your home. The build-up of dust can cause allergic reactions for allergy sufferers, and leave your house with a stale and musty odour.
Q. How do I know my system needs to be cleaned?
A. Take a moment to ask yourself these questions:
Does anyone in your family suffer from headaches, nasal congestion or sinus problems?
Is there a smoker in the house or has a smoker ever lived in your home?
Do you have dogs, cats or other pets or have pet owners ever lived in your home?
Does your furniture get dusty again shortly after it has been cleaned?
Is your furnace equipped only with a standard throw-away fibreglass filter?
Is your furnace fan set run continuously?
Does it seem like there is not enough air flow coming from your vents?
If you answered YES to any of the above questions, then it may be time to consider having your furnace & air duct system professionally cleaned! Air ducts are the respiratory system for your home and over time, dirt, dust, pollen, debris, tobacco smoke, animal hair/dander and other contaminants can accumulate inside the furnace and the duct work. Dirty ducts can also become an ideal breeding ground for mold spores, mildew, bacteria, and other potentially harmful bio-pollutants which can pass easily through the furnace filter and into the air, you and your family breathe.
Q. What should be cleaned?
A. To properly clean your heating & ventilation system all components should be cleaned at the same time. This includes heat exchanger, fan, motor and lower compartment as well as hot air branch runs main trunks and all cold air return ducts. The fan and motor should be removed to be thoroughly cleaned. If any part of the system is not cleaned dirt and debris left behind will contaminate the parts that have been cleaned.
Consumer Alert
The gas safety act prohibits anyone from servicing, removing, replacing, re-installing or altering any component of a gas fire appliance unless the technician holds a current certificate of competency issued by the provincial gas safety branch. Anyone having a furnace serviced or cleaned should ask to see the technicians gas safety branch license.
Q. How is it done?
To protect your home we use shoe covers, drop sheets and corner guards
1. Complete Pre-inspection which includes a pre-test of the heating system.
2. Remove the fan and motor from the furnace.
3. Cut a hole in the plenum just above the heat exchanger and place a piece of foam to seal off the airflow below and protect the heat exchanger.
4. Insert the eight inch vacuum hose into the hole and connect the other end to our Power-Vac Unit. This unit produces a suction (also called a “negative air flow”) of 10,500 cubic feet per minute.
5. Cover all the hot air vents to achieve maximum suction and a thorough cleaning.
6. Clean each individual duct by blowing compressed air at 220 pounds per square inch (PSI) into the duct and using specialized rods with agitation devices on the end to loosen, dislodge and blow all the dust and debris towards the vacuum hose and into the truck.
7. Clean the main plenum with other specialized cleaning tools which we feed through 1 inch access holes. Move the vacuum hose over to the cold air return plenum and repeat this process on that side.
8. After cleaning the hot and cold air ducts and plenums we remove the piece of foam and clean the outside of the heat exchanger and surrounding housing.
9. Clean the furnace components: the burners, pilot light assembly, inside the heat exchanger, inside the fan and motor housing and all electrical components.
10. Move the vacuum hose outside the home to clean the fan and motor as this part is usually very dusty and dirty.
11. Re-assemble everything, seal up all access holes and put in a new filter.
12. Test run the furnace to ensure everything is running properly.
13. The average job takes 2 ˝ to 4 hours (larger homes may take longer).
14. We perform a carbon monoxide & gas leak test.
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