Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning
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How Often is Furnace Maintenance Required?
There are several factors that determine how often you should clean, inspect and tune-up your furnace. Some questions you need to ask yourself are;
Do I own pets? Cats and dogs obviously shed their fur, when they do it tends to clog up the registers, air ducts and the blower and filter compartment of the furnace.
How many people live in my household? The more people that live in the home (especially children) the more dead skin cells are going to end up in the air ducts. Dust mites live on skin cells and have been linked to cause allergies and asthma symptoms.
Do I have allergies or asthma? Having a clean furnace and air duct system can help alleviate some of these symptoms.
Do I want to save money on my utility bills? Having a clean furnace and air duct system helps save money on gas and electric bills (the average furnace and air duct cleaning basically it pays for itself and then some if you clean them every two years).
Do I want to help conserve energy and help save the environment? People drive fuel efficient cars and have routine maintenance done as recommended by their manufacturers. Same goes with your HVAC system, just think how much natural gas and electricity you can save by having a clean furnace and air duct system!
Do you want your furnace to last longer? What would happen if you never changed your oil in your car? Same with your furnace. You can burn out your blower motor long before the entire furnace needs replacement. Worse even is cracking your heat exchanger which would require entire furnace replacement.
Do you want your family to be safe and have peace of mind? What is your family's safety and peace of mind worth? A clean furnace and air duct system helps prevent furnace breakdowns and carbon monoxide leaks.
In conclusion, everyone's "idea of clean" and comfort level is different. Most experts agree that regular furnace maintenance should be performed at least once every two years and every year for some households with multiple pets and/or children.
If you live in the Minneapolis - St. Paul Twin Cities area contact Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning for a free estimate on any of our cleaning and/or repair services.
Do I own pets? Cats and dogs obviously shed their fur, when they do it tends to clog up the registers, air ducts and the blower and filter compartment of the furnace.
How many people live in my household? The more people that live in the home (especially children) the more dead skin cells are going to end up in the air ducts. Dust mites live on skin cells and have been linked to cause allergies and asthma symptoms.
Do I have allergies or asthma? Having a clean furnace and air duct system can help alleviate some of these symptoms.
Do I want to save money on my utility bills? Having a clean furnace and air duct system helps save money on gas and electric bills (the average furnace and air duct cleaning basically it pays for itself and then some if you clean them every two years).
Do I want to help conserve energy and help save the environment? People drive fuel efficient cars and have routine maintenance done as recommended by their manufacturers. Same goes with your HVAC system, just think how much natural gas and electricity you can save by having a clean furnace and air duct system!
Do you want your furnace to last longer? What would happen if you never changed your oil in your car? Same with your furnace. You can burn out your blower motor long before the entire furnace needs replacement. Worse even is cracking your heat exchanger which would require entire furnace replacement.
Do you want your family to be safe and have peace of mind? What is your family's safety and peace of mind worth? A clean furnace and air duct system helps prevent furnace breakdowns and carbon monoxide leaks.
In conclusion, everyone's "idea of clean" and comfort level is different. Most experts agree that regular furnace maintenance should be performed at least once every two years and every year for some households with multiple pets and/or children.
If you live in the Minneapolis - St. Paul Twin Cities area contact Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning for a free estimate on any of our cleaning and/or repair services.
Does Home Service Plus Cover Furnace And Air Duct Cleaning?
If you have Home Service Plus® with Centerpoint Energy® you may think that your plan covers furnace and air duct cleaning, but unfortunately it does not.
In fact, if you do have Centerpoint Energy® Home Service Plus® you will end up spending $239.95 for just air duct cleaning (if you have central air which most people do). You can see their prices if you CLICK HERE. Also if you have more than 10 rooms you will be charged extra.
If you want a furnace cleaning, inspection and tune-up you will end up paying an additional $114.95 CLICK HERE. Therefore, your total cost to have your furnace and air ducts cleaned by Centerpoint Energy® even if you are supscribed to Home Service Plus® it will cost you a whopping $354.90!
If you sign up for their "furnace cleaning and tune-up service plan" you will be charged an additional $8.00 per month. After 2 years (which is how often furnace and air duct cleaning is recommended by most experts) you will end up spending $192.00 which would make your total an outrageous $431.95!
