Frequently Asked Questions: Air Ducts, Dryer Vents & Kitchen Hoods

Professional air duct cleaning is used to remove any buildup within your ductwork. Over time, these pathways can collect dust, carcinogens, and even mold! Don’t let these issues go undetected. Book professional duct cleaning service today to be sure you and your family are breathing quality indoor air.

During our thorough cleanings, we clean all of the supply and return vents in your home using a Hyper Vac portable vacuum with a Hepa filter, positive and negative air pressure and air whips.

Typically, we suggest cleaning your home’s air ducts every five to eight years. Homeowners with children, pets, respiratory issues, or a compromised immune system may want to get their HVAC duct system cleaned more often. A system with better filtration will need to be cleaned less frequently.

Did you know that the average person spends 90% of his or her life indoors? Air duct cleaning improves the quality of the air inside your Virginia or Maryland home.

Cleaning your residential ductwork removes accumulated dust, debris such as cobwebs, and rodent droppings, which eases airflow and increases the efficiency of the system.

But, that’s not all! A proper air duct cleaning will provide cleaner air and less dust throughout your home or commercial property which provides relief from symptoms related to poor air quality.

For an air duct cleaning estimate, contact us today!

Air duct cleaning costs vary depending on the type of building and number of HVAC systems present. When it comes to effective duct cleaning, it’s more beneficial to pay for a professional duct cleaning than to resort to a cheap alternative.

If you’re in Northern Virginia or surrounding areas, contact us now to discuss your air duct cleaning project.

The typical single-family home’s air duct system takes between two to four hours to clean with a crew consisting of at least two technicians. Older homes and those with pets may take longer to clean. Newer homes, townhomes, and condominiums may take less time to clean!

Within an air system, there are three major parts, including the supply and return grills; the interior surface of the supply and return vents; and the HVAC system air handler. All three of these components must be cleaned thoroughly!

If only part of the system is cleaned, the contaminants on the uncleaned portion will spread to the cleaned sections—undoing the benefits of your duct cleaning service.

No. Our technicians are equipped with the highest quality and most state of the art duct cleaning equipment. All vacuum devices used in our process utilize HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air).

This filtration is rated at 99.97% at .3 microns—meaning there will be no mess left behind once the duct cleaning job is complete!

No. Chemicals are not used unless required by an industrial hygienist or a certified restoration contractor. In the event chemicals are required to perform a project Atlantic Duct Cleaning will only use an EPA-registered anti-microbial solution.

A homeowner may order application of a mild, non-toxic anti-microbial solution at an additional charge if microbial growth is identified or suspected. Application of these chemicals is not recommended as part of a routine maintenance program.

Yes. We typically have to cut an eight to ten inch access hole in the main trunk line creating negative pressure throughout the entire system in order to clean it properly. This eight to ten inch access hole will be sealed after the cleaning is completed. All service access covers will be installed in accordance with NADCA (National Air Duct Cleaners Association) and SMACNA (Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association) standards.

The water you see dripping from your ducts is most likely from condensation and is not something to look past. If left untreated, this water buildup may lead to leaky ceilings or mold growth. How did this condensation get here in the first place? It likely formed when warm, humid air came into contact with the much colder surface of your home’s ductwork.

Once you notice this sweating, it is important for you to call in a team of professional air duct cleaners right away to fix your HVAC issue before your drywall begins to rot and mold begins to grow.

If you want to help the health and safety of your family, friends, or building occupants, then yes! Duct cleaning services use specialized blowers, vacuums, and brushes to clean your system’s air flow path.

Not only does a duct cleaning ensure the indoor air quality of your home, it can also help boost energy efficiency levels.

Learn more about our commercial and residential air duct cleaning services!

Research by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has demonstrated that HVAC system cleaning may allow systems to run more efficiently by removing debris from sensitive mechanical components. Clean, efficient systems are less likely to break down, have a longer life span and generally operate effectively than dirty systems.

The removal of contaminants like dust, debris, dander, and build up from the HVAC system and home should be considered one component in an overall plan to improve indoor air quality.

During a dryer vent cleaning, our team will remove all traces of lint and dust buildup from your dryer and its vents. If lint is not properly removed, it can begin to hold moisture and increase your risk for an electrical fire.

