There are a number of different things that will indicate whether your A/C system needs cleaning. First, and most evident, is that dirt, dust and debris is blowing out or accumulating on the grilles. Second, you may notice a musty/dusty odor which could indicate a dust/dirt build up, or biological contamination. You can ask your A/C service contractor (if you have one) to look and let you know. People experiencing allergic reactions when the system is running is an indicator that it could be time for a professional cleaning. The best way to determine if your ducts should be cleaned is to have Texas IAQ inspect your system(s) and allow us to give you our assessment of the condition of the system. It may sound too good to be true, but, if your system doesn’t need cleaning, we’ll tell you! a new question go to app settings and press "Manage Questions" button.
Not necessarily. In fact, decreased air flow usually indicates a mechanical problem of some sort, such as a disconnected duct, collapsed duct, a closed air damper or something obstructing airflow somewhere in the system. While air ducts can get extremely dirty, the dirt rarely is enough to block the air flow. The most common cause of reduced air flow occurs when the cooling coils get clogged up with debris or when a piece of internal insulation has come loose. We suggest calling your A/C contractor to assess the situation and take appropriate steps.
We advise that occupants put away breakable or fragile items that are near registers/grilles, or reasonable access to them. In businesses, that means vases on desks or counters, photographs, sensitive devices, etc. In homes, it means easily broken items on tables, nightstands, etc. This does not need to be an extensive effort on your part. Our skilled technicians always take great care with furnishings and other items within a home or business to protect against potential mishaps. In commercial buildings, the work is usually done after-hours as our services can be considered disruptive to normal business operations. In a home, the work is during daytime hours.
During any extensive service process, there may be a bit of a mess, but our technicians have the greatest respect for our customers environment and personal affects. They take care to cover desks, furniture and other items with light plastic sheeting. In residences, our crews normally wear shoe covers to protect your floors. At the completion of the service procedures, our technicians perform a thorough clean up to ensure the space is left in a condition as good as, or better than before we started.
Yes, at certain points it is loud. Powerful, high efficiency vacuums are used which generate a fair amount of noise and other hand tools which can be very disruptive to normal business operations. This is why work in commercial buildings is normally done off hours. In a home, we ask that customers simply be aware that there will be noise during the project.
We use our state-of-the-art truck mounted vacuum system and truck produced compressed air to agitate (dislodge) and vacuum the dirt/debris/contaminants out of your system. The vacuum hose from the truck is connected directly to your system (at the lead technicians discretion) so that everything dislodged from within your system goes directly back to the truck where it is captured. Each supply (where the air comes out) register, and return (where the air returns to the unit) grille is removed, cleaned & decontaminated (outside), and then replaced after the cleaning process is complete.
3-4 Hours: It normally takes between 6-8 man-hours to professionally clean a single A/C system and the attached supply and return ducting. Texas IAQ always sends a minimum of two highly trained technicians on each service call. Two men for 3-4 hours equates to the 6-8 man hours required to complete the work; so expect the entire process for each A/C system to take 3-4 hours.
Sanitizing a system, defined as biomedical remediation by the TDLR, is only needed when there are positive indications of microbial contamination such as visible biological based growth, musty odors, or based on the results of a 3rd party laboratory analysis of samples taken from the system. Just as you wouldn't take cold medicine if you didn't have a cold, you shouldn’t sanitize without indication that it is needed. Texas IAQ only uses sanitizers/disinfectants registered with the EPA specifically for use in HVAC systems.
Replacing the air filters at the time of cleaning is recommended. There are many sizes and types of filters, so it is not feasible to carry all of them in a service truck, but we will install new filters if they are provided by the homeowner or business at the time of cleaning. If arranged prior to the project taking place, however, we can provide the filters as well.