So if you still want the gas company (which is a monopoly) to clean your furnace and air ducts, I wish you luck. If you would like to support your local Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning Company click on our link and save some money! At the time of this article we are currently running a special on furnace and air duct cleaning for only $169.95. That could be a savings more than $250 every 2 years!
In fact, if you do have Centerpoint Energy® Home Service Plus® you will end up spending $239.95 for just air duct cleaning (if you have central air which most people do). You can see their prices if you CLICK HERE. Also if you have more than 10 rooms you will be charged extra.
If you want a furnace cleaning, inspection and tune-up you will end up paying an additional $114.95 CLICK HERE. Therefore, your total cost to have your furnace and air ducts cleaned by Centerpoint Energy® even if you are supscribed to Home Service Plus® it will cost you a whopping $354.90!
If you sign up for their "furnace cleaning and tune-up service plan" you will be charged an additional $8.00 per month. After 2 years (which is how often furnace and air duct cleaning is recommended by most experts) you will end up spending $192.00 which would make your total an outrageous $431.95!
So if you still want the gas company (which is a monopoly) to clean your furnace and air ducts, I wish you luck. If you would like to support your local Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning Company click on our link and save some money! At the time of this article we are currently running a special on furnace and air duct cleaning for only $169.95. That could be a savings more than $250 every 2 years!
When is the best time to clean my furnace and air ducts?
According to Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning, there are a few reasons why many would agree that SPRING is the best time to clean your furnace and air ducts. Because over the winter, while the furnace is running, the furnace and especially the air ducts get nice and dry. When the HVAC system is dry it is slightly easier to clean. Not to mention it makes a great addition to your "spring cleaning" projects!
In the SUMMER when you are running your A/C here in Minnesota, the air can get really humid and therefore makes it slightly more difficult to clean. Also you may waste energy by having the door propped open for the vacuum hose (if using truck mounted equipment).
As far as getting the furnace and air ducts cleaned in the WINTER, again, many people don't like to have their doors opened (if you use a truck mounted vacuum) for extended periods of time because of the heat loss. Plus unfortunately sometimes the cleaners end up tracking in snow and dirt.
During the FALL furnace and air duct cleaning companies can get busy and can and do charge more for their services. If they are really busy you may not be able to schedule an appointment for up to a week and sometimes they will have to reschedule appointments due to the fact that they are just simply overflowing with work.
Either way, the best time to clean your furnace and air ducts is "when they're dirty" and if you have the time and money to schedule and appointment.
In the SUMMER when you are running your A/C here in Minnesota, the air can get really humid and therefore makes it slightly more difficult to clean. Also you may waste energy by having the door propped open for the vacuum hose (if using truck mounted equipment).
As far as getting the furnace and air ducts cleaned in the WINTER, again, many people don't like to have their doors opened (if you use a truck mounted vacuum) for extended periods of time because of the heat loss. Plus unfortunately sometimes the cleaners end up tracking in snow and dirt.
During the FALL furnace and air duct cleaning companies can get busy and can and do charge more for their services. If they are really busy you may not be able to schedule an appointment for up to a week and sometimes they will have to reschedule appointments due to the fact that they are just simply overflowing with work.
Either way, the best time to clean your furnace and air ducts is "when they're dirty" and if you have the time and money to schedule and appointment.
How To Clean Air Ducts
Many people are wondering how Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning goes about cleaning air duct systems so let me try to explain how this process works.
The first thing the technician will do is close off all the registers. This will help create more negative air pressure inside the air duct system which will assist in the cleaning process as well as help prevent dust from backing up and getting into the rooms while cleaning.
Once the registers are closed the technician will hook up an industrial size vacuum to the furnace. Once that is set up and running the tech will then go to each individual register with an "air wand" or "air gun" which puts out approximately 200 lbs of air pressure. This highly compressed air is what actually knocks the dust loose and breaks it up so the vacuum can suck it up.
Now that all the air registers are cleaned the tech will now clean the main trunk lines. In order to do this we use what is called an "air whip" or "air snake" which has a reverse air nozzle on it. The tech will drill a small 1" hole close to the furnace (larger homes may require several holes to be drilled) which will be subsequently plugged with a "duct plug". Then the tech will insert the air whip which with its reverse air nozzle propels itself to the end of the trunk line. The tech then pulls the air whip back towards the furnace and as he does the air whip bangs around violently inside the air duct pushing all the dust and debris back towards the furnace where the vacuum is hooked up.
