I was looking in the newspaper and I saw an ad for one of those CHEAP duct cleaning offers. I am sure you have seen the one where you can get your first 5 ducts cleaned for only $25.00. They never tell you in the ad how much the rest of your ducts are going to cost to clean. How about the carpet cleaning company that can also clean your air ducts? These companies never tell you about their credentials. One CHEAP ad said they were EPA certified. EPA Certified in what? I have an EPA certification to work with Freon and work on air conditioners. I am also a certified mold and IAQ inspector. They never say they have a certified mold inspector CMI or certified indoor environmentalist CIE on staff. They have neither of these certifications but insist they can clean your ducts. The carpet cleaning company doesn't advertise any of these certifications or licenses, but after they clean your carpets and furniture your ducts can be next. Only about 30% of licensed air conditioning companies in SW. Florida have gone to the expense of buying duct cleaning equipment.

The problem that I have with these CHEAP duct cleaning companies is they are not licensed or qualified to perform this service correctly and they don't even tell you the whole story. Let me tell you the whole story. First of all lets start with air conditioning 101. An air conditioning system consists of basically 3 parts. First we have the condenser, which is usually outside next to your house. Second is the air handler which is normally in your garage, closet, or in your attic. Third is your duct system.  An air conditioning system is basically a de-humidifier with cold air being a by-product. The compressor outside in the condenser pumps Freon coolant into the evaporator coil which is in your air handler. That evaporator coil gets cold. Every cubic feet of air in your house re-circulates through the filter to the evaporator coil. From there it goes to the blower and is sent to the duct system and out your vents. Now this is constantly happening during the cooling cycle every time you run your system. I know it's taking for ever to get to my point but I am getting there. I am about to tie it all together. The average home owner goes to Wal-Mart and buys the cheapest filter they can find. Most homeowners are not going to spend very much money on something they don't want to deal with to begin with. Unfortunately that cheap filter is causing the problem that we are discussing. Dirt, dust, pollen, pet dander, and microbial growth are being sent through the duct system and out into your house.

Now here it comes what I have been venting about. Those CHEAP duct cleaning companies who are not licensed to open up your air conditioner's air handler don't tell you or can't tell you that after you pay for your ducts to be cleaned, that they are only going to get dirty again. You see these companies don't clean the evaporator coil, blower motor, and the interior insulation of your air handler. It doesn't make any sense to have all your ducts cleaned with out cleaning the air conditioner. In the 20 years I have been working on air conditioning systems and dealing with indoor air quality I haven't seen too many duct system that don't also have a dirty contaminated air handler. Call an expert before you give these CHEAP duct cleaning companies your money.

REMEMBER THIS: "WITHOUT QUALITY AIR, WE CANNOT HAVE QUALITY OF LIFE"

Jacob Mermin CMI/CHI

www.mermininspections.com

239-243-7322