Duct Cleaning in DeKalb, IL
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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
Eight months of heating pushes air through your ducts
Your furnace runs October through May here. On winter nights that average 17°F, it cycles on and off for hours at a stretch, and every cycle pushes air through the same ductwork. Dust and the fine debris that settles in a house get pulled through and pushed back out, load after load, for eight months straight.
DeKalb County has also seen 17 winter storms and 105 damaging wind events over the past ten years. Storms like that can knock out power, and when the furnace stops and starts back up, it stirs up whatever has settled in the ducts since the last cycle.
- 8 months
- October through May, your furnace pushes air through your ducts
- 3 months
- June 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 home, a contractor can tell you by looking inside the ductwork. If anyone in the house has allergies, or you just finished a remodel that kicked up drywall dust, get it checked sooner. Homes with pets or a smoker inside also tend to need it more often. Look at the vent covers themselves, if dust is building up on them or blowing out when the blower kicks on, that's your sign regardless of how long it's been since the last cleaning.
- Is air duct cleaning worth it?
- It's worth it if your ducts actually have a problem, dust, pet hair, debris, or signs of rodents or mold. It won't fix an allergy problem on its own and it won't lower your heating bill the way some ads claim. What it does is stop buildup from blowing back into the rooms every time the furnace or air conditioner runs. A contractor can look at your ductwork and tell you whether there's enough buildup to make it worth doing.
- What does air duct cleaning involve?
- A contractor connects a vacuum system to your ductwork and uses brushes or air tools to knock loose dust and debris, then pulls it out through the vacuum. This covers the supply and return ducts, the grilles, and usually the coil and blower housing near the furnace. The filter gets replaced or cleaned since it catches whatever gets stirred up during the job. Afterward the vents should run cleaner air without visible dust kicking out when the system starts.