Air Duct Cleaning

Real Clean Environmental • September 6, 2022

Air duct cleaning is the process of removing contaminates located inside your ventilation system. While regular air filter changes help to reduce the contaminates you are breathing. There is still a lot of stuck on debris inside the air ducts and that debris keeps recirculating the dust every time the system is running.

When hiring an expert to clean your ventilation system. You should be asking a lot of questions, this will help ensure you are getting a professional who is going to perform the services you are paying them to do.

The are a lot of questions you should be asking!

#1 How long does the cleaning process take? Anyone who says they can clean your entire system in an hour and a half, truly is only cleaning your main trunks lines. Therefore leaving the other branches of the system still contaminated. The average air duct cleaning takes between 4-6 hours to complete. Are they removing the vent covers to gain access to the duct work? Can you believe some companies never remove them to clean your air ducts? How effective of a job can they actually do if they never remove the vent covers to the ductwork?

#2 Does the company provide before and after photos? A lot of companies will show you a few photos on their phone or tablet. But will they send them too you in a report as well? Experienced air duct cleaning companies always have photo documentation to present to the customer!

#3 What is the method they use to clean air ducts? Some companies use this horrible equipment made by Rotobrush called the Brushbeast. This equipment is not designed to get in all the tight spaces it lacks the ability to capture all the dust and debris in your system. Frankly its a spinning brush connected to a vacuum and can not remove large objects from the duct system. In fact, it can cause more damage to your electrical, phone and internet system then the benefits from the small amount of dust it collects.

Then the popular air duct trucks are pretty impressive to watch but lack flexibility and lose suction over long distances. This happens due to the length of the hose connected to the truck's vacuum and distance to the basement where the suction is needed the most. The other downside other than the lack of suction is that a large hose normally between 8" to 12" in diameter is running throughout your home during the cleaning process. Imagine having your heat off and the door wide open in winter Wisconsin with a large hose running throughout your home. Probably not good for people with small kids or pets that can get out.

Portable Power Vacuums- While not new technology, these powerful and portable vacuums are changing the industry and how residential air duct cleaning is being performed. These power vacuums were designed to be brought into the residence and placed next to your furnace connected to the main trunk lines. They have the ability to put your ventilation system under negative pressure without the loss of suction.

The most popular and preferred method of air duct cleaning is called The push, pull method. This is basically pushing the contaminates down the ventilation system using 175PSI or greater air compressors and pneumatic agitation devices to knock lose all the contaminates and then pulling the debris through the connected hose that is placing your system under negative pressure. This is the same system used whether a company has an duct truck or portable power vacuum both are pulling the contaminates out of the ventilation system.

At Real Clean Environmental we utilize the portable Abatement Technologies H2500IV HEPA AIRE Power Vacuums. They have the reputation of being the industries leaders in clean air! The team at Real Clean Environmental LLC has several years of experience working in Hospitals, Government Buildings, Schools, Office Buildings and Residential properties including Condominiums. We follow all of the NADCA (National Air Duct Cleaning Associations) standards and abide by the ACR 2021 when preforming air duct cleaning. We take a great passion at preforming exceptional air duct cleaning with superior customer service to each of our customers!

Listed below are a few helpful links.

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Before and after comparison of an air duct cleaning

What Exactly is an Air Duct Cleaning?