Not only will a professional dryer vent cleaning make your home a safer one, but it will also help increase the energy efficiency of your machine. Without lint buildup, your machine will be able to dry clothing in less time and with less energy.

The dryer vent cleaning is recommended to be cleaned every 1- 2 years.

With a professional dryer vent cleaning, you will reduce the risk of fire from lint buildup in the vents and increase energy efficiency, resulting in lower electric bills. A dryer vent line that is clogged with lint will cause your dryer to work harder, resulting in a shorter life.

As a result, a properly maintained dryer vent will help to achieve maximum performance and extend the lifespan of your residential or commercial dryer system.

Atlantic Duct Cleaning offers both residential and commercial dryer vent cleaning services!

The dryer vent cleaning costs a flat rate of $295 no matter the size of the home. When combining services with air duct cleaning, it would be a flat fee of $195.

Contact us online, or call (703) 435-4485 to discuss dryer vent cleaning costs in Northern Virginia.

For our dryer vent cleaning process, we disconnect the flex from the dryer and clean the entire length of the exhaust run from the interior to exterior. We use a HyperVac and compressed air with an air whip to loosen up all the dust and debris.

For a residential property, dryer vent cleaning will take about one hour. However, a commercial property could take longer, depending on the size and amount of dryer vents that need to be cleaned.

A kitchen ventilation cleaning will remove accumulated grease deposits and prevent spontaneous combustion and fire in your hood exhaust system. Cleaning your kitchen exhaust system will reduce the buildup of mold, mildew, and other types of bacteria in the vents.

This will help stop potentially dangerous particulates from escaping into your restaurant’s air, lowering the air quality and potentially posing a health hazard to your customers and restaurant staff.

Restaurant hood exhaust system cleaning requires special tools, equipment, and expertise to thoroughly clean the hard-to-access systems. Trained technicians also know how to work safely in your kitchen’s grease-laden environment.

The National Fire Protection Association 96 states that “the entire exhaust system shall be cleaned by a properly trained, qualified and certified company or persons.”

Systems serving solid fuel cooking operations should be cleaned monthly. Businesses operating on a 24-hour schedule that prepare high-volumes of food should be cleaned on a quarterly basis.

Restaurants, usually with a sit-down environment, that prepare food at moderate levels should have their kitchen hoods cleaned semiannually. Organizations that cook small volumes of food or are only in operation for a few months of the year, such as churches, day camps, seasonal businesses, or senior centers, should have kitchen exhaust cleaning once every year or every two years.

Exhaust cleaning is used by commercial kitchens to remove built-up grease from within the ducts, hoods, and vents. Cleaning your restaurant hood is extremely important. If left uncleaned, these exhaust systems can become highly flammable!

What is involved in this extensive cleaning process? We clean filters, plenum walls, filter frames, fan blades, drip pans, and most fire suppression equipment. Louvers and dampers can be cleaned as well. Once cleaned, all components will be replaced in their original position.

The time it takes for a thorough kitchen exhaust cleaning depends on the size of your kitchen and the number of filters you have installed. The average commercial kitchen should plan for about 2 to 3 hours of cleaning service.

To estimate a kitchen exhaust cleaning cost correctly, factors like the size of the kitchen, number of ducts, hoods, and fans present, and the date of the kitchen’s last cleaning all play a role in determining the price.

Contact us online, or call (703) 435-4485 to discuss your kitchen exhaust cleaning needs in VA with one of our experts.

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)-96 section 4.1.5: “the responsibility for inspection, testing, maintenance, and cleanliness of the ventilation control and fire protection of the commercial cooking operations shall ultimately be that of the owner of the system, provided that this responsibility has not been transferred in written form to a management company or other party.”

In other words, it is your legal responsibility to keep your kitchen exhaust system clean for the safety of yourself and others. Without proper cleanings, your kitchen is at an increased risk for grease fires.

Kitchen hood cleaning removes grease from within the hood of your exhaust system. When you cook, flammable grease is sucked up into your kitchen exhaust, proposing a dangerous threat to the entire building or home.

To prevent kitchen fires, commercial kitchens should have vent hood cleaning between two and four times a year, depending on the amount of food prepared each day.

Learn more about our kitchen exhaust system cleaning!