What Level of Air Duct Cleaning Is Right For You?
Posted by Peter Haugen on Thu, May 26, 2011 @ 07:47 AM
You will encounter many different types of ductwork (supply, return, exhaust, metal, flex, lined, duct board, etc.) as you offer your air duct cleaning services. You have a choice of many different types of air duct cleaning tools to use to clean this wide variety of ductwork. But since no one cleaning tool can clean every type of ductwork how do you decide? A good approach is to ask yourself what level of cleaning results do you want achieve?
Let’s look at the three widely accepted levels of cleaning the various cleaning tools deliver:
Level 3 - Air Washing: Air washing is the use of high-pressure air that comes from the air compressor through an air hose to an air nozzle. This air nozzle delivers streams of high-pressure air, which dislodges the accumulated dirt and debris found in the duct. Common air washing tools include:
- Forward skipper lines
- Reverse skipper lines
- Blow guns
Level 2 – Air Whipping: Air whipping is the combination of air washing (high-pressure air) with some agitation from the whip(s). The high pressure of the air and whipping action dislodge the accumulated dirt and debris found in the duct. Air whips achieve a higher level of cleaning than air washing because they add some agitation. Common air whipping tools include:
- Single whip systems
- Tri whip systems
- Eight whip systems
Level 1 – Brushing: Brushing (both manual and powered systems) makes physical contact with the interior surface of the duct. This brushing action effectively dislodges the accumulated dirt and debris found in the ductwork. Bushing achieves a higher level of cleaning than both air washing and air whipping because it makes more contact with the interior of the ductworks. Common brushing tools include:
- Manual brush systems
- Drill driven flexible cable systems
- Drill driven solid core cable systems
- Pneumatic driven brushing systems
- Electric long reach cable brush systems
- Electric robotic systems with brushing capability
Level 1 – Contact vacuuming: Contact vacuuming makes physical contact with the interior surface of the duct. This contact vacuuming action effectively dislodges the accumulated dirt and debris found in the ductwork. Contact vacuuming achieves a higher level of cleaning than both air washing and air whips because it makes more contact with the interior of the ductwork. Common contact vacuuming tools include:
- Wet/dry HEPA filtered vacuums
Most air duct cleaning contractors are trying to achieve a “visibly clean” standard. You can achieve the visibly clean standard with all three levels of cleaning tools depending on the type of ductwork and the amount/condition of the accumulated dirt & debris.
What is your favorite cleaning tool and why?
If you have any questions or want additional information on cleaning tools and levels of cleaning see our - Selecting the right cleaning tool for the job guide. Or call me at 800-597-3955 or 952-808-1619.