Duct Cleaning in Cambridge, MA
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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Eight months of heating pushes air through your ducts
Your furnace runs from October through May here, close to eight months of the year. On the cold nights, down near 19°F, it cycles on and off for hours at a stretch, and every cycle pulls air through the same ductwork. Dust, pet hair, and the fine debris that settles in a house get drawn in and carried along with it.
That buildup thins out the airflow the furnace is pushing. Rooms farther from the unit end up getting less heat for the same run time, and the furnace has to work longer to make up for it.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace pushes air through your ducts
- 2 months
- July through August, your air conditioner does the same
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NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- How often should air ducts be cleaned?
- There's no fixed schedule that fits every house. Most homes go a good while between cleanings unless something changes, like new allergies showing up, a renovation that kicked dust into the system, pets shedding into the returns, or water getting into the ductwork at some point. A contractor can look inside your ducts and tell you whether what's built up in there is worth clearing out now or can wait.
- Is air duct cleaning worth it?
- It depends on what's actually in your ducts. If dust is visibly blowing out of the vents, or nobody can remember the last time they were cleaned, clearing them out gets rid of what's accumulated and takes some strain off your furnace and air conditioner. If they were cleaned recently and nothing's changed, you likely don't need it again yet. A contractor can look at your system and tell you what's really in there before you spend money on it.
- What does air duct cleaning involve?
- A contractor uses brushes and a vacuum system to loosen and pull out the dust and debris sitting in your ductwork. They'll go through the supply and return ducts, the vent covers, and usually the coil and blower area near your furnace or air handler, since buildup there affects airflow too. The point is to clear out what's collected so the air moving through your house isn't picking up dust on the way.