Properly cleaning accumulated contaminants from your home’s ventilation system ductwork delivers healthier indoor air quality and energy efficiency. However, you want assurance you’re hiring a truly qualified duct cleaning company for this extensive job before letting technicians inside.
Beyond comparing online reviews and pricing averages, asking the right detailed questions is vital in determining each air duct cleaner’s expertise and trustworthiness. Homeowners should ask prospective air duct cleaning service providers these questions.
- How Many Years Have You Been In Business?
An HVAC company with 5-10+ years of experience signals advanced, ongoing technician training and proven cleaning method expertise invested into the latest tools and equipment.
Newer air duct cleaners haven’t accumulated enough hands-on work history to develop best practices.
- Do You Run Criminal Background Checks?
Reputable companies run fingerprint criminal history checks on all air duct cleaning technicians they send into client homes to keep customers safe by weeding out untrustworthy employees granted indoor access.
Safety should rank first when permitting relative strangers access, especially those interacting with kids and seniors.
- What Type Of EPA-Approved Equipment Do You Use?
Low-quality, outdated cleaning equipment fails to fully restore HVAC systems to mint condition by leaving substantial particulate matter and contaminants stuck inside air duct surfaces and components.
Companies committed to top performance invest regularly in maintaining professional vacuum collection equipment rated highly efficient by the Environmental Protection Agency.
- Do You Offer Ductwork Sanitization and Disinfecting?
See if advanced sanitization, disinfecting, or antimicrobial coatings are proposed to eliminate biological contaminants living deeply within duct surfaces entirely.
Quality cleaners offer bundled packages combined with standard interior HVAC cleaning for optimal indoor air quality without hiring multiple vendors specializing separately.
- Can I See Your Business Licenses and Registrations?
While local or state business licensing varies regionally, reputable companies readily provide license documentation for review upon request by listing credentials clearly on their website profiles and service trucks.
Validate legitimacy through public records and ensure qualifications comply with your operating state and township.
- What satisfaction guarantees do you offer if you are not satisfied?
Top-rated services stand behind their expertise by offering money-back performance guarantees or free re-cleaning if you’re dissatisfied with cleaning thoroughness or ductwork being left visibly dirty. This signals reputable companies willing to return and redo deficient work at no added cost to homeowners.
- Do You Offer Any Air Duct System Damage Warranties?
Ask if the duct cleaning company assumes full financial responsibility for onsite accidents under their watch by providing HVAC equipment damage warranties.
Quality duct cleaners confidently guarantee against causing new dents, leaks, holes, tears, coil punctures or other collateral ductwork destruction, or offer proactive repairs.
- Can You Provide Several Local Client References And Reviews?
Responsible services should furnish at least 3-5 local customer references available to personally vouch for the company’s consistent professionalism and sufficient cleaning technical competency.
Be sure to corroborate with independent online review profiles on Google and Facebook and sources documenting mostly positive feedback.
- Do You Perform Free Initial HVAC Inspections?
Some top-rated cleaners provide free, no-obligation, complete home ductwork inspections before quoting pricing using sophisticated cameras and remote equipment capable of mapping your entire ventilation system’s layout through ceiling vents and behind walls. This monitors progress inside inaccessible areas.
- How Many Trained Technicians Get Assigned Per Job?
Multi-person crews with 2-3 trained technicians equipped with dedicated truck machinery handle residential jobs safer and faster with less margin for error. Solo cleaner assignments need to remember hidden vents or indicate more minor business scale limitations.
- How Do You Access Tough Reach Duct Sections?
Determine methods used to reach notoriously challenging narrow duct runs concealed behind walls, ceilings, or buried underground.
Quality companies specify specialized remote arm attachments, ovalizing tools, and small cameras on flexible cables to restore airflow without destructive cutting/drilling, temporarily releasing contaminants.
- How Do You Re-Seal Openings After Internal Duct Renovations?
Responsible services properly re-seal all insulation, duct board, and sheet metal openings made necessary to widen access points for cleaning equipment fitting inside restrictive vents and ducts.
There’s no universal ductwork configuration, so thoughtful preparation helps match reputable cleaner capabilities to tricky HVAC configurations.