Now that the air ducts are cleaned the tech will then clean the furnace because in cleaning the air ducts the furnace will get dirty since all this dust and debris has passed though the furnace on its way to the vacuum. So the tech will again use the "air wand" and start first cleaning the evaporator coils for the cental air unit (if applicable) which are located just above the furnace. Next he will clean the heating elements in the middle of the furnace and finally the blower and filter compartment at the bottom of the furnace.
That's it. Typically this process takes about an hour or two depending on the size of the home.
The first thing the technician will do is close off all the registers. This will help create more negative air pressure inside the air duct system which will assist in the cleaning process as well as help prevent dust from backing up and getting into the rooms while cleaning.
Once the registers are closed the technician will hook up an industrial size vacuum to the furnace. Once that is set up and running the tech will then go to each individual register with an "air wand" or "air gun" which puts out approximately 200 lbs of air pressure. This highly compressed air is what actually knocks the dust loose and breaks it up so the vacuum can suck it up.
Now that all the air registers are cleaned the tech will now clean the main trunk lines. In order to do this we use what is called an "air whip" or "air snake" which has a reverse air nozzle on it. The tech will drill a small 1" hole close to the furnace (larger homes may require several holes to be drilled) which will be subsequently plugged with a "duct plug". Then the tech will insert the air whip which with its reverse air nozzle propels itself to the end of the trunk line. The tech then pulls the air whip back towards the furnace and as he does the air whip bangs around violently inside the air duct pushing all the dust and debris back towards the furnace where the vacuum is hooked up.
Now that the air ducts are cleaned the tech will then clean the furnace because in cleaning the air ducts the furnace will get dirty since all this dust and debris has passed though the furnace on its way to the vacuum. So the tech will again use the "air wand" and start first cleaning the evaporator coils for the cental air unit (if applicable) which are located just above the furnace. Next he will clean the heating elements in the middle of the furnace and finally the blower and filter compartment at the bottom of the furnace.
That's it. Typically this process takes about an hour or two depending on the size of the home.
How often should I clean my fireplace and chimney?
Most fire departments will say you should have your fireplace and chimney cleaned about every 40-50 fires, however there are a couple of different factors that relate to how often you should clean your fireplace and chimney.
If you are unsure if your chimney needs cleaning or concerned about starting a chimney fire, you should be. Just 1/4 inch of creosote build-up in the chimney flue liner can ignite and cause a chimney fire.
If you can't remember or don't know how many fires you've had since last cleaning or what type of wood your are burning it pays to at least have the chimney inspected by an expert to be on the safe side.
If you live in the mpls, st paul, MN area and are in need of a chimney cleaning or have any questions, feel free to visit Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning or give us a call at 612-558-1737.
- What type of wood do you burn? Hard woods such as birch and oak have a tendency to burn cleaner than softer woods such as maple and pine.
- How hot do you burn your fires? If you burn big hot fires as opposed to usually just keeping the fire going, you will end up having less creosote build-up over time.
If you are unsure if your chimney needs cleaning or concerned about starting a chimney fire, you should be. Just 1/4 inch of creosote build-up in the chimney flue liner can ignite and cause a chimney fire.
If you can't remember or don't know how many fires you've had since last cleaning or what type of wood your are burning it pays to at least have the chimney inspected by an expert to be on the safe side.
If you live in the mpls, st paul, MN area and are in need of a chimney cleaning or have any questions, feel free to visit Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning or give us a call at 612-558-1737.
An easy way to save money on your energy bills
Most people have their furnace and air ducts cleaned on a regular basis, but did you know that by having them cleaned you save money on your energy bills? Let me explain how.
- By cleaning the air ducts you increase the amount of air-flow though out the air duct system which helps increase the efficiency of the heating system by getting the warm air to the areas of the house quicker and with less effort.
- Also by cleaning the air ducts you help prevent dust and debris from entering the furnace preventing it from getting clogged up.
- By cleaning the heating elements of the furnace such as the burners, jets, heat exchanger and combustion chamber you remove the debris and "gas scale build-up" this helps the furnace run more efficiently and helps prevent break-downs.
