BLOG.TWINCITIESFURNACECLEANING.COM

How Often is Furnace Maintenance Required?

Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 21:02:19 GMT

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.

Does Home Service Plus Cover Furnace And Air Duct Cleaning?

Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 04:17:00 GMT

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!

When is the best time to clean my furnace and air ducts?

Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 02:19:00 GMT

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.

How To Clean Air Ducts

Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 19:04:00 GMT

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.

How often should I clean my fireplace and chimney?

Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 06:41:00 GMT

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.

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

Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 23:10:00 GMT

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

Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 20:12:00 GMT

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.

Aside from saving money, here are some other reasons for cleaning your furnace and air ducts

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.

So there you have it. Now lets recap the benefits of furnace and air duct cleaning.

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

If you live in the Minneapolis - St Paul - Twin Cites - MN area feel free to contact Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning for a free estimate on your furnace and air duct cleaning.

Why Should I Clean My Furnace And Air Ducts?

Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 20:16:00 GMT

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

So there you go, several reasons why you should have the furnace and air ducts cleaned. It basically pays for itself just in the amount of money you save on the utility bills, not to mention extending the life of the most expensive appliance in your home, the furnace and air duct system. Plus the benefit of living in a clean environment and peace of mind knowing your furnace is less likely to have problems in the middle of the heating season.

Air Duct Cleaning Minneapolis

Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 21:43:00 GMT

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?

Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 15:14:00 GMT

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.

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.

You see, companies like this are either using tricks or gimmics such as: "Introductory Price," or "Other fees may apply," ect...) Read the fine print! Or, they are simply trying to make up for it by doing a "rush job" so they can do many jobs in one day.

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.

Third type of air duct cleaning company.

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.

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!

Air Duct Cleaning MN

Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 23:31:00 GMT

Air duct cleaning in Minnesota is not a whole lot different than the rest of the country, however, most people decide to have their furnace cleaned out at the same time as their air ducts since the crew is already at the home whereas in warmer climates were the furnace is used much less ofter, may customers opt not to have their furnace cleaned. I will try to basically explain how furnace and air duct cleaning works in Minnesota.

First of all you need to realize there are three basic pricing strategies here in the Twin Cities MN.

Low Introductory Rate Bait and Switch

Some air duct cleaning companies will offer a really low introductory price such as $77 or $99 air duct cleaning specials, only to start adding on extra charges for rooms, registers, square footage, or certain components of the furnace. (Usually in fine print for newspaper ads.) This is a very misleading practice in my opinion because a lot of the time the homeowner isn't aware or how much extra this can add up to and is caught off-guard when the cleaner presents them with an invoice much higher than the anticipated cost.

Flat Upfront Pricing

Then you have companies that charge a flat-rate for furnace and air duct cleaning (such as our company). Our price is currently $169.95 for furnace and air duct cleaning. There are no hidden costs provided you have only one furnace and air duct system and are located in the Twin Cities. If you have multiple furnace and air duct systems or live outside the Minneapolis - St Paul Twin Cites Metro area extra fees will apply.

Super-Duper Cleaning Gimmic

Last of all you have the companies that use what is called the "Roto-Brush" method of cleaning. This his highly taunted as the best method of cleaning, but that is very debatable. Many customers complain about the "Roto-Brush" method because the brushes are round and don't get into the corners all that well. Most cold air returns and main trunk-lines are rectangular and have much more dust and debris than the warm air lines. Not to mention this method of cleaning can easily cost $400-800 and take several hours to perform. Honestly, even if it were a superior method of cleaning most people just cannot justify that cost unless they have just moved into a house where the previous owners had pets and haven't had their furnace and air duct system cleaned in a very long time.

For honest upfront pricing with no tricks or gimmics contact Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning today!

Is Air Duct Cleaning Worth It?

Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning — Sun, 16 May 2010 20:19:00 GMT

Many people are still wondering if they should have their air ducts cleaned. Well, let me try to paint a picture of why it is necessary. First of all, imagine if you never had them cleaned, say 20 years. Personally, I have seen air duct systems that have never been cleaned, and let me tell you it is not a pretty site.

