Indoor Air Quality

Indoor Air Quality and Duct Cleaning

You mop your floor and vacuum your carpets, so why not clean your duct work?

According to the EPA, levels of indoor pollutants can be 2 - 5 times higher than the outside air. The American Lung Association also attributes many asthma and respiratory problems to poor indoor air quality.

We offer the most thorough duct cleaning in Humboldt County. Using a specialized video camera, we first assess your ducts to ensure clear passage and to make note of areas that require extra cleaning. We then clean your duct work with our Rotobrush system that uses an industrial vacuum and a spinning brush that loosens and vacuums up the dust. Once your ducts are clean, we then apply a natural sanitizer throughout your system.

Our technicians take great care to provide you with the best cleaning possible. We prevent any impact on your living area by wearing shoe covers while in the house, by placing runners over floors and furniture, and by ensuring our vacuums HEPA filtration is working at maximum efficiency so no dust enters your home.

Before and After Duct Cleaning

Air Quality and Duct Cleaning FAQs

What causes indoor air quality problems?

There are many things in the home that can cause indoor air quality problems. Combustion sources such as gas stoves, furnaces and wood burning stoves can all be potential sources of carbon monoxide if not properly maintained. Many things in the house can produce harmful VOC’s (Volatile Organic Compounds) found in many building products. Other things such as pesticides, dirty outdoor air, dirty heating systems and inadequate ventilation can cause indoor air quality problems.

What can I do to improve my indoor air quality?

Properly sized spot ventilation in the bathroom and kitchen can help remove contaminants and humidity from the home. Air filtration and purification are also ways to improve indoor air quality. Ideally, humidity levels are maintained between 30 to 60%. It is beneficial to have combustion appliances tested for proper operation and venting. Scurfield Solar & Heating has products to address these needs.

What are the benefits of duct cleaning?

Contaminates can settle and collect throughout the internal surface area of your duct system. Dust, dirt, pet dander, mold and bacteria can build up in your ducts and should periodically be cleaned out.

How often should ducts be cleaned?

The frequency of duct cleaning depends on many factors such as pets in the house, smoking, residents with allergies or asthma, remodel or construction dust or if you have floor or ceiling registers. After an initial cleaning duct should be cleaned every 3 to 7 years if the heating equipment is maintained and high efficiency filters are installed.

How much does it cost to get my ducts cleaned?

There is an initial site inspection fee of $95 prior to the duct cleaning to ensure that our industrial machines are compatible with your ducting.

Once approved for our equipment, we provide a comprehensive system-wide cleaning including all registers and grills, brushing and vacuuming of plenums and all supply and return runs, bio-enzymatic sanitation application (prevents mold/mildew growth), and furnace service with tuneup.

This process takes a team of technicians a good part of the day and costs $1,000.00- $1,400.00, depending on the size of your residental home.

For specific pricing, please cal (707) 825-0759.

How does the duct cleaning process work?

The heating system supply and return registers are removed and cleaned. Then a powerful vacuum with a spinning brush is inserted into each duct starting with the farthest duct away. The spinning brush loosens up the dirt and a HEPA vacuum system catches all the dirt back at the machine. We then clean the heater blower housing. Additionally we can pull out the heater burners, clean them and perform a combustion safety test.

Besides duct cleaning, what else can be done inside the home to improve indoor air quality?

Modern homes are much more airtight than older homes and as we upgrade older homes with new windows, insulation and air sealing; indoor air quality can be of great concern. Dust, dirt, mildew, pollen, pet dander, dust mites and building material off-gas can be circulated throughout the living area and can lead to symptoms of asthma and allergies. Proper ventilation and filtration also plays an important role in clean indoor-air quality. Properly sized and installed bathroom fans and kitchen hoods as well as bringing in outside fresh air are important considerations in conjunction with proper filtration.

Scurfield Solar and Heating offers a wide variety of add on air filtration, whole home air purifiers and UV lights for your existing or new heating system. We also offer Heat Recovery Ventilators (HRV’s); HRVs displace stale air in the home, while bringing in and heating fresh air from the outside.

Concerned about the combustion of your home appliances? We can perform combustion safety testing of your natural gas or propane burning appliances to make sure you do not have harmful levels of Carbon Monoxide entering your home.

Your health is important to us! Please give us a call.