- Cleaning the blower and fan compartment getting the dust and debris off the fan blades you again increase the efficiency and prevent the blower motor from burning out.
- If you have central air conditioning you will have the evaporator coils cleaned. They are located just above the furnace and by removing the dust and debris you will increase the efficiency and save money on the electricity bills while running the A/C.
So there you have it. By having your furnace and air ducts cleaned every two years you will save lots of money on your gas and electric bills. In fact, having your furnace and air ducts cleaned every two years actually pays for itself just on the energy savings. Of course there are other benefits to having your furnace and air ducts cleaned such as preventing system breakdowns and costly repair bills, as well as cleaner air in the home and peace of mind knowing that you have less chance of system failure or worse a carbon monoxide leak.
If you live in the Minneapolis - St Paul - Twin Cities - MN area, feel free to contact Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning for a free estimate on our cleaning services.
Benefits of Furnace and Air Duct Cleaning
There are many reasons why one should have their furnace and air ducts cleaned every two years, especially in Minnesota where we run our furnace and central air often.
First of all it pays for itself, or even pays you to have it done. Let me explain why...
- By cleaning off your evaporator coils (which are located just above the furnace) increases the efficiency of the cental air unit because having dirty, dusty evaporator coils costs you money on electricity bills.
- By cleaning the heating elements getting rid of the gas scale (looks like rust) that clogs up the furnace increases the efficiency of the furnace saving you money on gas bills.
- By cleaning the blower and fan compartment getting all the dust and debris off the fan blades prevents the blower motor from burning out, which saves you money on potential costly repairs.
- By cleaning the air ducts you increase air flow throughout the system which helps the system run more efficiently again saving you money on utility bills but possibly doctors bills if you get sick from a polluted air duct system.
- By cleaning your furnace on a regular basis you will extend the life of your furnace, typically doubling it's life expectancy if you clean it ever two years.
- Having a clean air duct system helps prevent allergies, asthma, common colds and other illnesses.
- Helps prevent carbon monoxide leaks. If you never have your furnace cleaned it will eventually break down, sometimes by cracking the heat exchanger and leaking carbon monoxide.
- Obviously less dusting, and a cleaner living quarters.
- Saves you money on utility bills
- Helps prevent costly repair bills
- Extends the life of the furnace (probably your most expensive appliance in your home)
- Helps prevent carbon monoxide leaks
- Helps prevent allergies, asthma, and other illnesses
- Cleaner living quarters
Why Should I Clean My Furnace And Air Ducts?
There are a number of reasons why you should have your furnace and air ducts cleaned.
First of all by having your air ducts cleaned you increase the air flow throughout the air duct system which helps the furnace to not have to work as hard, which in turn saves you money on your energy bills.
Also, by having your air ducts cleaned you breathe cleaner air in the home. This helps prevent allergies, asthma, common colds and other illnesses. And obviously less dusting is needed when you have a clean air duct system.
Now if you have central air you have what are called evaporator coils located just above the furnace. When these get dirty it reduces the efficiency of the central air unit. So by having your evaporator coils cleaned you save even more money on your energy bills.
By having the heating elements of the furnace cleaned out also saves money on utility bills, but also extends the life of the furnace. You get what is called "gas scale build-up" inside your heat exchangers, combustion chamber, burners and jets. This "gas scale" looks like rust, and that is basically what it does, rusts out and clogs up the furnace. If you never have your furnace cleaned you could even crack your heat exchanger and leak carbon monoxide into the home.
Last of all, by cleaning the blower and fan compartment at the bottom of the furnace where a lot of the dust and debris likes to accumulate on the fan blades, you help prevent the blower motor from burning out. This is very common and usually happens long before the entire furnace needs to be replaced.
So lets recap why you should clean your furnace and air ducts.
- Increased air flow - helps save money on utility bills.
- cleaner air - helps prevent allergies, asthma, common colds and other illnesses.
- cleaner home - less dust in the air ducts means less dusting for you.
- Increased efficiency of central air - saves money on utility bills
- Increased efficiency of furnace - saves money on utility bills.