First of all, cold air (or intake) registers will be caked with dust whereas your furnace will have to work extremely hard because of the restricted air flow from the registers and the air duct leading to the furnace filter.

Second, you will have to replace the furnace filter more often obviously as well.

Third, your flower fan will get so caked with dust that your blower motor will probably burn out after about 10 years, maybe less.

Fourth, all this dust is getting inside the heating elements of the furnace causing it to clog up, which reduces the efficiency and will need to be replaced long before it should if it were cleaned out along with the air ducts.

Fifth, if you have central air, you have air conditioning coils located above the furnace. These will get dusty as well costing you extra money on your electricity bills.

Sixth, you will have billions of dust mites in your air ducts along with a variety of other contaminants which can cause allergies, asthma and other illnesses.

So, in conclusion... If you don't want to save money on your gas and electric bills, extend the life of your furnace, and breathe cleaner air, by all means, never have your air ducts cleaned out.

If you do want to take advantage of all these benefits and live in the Minneapolis - St. Paul - Twin Cities - MN area, feel free to contact Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning for a free estimate.

How often should I clean my dryer vent?

Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 19:06:00 GMT

There are several factors that determine how often you should clean your dryer vent, but the bottom line is that you should at least have it inspected annually.

Obviously a family of 5 is going to need to have it cleaned more often than a single person. Depending on how the dryer is vented is another factor. For instance, if there are any sharp turns in the dryer duct, you will need to clean it more often because lint tends to build up in these areas. Also, if you have coiled ducting, the lint tends to accumulate more quickly because it's not a completely smooth venting surface.

What are some tell-tale signs that I need to have my dryer vent cleaned you ask. Well, a dead giveaway is if your clothes are taking longer to dry. Or, if the exterior of your dryer seems to be hotter than usual after the drying cycle. Lint seems to be escaping from the dryer vent. Your laundry room seems to be more humid than normal after drying your clothes.

Keep in mind, by cleaning your dryer vent you are preventing one of the leading causes of house fires, not to mention it more than pays for itself with the energy savings, and of course your clothes are going to dry faster which saves you time.

If you live in the Minneapolis-St Paul-Twin Cities-MN area, feel free to contact Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning for a free estimate or more information.

Air Duct Cleaning Scams

Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 21:33:00 GMT

I think companies that promote these $99 whole house air duct cleaning specials are providing a disservice to our industry. They are deliberately misleading their customers in an attempt to steal business away from more legitimate straightforward companies.

We in the industry know better, you can't run a profitable business by cleaning air ducts for $99, it's just not possible. It gives the industry a really bad image when their are companies out their using bait and switch tactics as a part of their overall business plan. Our industry suffers enough from the disbelief of many that air duct cleaning is even a necessary service, but when they think they are paying $99 for something that eventually costs $150-300 by the time they receive the invoice, they may never have their air ducts cleaned again.

We offer a whole house special for a reasonable $169.95 (provided there is only one furnace). I have lost so much business because customers actually think we're expensive. That they don't understand is that these $99 pie in the sky prices just aren't realistic. The reason they don't is because they don't understand that it only includes so many rooms or registers (which is usally in fine print, and never mentioned prior to someone arriving to their home). Many times they get a bill for nearly twice that amount and not even realizing it till they get the invoice! This makes for very bad business! It's downright misleading!

Another thing these companies will do is charge extra for the filter compartment or central air conditioning coils. These customers though everything was included (which is what a reasonable person should thinkg) until the technician is already in the home with the equipment running. This is another deceptive technique these companies use to further ruin our industries reputation.

I think other air duct cleaning companies should express their destain for this poor marketing technique and post more blogs about this subject and try to restore our industries reputation by exposing this poor business practice. I believe in fair competition, and for other companies that have to resort to deception should be ousted from this industry so the rest of us can make an honest living, providing up front pricing without resorting to tricks and gimmicks.

If you live in the Minneapolis-St Paul Twin Cities MN Area, and you would like your air ducts cleaned, or have any questions about this article please contact Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning .

Why Do I Need To Clean My Fireplace?

Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 21:09:00 GMT

Because you get what is called "creosote build-up" on the inside of your fireplace chimney flue, you need to have your fireplace and chimney cleaned on a regular basis. Creosote is highly flammable and can cause a chimney fire if too much is allowed to accumulate inside the chimney flue.

Chimney fires can destroy not only the chimney flue, but also cause surrounding areas to catch fire due to the extreme heat they produce. Sparks and chunks of creosote can escape the chimney flue and catch the roof on fire as well.

The best way to prevent this from happening is to have your fireplace and chimney inspected annually and cleaned approximately every 40-50 fires. You should also have a high quality chimney cover that prevents rain, animals and large debris from entering the chimney flue.

During a chimney inspection you should be checking for cracked flue tiles, creosote build-up, and loose bricks and mortar. Most chimney sweeps will waive the inspection fee if it is determined that cleaning is needed.

If you live in the Minneapolis-St Paul-Twin Cities MN Area, feel free to contact Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning for free estimate.

How Much Should It Cost To Clean Your Furnace And Air Ducts

Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 19:26:00 GMT

Do not fall for the $99 special on furnace and air duct cleaning. Quite frankly this is a bait and switch gimmick.

Nobody reading this will ever believe this, but I just got a phone call from a customer who just had a company come out and try to charge over her over $500 as I was just writing this post. What are the odds of that? Very weird!

She said that when they came out the started to inspect the furnace and said there would be an additional cost to clean the blower compartment, the air conditioning coils, and extra registers. Get this, the ad she responded to said no gimmicks or extra charges! Here's the best part, when she said she couldn't afford $500 they offered to drop the price, guess why? Supposedly they found a $50 dollar bill in the blower compartment of the furnace!!! RU KIDDING ME! After they left the customers home the called her back twice trying to lower the price so they could come back out. How audacious can you get???

Don't fall for these scam artists. Furnace and Duct Cleaning is NOT a SCAM, but there are such things as SCAM ARTISTS! Here at TWIN CITIES FURNACE CLEANING we offer whole house cleaning at a reasonable price of just $169.95 with NO HIDDEN COSTS! (Only exception is that you only have one furnace.)

How To Clean Furnace and Air Ducts

Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 18:54:00 GMT

Air duct cleaning starts with setting up a vacuum hose up to the furnace. Typically the vacuum hose is placed at the base of the furnace in the blower compartment. Afterwards, some sort of tarp should be used to seal off the compartment to give better suction throughout the air duct system.

Some companies will actually cut a hole in the warm air duct system to get even better vacuum. Some customers simply do not like having holes cut into their air ducts even though the hole that is cut is covered up afterwards with a piece of sheet metal. This is one of the reasons why some companies shy away from this practice, aside from the fact that it is also time consuming.

Another thing that can be done to create better suction is to put magnets on the registers. The warm air registers can simply be closed and then opened one by one as you clean the air ducts. Cold air registers cannot be closed, so a magnet or even a piece of paper can be used.

Now that the equipment is set up an running, the cleaner will go to each individual register and blow compressed air into the registers with what is called an "air wand". (Some companies will actually use a brush that runs on compressed air. This is typically not necessary unless the system is extremely dirty, or for some reason the system needs to be as clean as possible.)

Once all the registers are cleaned, the technician will then use what is called an "air snake" which has a reverse air nozzle. This is done by cutting a small 1" hole in the air ducts (which will later be covered with a "duct plug") and then inserting the "air snake" into the hole. Because of the reverse air nozzle, the air snake is able to propel itself down the main trunk lines of the air duct system. Once it has reached the end of the main trunk lines (note: several holes usually need to be cut if possible) the air snake is gradually pulled back towards the furnace forcing all the dust and debris toward the furnace.

Now that the air ducts are cleaned, the next step is to clean the central air conditioning evaporator coils (if applicable). More often than not, there is a small register located just above the furnace for easy access.

Finally, the furnace itself is cleaned. Starting with the heating elements (such as the heat exchanger and combustion chamber) removing all the gas scale build-up (looks like rust), then the blower/fan compartment located at the bottom of the furnace. If you have a electronic or expensive paper filter that will also be cleaned.

