Question about air duct cleaning?

[Onfire_02_01]

i have been thinking about so duct cleaning and all the variables that it entails. I have looked at the brushes, the vacuums, and the skipper balls. One thing I have never seen anyone talk about is what kind of air compressor is needed to power the skipper balls?

 

[Mikey P]

Unless you're willing to go pro with one of these..

Don't even bother..

 

[Onfire_02_01]

Isn't that like saying don't bother starting carpet cleaning unless you can buy a vortex?

 

[Nate The Great]

@Desk Jockey

 

[Mark Saiger]

If you want to find out a bit more or come out cleaning....we have a large trailer mounted unit (PVT) and also a very large portable....

But, there is a lot more to it than just running a brush down some a vent....

Negative air pressure key too....

But if want to really check it out...I can get you together with my brothers Dave and Kirk in Bemidji....

 

[Mikey P]

Isn't that like saying don't bother starting carpet cleaning unless you can buy a vortex?

What size tube are you tring to fill with vacuum?


Think about it...

 

[Desk Jockey]

High volume at least 165 psi constant. You want it to be able to keep up and not waiting for it to recover. We've had two over the years. Both bought from the industry supply, like the kind that drives roofing nailers.

I believe they were under $2,000.00 ???

 

[Cleanworks]

I have a cousin inlaw near Edmonton who has a proper duct cleaning business. He is forever telling me stories of cleaning up after the carpet/duct cleaners have been there. Focus on your main business, don't be distracted by shiny new toys

 

[Desk Jockey]

There is a need for the service but it is a separate business from carpet cleaning.

 

[Spurlington]

http://heatsealequipment.com/deluxe...ors-auxiliary-tank/duct-cleaning/product.html




http://www.harborfreight.com/30-gal-420cc-truck-bed-air-compressor-epa-iii-62779.html

 

[rhino1]

We have the harbor freight one, it works as well as the much more expensive one that we started with

180 PSI is what we run at.

You don't need a huge duct cleaning truck if you are doing residential. Crazy investment if you aren't doing tons of work. If you get a gas powered Meyer vac you will be better equipped than 90% of the duct cleaners out there.

 

[Desk Jockey]

We have the meyers and a abatement technologies for apartments or difficult to reach.

 

[Onfire_02_01]

I have a cousin inlaw near Edmonton who has a proper duct cleaning business. He is forever telling me stories of cleaning up after the carpet/duct cleaners have been there. Focus on your main business, don't be distracted by shiny new toys

What are the carpet/duct cleaners doing that he is cleaning up after? And what is he doing that others are not doing/doing right?
I had an expierence this spring where I was cleaning the carpet at the same time as the duct cleaners were there cleaning the ducts. They backed their van up the driveway and brought in a 4-5 inch hose and ran it downstairs presumabley cutting into the piping and sucking air backwards. One guy stayed downstairs doing something while the other guy went around and blew off the grill covers and squired some liquid into the hole. They had an air compressor and a sucker in the van. The sucker had one hell of a large bag coming off of it. I was impressed at the lack of doing stuff and still getting paid. I thought I should be able to do a lot better job than that.

I may never get into the duct cleaning business but at least I want to understand it better if nothing for personal growth and development, or possibly to advise my clients on what to look for. I am always being asked my opinion on household services.

 

[Desk Jockey]

When shopping for Air Duct cleaning an important point to consider is, what is actually included with the service? There are many services being sold as “Air Duct” cleaning, however some of those systems lack the ability to physically remove larger contaminants during cleaning. Some of those systems may actually do more harm than good, by dislodging but not removing debris suspended debris.

Air Duct Cleaning Key Components

Accessing the plenum: Strategic areas are cut to attach the vacuum collector to put the system under negative pressure

Agitation: Contaminants are agitated using brushes and air whips and nozzles

Collecting & Removing Contaminants: Using negative pressure equipment, the loosened contaminants are vacuumed to the collector

Air vents & Return covers: All should be removed, cleaned and replaced

Complete System Cleaning: The blower, motor, cooling coils external surfaces of the heat exchanger as well as the air ducts should be cleaned as part of the service.

 

[Cleanworks]

The problems he came across were not changing filters, leaving piles of debris in the ducting, blowing the air the wrong way so that the house was covered in dust and many more. You have to make up your mind if you want to be a carpet cleaner or a duct cleaner. The suppliers want to sell you duct cleaning equipment and will tell you that your are leaving huge amounts of money behind on every job but you can't just throw a little equipment into the van and call yourself a duct cleaner. There is a lot more to it and they have their own certification and trade associations such as nada. If you want to do it as a sideline, that's great but learn how to do it properly. It pays about the same as carpet cleaning. Why don't you just get more carpet cleaning jobs? You already have all the equipment and knowledge.

