How to Choose the Right Air Duct Cleaning Company
The lifespan of your duct system largely depends on who maintains it. Lately, many companies have been offering duct cleaning services at an extremely low price that is hard to resist. The catch is that there’s more to receiving a service at an affordable price.
Getting quality service doesn’t just relieve you of future stress; it also assures you that you’ll be using your system for a long time. Good service usually costs a lot, so if the price is too good to be true, it probably is.
In this article, we’ll discuss what to look out for when choosing a duct cleaning company, red flags to look for when hiring one, and important questions to ask your duct specialists.
Key Takeaways
- Quality duct cleaning ensures better HVAC performance, reduces future costs, and improves indoor air quality.
- Prioritize companies with experience, NADCA certification, insurance coverage, skilled personnel, thorough cleaning processes, and advanced equipment.
- Verify experience, certifications, insurance, references, and whether they clean the entire air duct system per NADCA standards.
- Beware of extremely low pricing, sudden mold claims, unverified credentials, and poor customer reviews.
- You can get the best air duct cleaning services on Ties360. Get your air duct assessed and cleaned by highly experienced and professional experts with industry certifications. Get a customized quote today!
Key traits of a good air duct cleaning company
When choosing a duct cleaning company, certain details should be of prime concern. These details form the most important aspects of the company’s service that will affect you.
Here are some traits you should look out for:
Experience and reputation
Look for companies with a proven track record of service. Experience is important as it shows that the company has done various aspects of the job and is familiar with different duct cleaning scenarios. You can trust the company to handle certain unexpected challenges.
Professional certifications
It’s important to make sure that the duct cleaning service you choose is certified by the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) or the Indoor Air Quality Association (IAQA). This would show that the company complies with the highest standards of service. Certified professionals are trained to use the latest equipment and measures, so you have properly cleaned ducts.
Insurance coverage
Business insurance helps professionals protect themselves from the issues that can arise in the course of working in a customer’s home, like property damage, medical expenses, legal fees, and commercial or personal harm. These scenarios can happen when the ducts are being cleaned and people trip over equipment wires, leading to serious injuries. If the company you patronized does not have insurance, you may end up paying for all of the damages. A reputable duct cleaning company will have liability insurance and will be happy to show you proof.
Expert personnel
It is important to know how the company vets the personnel cleaning your ducts. Research employees’ backgrounds, drug tests, and other safety precautions. You should also make sure that you know how skilled they are in handling ducts.
Thorough processes
Duct cleaning companies must address all areas of your duct as directed by the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA). To make sure processes are thorough, the entire system is to be subjected to negative pressure before they give quotes to customers and not before. A good way to know you’re dealing with a good duct cleaning company is that they will do a full-on inspection before sending you quotes. This means they properly understand the nature of your system’s issues and will be able to draft a proper, custom estimate to match up to the service rather than a random estimate that can lead to poor-quality work.
Professional website
A good air duct cleaning company has a professional website where customers can book appointments or get estimates for the service they are looking for. Companies that care about their businesses should have regularly updated websites. Customers expect this because it gives them a sense of safety and offers the company some legitimacy. The website should be easy to navigate so customers can find all they are looking for at a glance.
Customized solutions
A professional duct cleaning company should provide a customized and detailed plan based on your issues. They can arrive at this by inspecting your system, cleaning the components, and preventing future problems. For example, depending on the issue, they should be able to determine whether antimicrobial treatments are needed.
Advanced equipment and techniques
Reputable duct cleaning services use specialized work tools like HEPA filters, high-powered vacuums, and rotary brushes. Make sure to work with a company that is skilled in using such equipment. It will help the work move faster, and you will be left with a better HVAC system performance. Such equipment does a more thorough job and will remove not just visible debris but microscopic contaminants.
Great customer reviews
Customer reviews depict the true condition of a duct cleaning company’s services. There’s no better way to tell how good their services are than to get past customers’ point of view of the company. As already stated, a good and reputable business should have a professional website packed with positive reviews from customers. Companies with a long track record of great service speak volumes about the company’s procedures, staff conduct, and results.
5 questions to ask your air duct cleaning company
We have compiled a list of five important questions to ask before taking the next steps with a duct cleaning company.
1. How long has your company been in business?
A company that has been in the duct cleaning business for a long time shows trustworthiness and experience. Such a company will likely have highly trained technicians as employees. Their continued existence shows that customers are satisfied with their service and trust that they will do a good job.
2. Is your company NADCA-certified?
The NADCA is an organization that sets the standards for duct cleaning companies by educating them and providing them with certifications that depict the highest quality of skill, as well as ethical HVAC practises. The company you choose must have this in their bag of achievements.
3. Can your company provide proof of insurance?
A credible company should be able to prove to you that in the case of any liabilities while working in your home, they have insurance coverage to bear the loss or liability. It is not worth it to hire a company that cannot show you that they have insurance. A professional air duct cleaning company will be more than happy to give you all the proof you need.
4. Do you have references?
When hiring an air duct cleaning company, it is important to ask for references or customer reviews. What customers have to say about a company can tell how trustworthy it is. You can also find out how they handle negative responses to show how much they care about customer feedback.
5. Will my air duct system be completely cleaned?
According to the NADCA standards, your entire system should be placed under negative pressure to clean it properly. Before hiring the company, you should make sure that they will clean your system, which includes your air conditioner, furnace, return, and supply air ducts. Some companies only address a part of your system, which can lead to problems later.
Red flags to spot when hiring an air duct cleaning company
Here are some red flags to look out for when you’re looking to hire an air duct cleaning company:
Very low pricing
When the price seems too good to be true, it probably is. Cleaning your air ducts requires a skilled professional, high-powered equipment, and time. When prices seem significantly lower than the normal industry prices, you should be worried. Low prices can indicate low-quality service or a potential for hidden fees.
Sudden mold claims
‘Sudden mold claims’ mean more cost, as antimicrobials will need to be added for a more thorough cleaning session. When there are these surprise claims, it is a red flag. The key to this is knowing what constitutes mold and how you can identify it. Ask for the company to show you where it is, or better yet, invite another company to look at it to verify.
Unverified credentials
Professional air duct cleaning companies are expected to have NADCA certificates. It’s important to run a background check on these companies to ensure that they are certified. The NADCA certification proves that they are trained and able to deliver high-quality service.
Bad customer service
Reviews never lie, as customers are always inclined to say how they feel about a product or service. You can get all the details you need about a duct cleaning company from the reviews. Bad reviews show that they are untrustworthy, do not deliver advertised services, or do low-quality work.
Wrapping Up
Choosing a good air duct cleaning company is important, and you must be careful when making your selection. With our list of carefully researched questions to ask before hiring and the key traits to look out for, you would agree with us that we meet those needs and more.
Ties360 is committed to providing you with quality indoor air through our highly trained professionals, who are dedicated to perfecting the art and science of indoor air quality. We have over 20 years of experience and a team of NADCA-certified experts committed to giving you fresher air.