If you live in the Minneapolis - St Paul - Twin Cities MN area. Feel free to contact Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning for a free estimate or more information.

Portable vs Truck Mounted Air Duct Cleaning Equipment

Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 20:11:00 GMT

What is the difference between portable and truck mounted equipment? Well, typically truck mounted equipment is going to be more powerful if it is running at maximum speed. Some cleaners, however do not run their equipment at full speed because it is either unnecessary or they are trying to save fuel. Another thing to consider is the vacuum hose. If there is a very long run between the vacuum and the furnace, and there are holes in the vacuum hose, that will significantly reduce the amount of suction.

Some people simply do not want people bringing in a big, and sometimes dirty, vacuum hose into their home which is a drawback for truck mounted equipment. Portable equipment however can sometimes blow circuit breakers and fuses and sometimes there simply isn't big enough circuit breakers in the home to power the equipment, albeit that is very rare.

The main thing about cleaning furnaces and air ducts is the amount of air pressure used rather than the amount of suction the vacuum has. This is because the air pressure is what basically does the cleaning. The vacuum is basically there to catch the airborne particles that the air pressure causes. Most powerful portable vacuums are good enough to prevent dust from escaping the HVAC system and entering the home, unless it is a very large home with very long duct lines.

Truck mounted equipment is more expensive to operate than portable, because it runs on fuel rather than electricity. The advantage however is you don't have to carry all kinds of heavy equipment and you save a great deal of time every day if you are doing several jobs a day.

How to Clean a Dryer Vent

Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 01:54:00 GMT

Cleaning a dryer vent can be fairly simple, or it can be very complicated, because not all venting systems are the same. Basically the first thing you want to clean however is the area between the lint trap compartment and the exhaust vent behind the dryer.

Next is the dryer vent ducting. There are several different types of ducting. The most common and easiest to clean is the glavanized steel ducting. This can usually be cleaned with a 4" dryer vent brush attached to a flexible fiber-glass pole(s). If you are lucky there is a short run without any sharp turns. If however, there are sharp turns, or you have flexible, or ribbed ducting, this can create problems if you are trying to use a brush.

Another method of cleaning is using compressed air. This is an efficient way of cleaning provided you have sufficient air pressure.
Using air pressure and what is called an air snake, you are able to navigate sharp turns and very long ducting runs. Sometimes however, if you have multiple forms of ducting, and/or sharp turns and very long runs, the ducting may be required to be disassembled. Most furnace and duct cleaning companies charge a flat rate, unless the system is extremely complex or is an industrial vent.

If you live in the Minneapolis - St Paul - Twin Cities MN Area. Feel free to contact Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning for a free estimate.

The Difference Between Air Sweep and Roto-Brush Air Duct Cleaning Methods

Twin Cities Furnace Cleaning — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:36:00 GMT

There is basically two different ways to clean air ducts, the Air Sweep method and Roto-Brush method. Albeit, the roto-brush method is a more thorough cleaning, it is much more time consuming and therefore costs much more. The air sweep method usually takes about an hour or so, compared to the roto-brush method which can take up to several hours.

Most air duct cleaning companies charge around $150-200 for a complete furnace and air duct cleaning without any hidden costs using the air sweep method. For a roto-brush cleaning you could be looking at anywhere between $400-1000 depending on how many registers are in the home.

The difference between the two is that instead of using just air pressure to dislodge the dust and debris, the roto-brush method actually uses a Pneumatic Brush that cleans the air ducts. This roto-brush method requires removing all the resisters and inserting the brush down into the air ducts, whereas the air sweep method uses an Air Wand that fits in between the fins of the resister, therefore removing the resisters is unnecessary which saves a lot of time. The same goes for the main trunk lines, whereas with the roto-brush method requires cutting large holes in the air ducts and the air sweep method only requires drilling tiny holes.

Unless it has been a very long time (say 10 years) since you have had your air ducts cleaned, most people just cannot justify spending approximately 4x as much money for the incremental benefits of having a more thorough cleaning. If you tend to have your air ducts cleaned on a regular basis (say every 2 years), it is really unnecessary for a roto-brush method since there really isn't that much build-up of dust yet.