We are now licensed in Ohio

Dusty Ducts Inc is now a registered licensed HVAC Mechanical Contractor in the State of Ohio.  Congrats to our very own Brad Burns for becoming the license holder for Dusty Ducts.    You can verify the license at  https://elicense4-secure.com.ohio.gov/Lookup/LicenseLookup.aspx

Spring is here……or so they say

The weather doesn’t feel like it but the sunshine sure is nice.  Time to move the clocks forward an hour and change the batteries in your smoke detectors.

A quick spring cleaning tip… Baking Soda and Vinegar are good mix to clean stainless steel appliances.  Equal mix with hot water.  I prefer this method over those stong chemicals and it works great!   Don’t forget to have the dryer vent and refrigerator coil cleaned.  This will help make them work more efficiently.

$39.00 Duct Cleaning Scams

I got a call from a customer telling me he was just “ripped off by a $39 duct cleaner.”  The coupon was the “get in the door price.”  Once in the door the total cost of the job was going to be $800.  The customer was upset and I was shocked!  Not only are the $39 duct cleaners giving the reputable duct cleaners bad names but they are stealing from homeowners.  The customer informed me he did not pay for the full service, but chose  to have the vents in the bedrooms cleaned because those rooms that were more important.  Needless to say the customer paid the “other company” $400, for a partial unsatisfactory cleaning.   

I cannot stress enough the importance of educating yourself before hiring a contractor.  Remember the State of Michigan requires duct cleaning companies to have a Mechanical Contractors License and the Department of Agriculture requires a Microbial Pesticide License (category 5B).  

Our license number is 71-11120 and DOA number is 820186. 

Don’t be a victim of low cost duct cleaning scams.

Thank You Glenn Haege

Proper circulation key to cleaner air in the home

Whenever your home is closed up in the winter and the heat is on, or in the summer when the air conditioning is cranking, it is vital to ensure that the air circulating in your home is of the highest quality. Dust, pet hair and bacteria circulating through your home and air ducts contribute to respiratory problems for everyone, especially those with allergies or asthma.

One of the easiest ways to improve your indoor air quality when running the furnace or AC is by changing your furnace filter on a monthly basis with filters that are rated on what is called a MERV (Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value) standard. A good-quality furnace filter is rated at MERV 8 or higher.

While your furnace filter is the first line of defense when it comes to the quality of the air circulating in your home, the next thing you should consider is getting your air-ducts cleaned every seven years by a certified professional who is a member of the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA). Not only can it improve the quality of the air circulating in your home, it can help save energy.

“Even a small amount of dust in the air ducts can reduce the efficiency of your furnace or air conditioner by as much as 25 percent,” said Ed Irvin, the manager of indoor air quality at Flame Heating Cooling Electrical, (888) 234-2340, www.flamefurnace.com.

Irvin said the most effective way to clean air ducts is to first insert a rotary brush into the ducts to break up the dust and debris and then using an air snake to flush the dust toward the vacuum hose. He also said today’s professionals’ use a digital camera inserted into the ducts to show the homeowner before and after photos to see the difference.

“People are always amazed when they see how much dust and debris was in their ducts before we clean them,” Irvin said.

Irvin said depending on the size of the home, duct cleaning can range from $600 to as much as $1,200. In addition to Flame Heating, Cooling and Electrical, other NADCA certified duct-cleaning companies in the area include Dalton Environmental, (800) 675-2298; Dusty Ducts, (313) 381-7801; and Safety King, (800) AIR-DUCT.

You can also find more at NADCA’s website, www.nadca.com.

While changing your furnace filter regularly and getting your ducts cleaned will help improve the quality of the air circulating through your air ducts, many people are also interested in eliminating the bacteria and other containments in the home’s air system.

Irvin said one way to do that is to have an air-purification system installed in the air supply duct on your furnace.

Two air-purification products Irvin recommends include the Guardian Air HVAC Cell Advanced Oxidation System from RGF, (800) 842-7771, www.rgf.com, or the Perfect Air Purifier from Bryant, 800-428-4326, www.bryant.com.

Both of these units use an oxidation process to capture and kill viruses, bacteria, mold spores and other allergens in the air supply duct on your furnace before the air is circulated into the home. Irvin said these systems range from $1,600 to $2,000 installed.

While whole-house purification systems provide great indoor air-quality benefits, the cost of having it installed may be prohibitive. A do-it-yourself option from Swordfish, www.swordfishuv.com, (866) 807-8049, installs to your duct work in less than 15 minutes.

Another option from Swordfish if you live in an apartment, a home without forced air heat, or if you just want to purify the air in one room or a small area is the Swordfish UV Room Purifier, www.swordfishuv.com, (866) 807-8049, available for $159.99 at ACE Hardware stores.

The Swordfish attacks the DNA structure of a micro-organism and kills the bacteria that can cause viruses rather than just trapping or filtering it.

While cleaning, filtering and purifying your ducts and air circulation systems will instantly improve your indoor air quality, don’t forget about the importance of having the right level of humidity in your home, especially in the winter.

Extremely dry air in a home during the winter can also contribute to serious respiratory problems. So make sure your furnace humidifier is working properly and replace the drum, pad or sponge on your humidifier to make sure that humidified air being pumped through your air ducts is clean.

You can search my website, www.masterhandyman.com, for lots of articles on humidity and humidifiers.

Follow these tips and product suggestions, and you’ll breathe easier in your home.

If you would like to suggest a question for this column, e-mail askglenn@masterhandyman.com. If you want to talk to Glenn Haege personally, call his on WJR-AM (760) at (866) ASK GLENN, (866) 275-4536 between noon and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The “Handyman Show” can be heard on more than 130 radio stations nationwide.

Published 1/20/2012 – Detroit News  http://masterhandyman.com/columndetails.cfm?pubdate=20120120

Happy Holidays

Fire Prevention Week October 9-15, 2011

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Don’t let your dryer vent be the cause of a fire in your home. 

We recomment dryer vents over five feet in length with elbows to be cleaned on a quarterly basis.  Those less than five feet cleaned bi-annually.  If you have a flexible duct it should be replaced with sheet metal.  You are not only reducing the risk of a fire but making the dryer work more efficiently.  

And don’t forget to replace the batteries in your smoke detector(s) too!

OCTOBER SPECIAL :  Half off dryer vent cleaning with whole house duct cleaning.   Offer expires October 31, 2011.  Not valid with any other discounts.

Easy way to get ride of gnats……

without the expense of an exterminator. 

All you need are 3 items.  Small cup, vinegar, and dish soap.

Fill up the cup 1/2 way with vinegar and put dish soap along the top edge of the cup.  The gnats are attracted to the smell of the vinegar but end up stuck in the soap.  If you do this for about three days consecitively your problem will be gone.   Good luck, Im sure you’ll be pleased with the results!