Indiana HVAC Guide
A metal HVAC air handler with attached flexible and rigid ductwork installed in an unfinished attic with exposed wooden rafters and fiberglass insulation.

Duct Cleaning in Fort Wayne, IN

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Step 1 of 3: Equipment
A flexible silver HVAC duct connects to a metal air handler unit mounted in an insulated attic with exposed wooden rafters and a circular gable vent.

Eight months of furnace air moving through those ducts

Your furnace runs October through May here, close to eight months of the year. On the nights that average 21°F, it runs long and often, and every one of those runs pushes air through the same ducts. Each pass carries dust into them, and that dust settles on the duct walls between runs.

Over a winter that long, the buildup thins out the air getting to each room. The furnace has to run longer to make up for it, working harder to move the same amount of heat through ducts that are carrying less air than they should.

8 months
October through May, your furnace pushes air through your ducts
3 months
June through August, your air conditioner does the same
Isometric cutaway illustration of a gray house showing interior rooms with furniture and a network of round ductwork connected to a mechanical unit.
Your ducts carry heat October through May and cooled air June through August.

NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals

How often should air ducts be cleaned?
There is no fixed schedule that fits every home, so most contractors go by what they find inside the ducts rather than the calendar. If anyone in the house has allergies, or you have had a remodel or duct work done that left dust behind, it is worth having them checked sooner. Homes with pets or a recent water leak in the ductwork should also get looked at more often. A contractor can open a few vents and tell you honestly whether cleaning is due.
Is air duct cleaning worth it?
It depends on what is in your ducts right now. If you can see dust building up around the vents, or you notice more dust settling in the house than you used to, cleaning clears that out. It will not fix a musty smell caused by mold growing somewhere else, or an allergy that has nothing to do with the air in your home. A contractor can look at your ducts and tell you honestly whether cleaning will help.
What does air duct cleaning involve?
A contractor connects a vacuum to your duct system and uses brushes or air tools to loosen dust and debris from inside the ducts, then pulls it out through the vacuum. Every supply and return vent gets opened and cleaned, and the main trunk lines get the same treatment. The furnace or air handler itself, including the blower and coil, usually gets cleaned as part of the job too.
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