By Real Clean Environmental • July 6, 2023

What Exactly is Air Duct Cleaning? Air duct cleaning is an important service for homeowners looking for cleaner, healthier indoor air quality. Air duct cleaning means having all your entire ventilation system, including the supply, intake and return vents cleaned. In addition, Real Clean Environmental LLC includes in our air duct cleaning the registers, grills, fans, and cleaning the furnace. Real Clean Environmental LLC uses Hospital Grade Equipment to perform professional air duct cleaning to ensure a healthier living environment for your home. Having your air ducts cleaned is recommended by the National Air Duct Cleaning Association (NADCA) every three to five years. What Is The Push, Pull Method? At Real Clean Environmental LLC we utilize Abatement Technologies H2500IV/H4500IV Intellivac duct cleaning systems to place your ventilation system under negative pressure. In addition, Real Clean Environmental LLC uses Nikro gas powered air compressors to push 175PSI air through the duct system. We are essentially pushing air with the Nikro 175PSI air compressor with agitation devices attached to knock loose and (Push) the dirt and debris towards the Abatement Technologies equipment that is pulling the contaminants out of your ventilation system. Before and After Pictures We provide a Post Project Report with every air duct cleaning. You can see the vents and the duct system before and after throughout your entire system. The report comes in PDF format and gets emailed to you a few days after the cleaning has been completed. You will see for yourself how an air duct cleaning makes a huge difference in the indoor air quality in your home. The whole cleaning process can be divided into 3 steps: pre-inspection, duct cleaning, a final walk-through inspection. The average air duct cleaning takes 4-6 hours to complete. What To Expect Upon Arrival A Real Clean Environmental Lead technician will arrive to your residence, the technician will cover his shoes with boot covers, they will inspect the air duct system. The technician will turn the furnace unit off during the cleaning. They will cover all the vents and registers to the duct work, sealing them off to ensure negative pressure on your ventilation system. The technician will bring the equipment into the residence. After checking the duct work, and taking before pictures the technician will connect and turn on the Abatement Technologies equipment placing the system under negative pressure. Moving to each vent throughout the residence, the vent covers will be removed. Each one will be HEPA vacuumed and hand wiped clean. The associated ductwork will be pneumatically agitated using Nikro’s 175PSI 27CFM gas powered air compressor to knock loose the particulates located inside your ductwork. After photos will be taken and then the vent cover will be reattached before moving on to the next vent. Once all vents and ductwork branches have been cleaned. We repeat the process in the main trunk lines leading back to the furnace. We finish be cleaning all accessible furnace components and seal up the openings created to access the main trunk lines. Final Walk-through Inspection When the cleaning is done, we will turn the system on and make another inspection of the air ducts to ensure everything is functioning properly. A final walk through would be preformed to ensure customer is aware of the process they have been shown pictures of the project and are satisfied with the service performed. Choose Only A Trusted Duct Cleaning Company If you want to make sure your ducts are cleaned properly, call only professional companies like Real Clean Environmental LLC to get the job done right the first time. We have years of experience in duct cleaning of residential and commercial properties, and we would be happy to serve you as well. We provide air duct cleaning services to customers throughout Southeastern Wisconsin. Also, in addition to air duct cleaning. We also specialize in dryer vent cleaning for optimal prices. All you have to do is call us at (262) 225-5518 or email melvin@realcleanenv.com no up-front cost to book an appointment.

Air Filter Changes

By Real Clean Environmental • January 18, 2023

Without a clean air filter, your HVAC unit works harder and is prone to more breakdowns. Compared to other DIY home improvement projects, changing air filters is a quick and painless process that can be done in less than an hour. However, many homeowners are unaware of how often air filters need to be replaced, leaving their system vulnerable to damage. Keep reading to learn when and how to change your air filter. Why Changing Your Filter Is Important Air filters trap pet hair, dust, and other irritating particles so that your air conditioning system delivers fresh, clean air back into your home. Eventually, the filter traps so much dust and debris that air can’t properly filter or travel to the HVAC unit, leading to: High energy bills —When an HVAC filter is clogged, your system has to work harder to pull air through to cool or heat the room. This causes it to run for longer periods of time, increasing the energy your home uses. Health concerns —If a filter isn’t working properly, dust and allergens can circulate throughout your home and cause allergies and respiratory illnesses. System failure —An HVAC system has to work hard to pull air through a clogged filter. This continuous strain on the unit can cause it to break, causing you to pay for expensive repairs or replacements. How to Change Your Air Filter You should ideally change your air filter every three months, however, there are certain factors to consider when determining when to change out an old filter. Type of air filter —Some air filters are more effective than others. Lower quality fiberglass filters are more affordable, but they don’t last long and need to be changed every month. Pleated air filters are high-quality filters that are very effective in trapping particles and last up to 90 days. Pets —If you own pets , change your filters every two months to keep your air clean. Allergies —If you suffer from allergies, even the smallest amount of dust or debris in the air can trigger a reaction. To ensure your system is pumping only clean air, change your filters about every 50 days. Children —If you have young children in the home, keep the indoor air quality high by replacing your air filters every two months. Home use —Homes that use their HVAC system daily need more frequent air filter replacements than a vacation home that doesn’t filter air regularly. If your home’s heating and cooling system only run a few times a year, replace the air filters every six to 12 months. While these factors affect the frequency of air filter replacement, you should visually inspect your filter every month to check for excess particle buildup. If the dirty air filter is completely layered with dust and debris, it’s a good idea to change the filter even if it hasn’t reached the end of its recommended lifespan.