 

[Kevin De Medeiros]

At one point I had a duct cleaning trailer and boy what a big pain in the ass that job is and it's so cut throat. It's messy, loud and a lot of work to do it right and the pay sucks. If I could give any advice to u is if you are not going to invest in a big duct truck I would stay away from this service. My thoughts on this were that if I get a lot of move ins, which I do, I could do all the cleaning for the client, do one job a day and clean the whole house. But honestly the best thing I did was refer the duct work out to a company I trust, and get the carpet and tile cleaning work. Less headache, more money and I get referrals from the duct cleaning company.

 

[Desk Jockey]

We average $125.00 an hour, no chem cost. It is hard dirty work but there is a need and if you do good work "Source Removal" people will love you and refer you.

 

[Cleanworks]

We average $125.00 an hour, no chem cost. It is hard dirty work but there is a need and if you do good work "Source Removal" people will love you and refer you.

I average about $150 per hour cleaning carpets. Why would I want to work harder for less money? On my commercial jobs I average $2-300 per hour. I am doing one next week for $1,500.00. It will take me 5 hours with 1 helper. I would rather look for more jobs like that, than spend money on new equipment and learn how to do a different job. If you have a larger operation and want to set up a separate division, that's different. One of the problems you run into, is that some of your employees will like one job or the other. They might not be comfortable doing both.

 

[Desk Jockey]

We do both....along with fire, water, sewage, mold biorecovery. I'm not suggesting you do anything...but shut UP!

Seriously its doesn't have to be one or the other. Hire someone to clean carpet or to do ducts.

 

[Onfire_02_01]

A lot has to do with diversity. Using one job type to get the other job type. I have several companies and people who feel that since I can do multiple services for them I am more valuable to them and am less likely to be replaced in one or both areas.
Then you also have to look at the market and what is available. In some markets $30 for a room of carpet cleaning is max. In some areas it is $50+ a room.
Clean works why don't you only do commercial carpet then? If you make double at it why not do more of it? Maybe it comes down to preference as well. I know some people will trade residential work for apartments simply because there is less human interaction in apartments.

 

[Onfire_02_01]

I am also getting bored by carpet cleaning so maybe duct cleaning will be something for the future to keep me excited to go to work in the morning, who knows.

 

[Cleanworks]

A lot has to do with diversity. Using one job type to get the other job type. I have several companies and people who feel that since I can do multiple services for them I am more valuable to them and am less likely to be replaced in one or both areas.
Then you also have to look at the market and what is available. In some markets $30 for a room of carpet cleaning is max. In some areas it is $50+ a room.
Clean works why don't you only do commercial carpet then? If you make double at it why not do more of it? Maybe it comes down to preference as well. I know some people will trade residential work for apartments simply because there is less human interaction in apartments.

I would like to do more commercial as it is a lot easier, you are in one place for a longer time rather than running around doing smaller jobs. I see where you are coming from, if people are asking you for a service but you are not providing it, it is money out the window. I get a lot of my commercial jobs from my residential customers and it will be the same with the duct cleaning. What I am trying to say, if you do it, do it right and have a dedicated truck and trained employee(s) to do the work. Where the problem is with carpet cleaners doing duct work, is that they have some sort of unit that can work with their truckmount, so they can clean carpets and ducts with the same truck and employee. From what I have seen, those units don't work well and can damage your trucks blower with too much dust bypassing your filter system. There is good money in duct cleaning and you have potential upsells with sealing/deodorizing/specialty filters/etc. If you think the market is there and you want to take it on, then by all means, go for it.

 

[Desk Jockey]

Commercial only compromises 30% of carpet cleaning sales for us, the remaining 70% is residential. However that 30% is 56% of the carpet cleaning revenue.

As you said more sq/ft, you are in one place longer. I too prefer commercial work over residential.

 

[Cleanworks]

If I could do commercial work only, I would be in heaven but you know, Saiger would probably be there too, saying blue is better.

 

[rhino1]

I actually enjoy the duct cleaning more than carpet cleaning. It is dirty, hard work but I have never had a call back to remove a spot, or even a single complaint. Some customers will follow you all over their house when you clean their carpet, but I have never had a single one follow me into a crawlspace or attic!

 

[Desk Jockey]

I have never had a single one follow me into a crawlspace or attic!