- Extending the life of the furnace - clean heating elements prevents the furnace from rusting out
- Preventing carbon monoxide leaks - having clean heating elements prevents cracks in heat exchanger
- Prevent blower motor from burning out - removing dust and debris from fan blades extents its lifespan
Air Duct Cleaning Minneapolis
Here is how Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning cleans air ducts. We go to every single hot and cold air register with what is called and air wand. The air wand has a nozzle on it that is about a foot long, thinner than a pencil, and is pliable. The air wand fits in between the fins of the register. We then angle the air wand down the air duct so it blasts all the dust and debris down into the main trunk line.
Then once all the air registers are cleaned, we use an air snake to clean the main trunk lines. For this we use and "air snake" or "air whip" which has a reverse air nozzle on it. We drill a small 1" hole by the furnace and insert the air snake. The air snake propells itself down to the end of the trunk line and the while the air pressure is still on we slowly pull the air snake back towards the furnace where we have the vacuum hooked up. The air snake bangs around inside the trunk line very violently and forces all the dust and debris into the vacuum.
Once the entire air duct system is cleaned we clean the furnace. Starting with your evaporator coils located just above the furnace. The evaporator coils get dirty and reduce the efficiency of your air conditioner unit so by having them cleaned you save money on your electricity bills.
Then we clean all the heating elements getting rid of the gas scale build up. This will help prevent the furnace from getting clogged up and increase efficiency and save money on gas bills and extend the life of the furnace.
Finally we clean the blower and fan compartment getting all the dust and debris off the fan blades. This helps prevent the blower motor from burning because this is very common if you never clean your furnace and air ducts.
We charge a reasonable price of just $169.95 for the entire furnace air duct system including the furnace and all of it's components which usually takes about 1.5 hours with a two person crew. It is recommended about once every 2 years because again, you save money on gas and electric bills, extend the life of the furnace and gives you cleaner air in the house which helps prevent allergies, asthma, common colds and other illnesses.
How long does it take to clean air ducts?
If you live in the Minneapolis - St Paul - MN area, you may be a little confused as to how long it should take to clean your furnace and air ducts. Let me try to explain why. You basically have three different kinds of furnace and air duct cleaning companies operating here in the twin cities.
I hope this article was informative. If you live in the Minneapolis - St Paul - Twin Cities - MN area feel free to contact Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning for a professional furnace and air duct cleaning experience at a reasonable price with no tricks, gimmics or hidden costs!
First type of air duct cleaning company.
This type of company is usually seen on the internet touting a outrageously low price like $99 air duct cleaning! This type of company is usually a start up company that is desperate for work and is willing to actually go out to your home for only $99, but let me explain why.
When a company like this comes to your home you can expect one or all of the following.
- They will charge extra for rooms, registers, square footage, or certain components of the furnace.
- They will probably just send out one person who will be in and out as quickly as possible.
The bottom line is this. You can not run a profitable air duct cleaning company and do a professional job and only charge $99. It is simply not possible.
Second type of air duct cleaning company.
This type of company claims to have superior cleaning equipment typically called "Roto Brush" method. They claim it takes about 4-6 hours to do a professional air duct cleaning job for an average size home. They also charge between $400-800 depending on the size of the home.
Here are some things to consider if you are considering hiring this type of air duct cleaning company:
- Is this method of cleaning actually superior? Actually it is NOT! You see, they use a round brush, and guess what? Your cold air returns and main trunk lines are RECTANGULAR. Have you ever tried to put a round peg in a square hole? Doesn't work all that well does it? Yes, the brush works well for your warm air ducts, but those aren't the ones that are really dirty, it's your cold air registers and main trunk lines that are dirtier because the air flow hasn't passed through the filter yet.
- Dust and debris begins to accumulate immediately after having your air duct system cleaned. Which is why after 2 years you should have them cleaned again. Most people agree that spending $400-800 every 2 years is overkill, even if it were a superior cleaning method.
This type of company charges a reasonable flat rate price for all the hot and cold air registers, main trunk lines and all the components of the furnace. It's not a rush job, and it's not overkill. The price is typically around $200 which is between what the $99 and $400-$800 charge. Yes, people with smaller homes are paying a little more than the people with larger homes, relatively speaking, but we like to keep things simple.
Here are some things to consider if you are considering this type of air duct cleaning company:
- They will typically use an "air wand or gun" to clean the hot and cold air registers and all the components of the furnace. Then they will use an "air snake or air whip" to clean the main trunk lines.
- It usually takes about an hour and a half for a two person crew to do a professional job.
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