#cleaning

Tech Tips:

Coil Cleaners: A Guide to Which Cleaners to Use in Various Applications

Spring and fall are the seasons where all service technicians get turned into janitors. Some techs see this as a chore and don’t particularly enjoy the routines of checklist maintenance. However, it is important to remember that the “shoulder seasons” provide an opportunity for us to perform vital maintenance on systems in order to keep […]

Careful With Cleaners

When I was a green tech, I was really big into showing up all the other techs by doing THE BEST cleaning I possibly could. One of my favorite things to do was to clean the condenser until it was SPOTLESS inside and out. The only issue was that I really liked using that brown […]

Ductless Cleaning and Maintenance Start to Finish

Cleaning ductless systems is critical… and a pain.. Rather than just telling you how we do it let me show you some of the key points. This video demonstrates cleaning and testing a ductless system including pulling the blower wheel and washing the evaporator with a bib kit. I also wrote a process for […]

Ductless Cleaning and Maintenance Start to Finish

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In this short podcast episode, Zach joins Bryan to answer a common duct maintenance question: Should I fog or sanitize my ducts?

The North American Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) outlines the uses of chemical products. Adding chemicals is usually a last resort in flex or sheet metal (externally wrapped) duct systems; they should NOT be used on ducts with internal liners or are made of duct board or any other material with porous surfaces.

Fog is typically applied while a vacuum is running at the opposite end of the duct. It liquefies on surfaces, and a lot of contractors don’t go in and dry off the duct surfaces. It’s difficult to coat the entire interior of a duct system with the chemical to make it as effective as possible, and the residue creates a moist, sticky film that actually encourages microbial growth in the ductwork. On top of that, some people may be sensitive to the chemicals.

In many cases, replacing ductwork that has been confirmed to have microbial growth is more reliable. Chemical duct sanitation often has more of a perceived benefit than long-term results. The use of chemical cleaners in ductwork is similar to that of using some line set flushes without forcing a solid pig through the line set to pick up the residue afterward. Ultimately, the customer has to make an informed decision based on the problem and knowledge of the benefits and drawbacks of chemical solutions.

NADCA’s white papers, including “Chemical Product Applications in HVAC Systems,” are available at https://nadca.com/industry-professionals/nadca-white-papers.

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