$49 Air Duct Cleaning Scam – Think You’re Getting a Good Deal on Air Duct Cleaning?
You’ve seen the coupons. They come in household coupon packs or with store credit card bills. “Whole house cleaning” specials for what it would cost to go to a nice dinner and a movie. Don’t be fooled. Remember, air duct cleaning is not something that is cheap and quick.
Let’s consider a company 1 hour away. Let’s also consider they are using “high-tech tools” and two “certified” employees with pay rates at $12 hourly. One last assumption: their $49 special takes 1.5 hours for a small ranch-style home. Remember, this is the company’s cost of doing business, not your cost of service.
| Expense | Cost |
|---|---|
| Travel time to and back (1hr) | $48 |
| Time spent on job (1.5hr) | $36 |
| Fuel for Vehicle | $26 |
| Materials (Patches) | $10 |
| Total | $120 |
There’s no magic process or super-duper labor-saving machines available that can make air duct cleaning a lower-cost service than carpet cleaning. A rotating brush on a plug-in vacuum cleaner hose or a “multi-motor HEPA vacuum” can’t effectively remove dust, wood, nails, and debris accumulated throughout an air duct system. A HEPA vacuum requires slow-moving air to filter correctly, which means they are not as powerful as some companies want you to believe.
The Real Cost of Quality Air Duct Cleaning
Estimations based on per-vent counts can never truly determine the scope of a job. Every home is different. Some have multiple systems, multiple zones, and various ductwork configurations. Many cheap service providers fail to ask the right questions before offering a quote, such as:
- How will they access the units?
- What about the main trunk duct system?
- If the basement is finished, how will they clean the sealed-up trunk line?
- What about painted-on floor, wall, or ceiling registers?
Duct systems in a home are extensive and take considerable effort and time to clean properly. An average home (1,500 sqft) has enough inside duct surface area to equal a typical bedroom.
The Truth About Air Duct Contaminants
An average home has around 20 lbs of building debris within the ductwork. This debris typically consists of pieces of wood, nails, and sheetrock mud left over from home construction, plus the additional accumulation of dust clinging to these pieces. Ask yourself:
- How can a shop vacuum be powerful enough to pull a piece of wood up a duct?
- How can these cleaners be removing contaminants by only making 1” holes in your main ductwork lines?
At Armstrong Duct & Vent, we cut 12”x12” access points every 15 feet in your main duct lines to properly clean and inspect them. This allows us to accommodate our vacuum hose, high-pressure air, and power cleaning tools. We also install airtight access panels that are guaranteed for future maintenance.
Investigate Before You Invest
Armstrong urges you to research before hiring an air duct cleaner. Check out your local BBB, and inquire about a company’s status. Research unbiased air duct cleaning websites such as NADCA and EPA, and never trust a cleaner proposing to spray chemicals in your ducts. It’s the air you breathe.
Contact Armstrong Duct & Vent Today
At Armstrong Duct & Vent, we provide honest, professional air duct cleaning services across New England. Don’t fall for the $49 air duct cleaning scam! Call us today at 603-627-7016 or visit our contact page. We look forward to serving you!
