Air Duct Services FAQ

Why do I need to have my ducts cleaned?
Do you have a lot of head colds? Do you have dust related asthma/allergies? Do you dust way too often? Are you dusting every day? Duct cleaning will probably help you.

How long does it take to do an air duct cleaning?
An average-sized home with 10 registers or less and good access to the ducts requires 1 technician at least 3 hours to clean thoroughly. Unless you have a very small system, any cleaning that takes less than 2 hours may not have been a thorough cleaning.

How can I inspect my ducts to see if they need to be cleaned?
Remove one of your cold air return vent covers. Use a flashlight and mirror to inspect the duct interior. These ducts will be the dirtiest. Turn off your furnace. Look at the filter and fan area. If there’s dust even as thick as a layer of saran wrap there, it’s reducing the air flow efficiency of your furnace by up to 20%. Your ducts need cleaning.

I have a new home. Do I need the ducts cleaned?
If the vent openings were not covered with plastic during construction or remodeling, sawdust, sheetrock dust, and other construction debris can enter the duct system. When you first begin operating the furnace you may experience avery dusty beginning in your new home. We typically find and remove all types of construction debris, if they’ve never been cleaned before!

What should I do if I see black marks or a shadow of soot on the wall or carpet that is coming out of my hot air registers?
There are only two ways soot can get in your ducts. If you have a cracked furnace interior, a lot of soot will get directly into the ducts. Carbon monoxide, may also be coming into your home. Your chimney or pipe connecting to the chimney may be dirty/plugged and the soot is coming out on the floor near your furnace where it’s being pulled back into the fan and then up into your ducts. Call us and we can inspect your chimney. Call your furnace company. Make sure your furnace is not damaged and is operating correctly. You may want to call your insurance company and notify them of the soot problem. Don’t ignore the problem as it will probably get worse. Soot is corrosive so it should be removed as soon as possible from carpet, walls, and belongings. It is also very difficult to remove without the proper training and equipment. We need to clean your air ducts before the rest of your home is cleaned.

What type of duct cleaning equipment gives the best results?
Truck-mounted vacuum combined with high pressure air is the recognized standard for the air duct cleaning industry. The care and time the duct cleaning technician takes is very important.

How often should my ducts be cleaned?
We recommend that your ducts be inspected and/or cleaned every 5 years and more frequently if you have special needs.

What type of air duct cleaning training do Black Goose technicians have?

• Mostly on-the- job training through 30 plus years of experience.
• Also, Black Goose has on staff, the only technician certified by the National Air Duct Cleaning Association (NADCA) in all of NE Minnesota and NW Wisconsin.

What type of duct cleaning experience does Black Goose have?
We have been cleaning residential and commercial air duct systems since 1990.

Do you clean grease hoods or grease ducts?
We do not clean these types of systems.

Will my furnace have to be off?
Yes, your furnace will have to be turned off while we are cleaning your air ducts.

Do you service furnaces, boilers or hot water heaters?

• No, however, when we are at a home that has suffered a chimney or appliance soot back-up, we will try to clean as much soot from the interior of the appliance as possible.
• We will not dismantle the appliance to do so and we will not tune up the appliance.
• We recommend you contact an appliance repair person to clean and tune up the appliance.

Can I see the stuff you get out?

• The lighter-weight dust is usually just vacuumed right out to the truck.
• Often the heavier debris will fall to the bottom of the furnace and our technician can show it to you.

What will my benefits be from getting my ducts cleaned?

• You will have cleaner, healthier air to breathe.
• You will have less dust in your home.
• Potentially, you will have reduced allergy and asthma suffering.
• Save money because your furnace will operate more efficiently.

How often should I have my ducts cleaned?
The National Air Duct Cleaning Association recommends every four to five years or more often if you have lots of dust or health concerns.

How much time does a duct cleaning require?
An average duct cleaning with 10 to 12 vents requires approximately 3 to 4 hours with one technician, somewhat less time with two technicians.

How can I tell if my ducts need to be cleaned?
Your ducts may need to be cleaned if:

• Your computer or TV screen get dusty the day after you dust.
• You find yourself sneezing or coughing a lot.
• Your lungs are congested or your nose is “stuffed-up” when you are in your home but not when you are outside of it.

*Note: If you want to see for yourself what is in your ducts, remove one of your cold air return covers and look into the vent with a mirror and flashlight. You should be able to view the accumulated dirt, dust and cobwebs!

I have a new home. Do I need to have my air ducts cleaned?
We often find original construction debris such as sheetrock dust and sawdust inside the ducts, as well as other construction debris.

What can cause black, dark brown or reddish stains around the register openings?

• There may have been, or may still be an oil furnace or wood stove that malfunctioned, in your home.
• A smoker may have lived in your home.

I just remodeled my upstairs. Do I need to have my air ducts cleaned?
If you had the floors or walls sanded, did cement or sheetrock work, you may want to have your ducts cleaned, because we often find a lot of sheetrock dust, sawdust as well as other construction debris in the ducts.

My 75-year- old mother came to live with us to help me take care of my 3-month- old baby. Should I get my ducts cleaned?

• Yes, it’s a good idea to have your air ducts inspected and cleaned, if necessary.
• Older folks often have reduced lung capacity and more breathing concerns.
• Also, very young children have less-developed lungs and are more susceptible to air-borne illnesses.

How will you clean my ducts?

• We cover all of your vent openings with adhesive-backed plastic material.
• We attach the vacuum hose from our truck to the ducts near your furnace. This puts your system under suction.
• We use 200 psi compressed air tools and whip to loosen the dust and debris from the duct interiors which we then vacuum out to the truck.

*Note: Cleaning the ducts with a combination of high pressure air and truck-mounted vacuum system is the industry-recognized standard recommended by both the National Air Duct Cleaning Association and the Duct Cleaners Network. Black Goose is the only company in all of NE Minnesota and NW Wisconsin with a duct cleaning vacuum truck.

Do you take pictures of the interior of my ducts?
Black Goose technicians use a borescope to view duct interiors and a digital camera to record photos, as needed.

Would cleaning the ducts help? We just moved into our home and we found out the folks before us owned 3 cats AND we just found out that our 3-year- old daughter is extremely allergic to cats.

• We recommend you do a thorough house cleaning, including removing any carpet, if present. Get the ducts cleaned after you do so. Carpet holds lots of dirt and dust.
• Cleaning the air ducts may also help reduce your daughter’s allergic reactions.
• You may not want yourself or your family members to breathe other people’s “stuff!”

Will you make any mess in my home?

• We guarantee we won’t leave any mess in your home.
• Our unique-to- the-area truck-mounted vacuum provides the strongest suction of any duct cleaning equipment available.
• We cover all vent openings with adhesive-backed plastic sheeting.
• Our technician will examine all exposed ducts to make sure they are tightly constructed.