Air Duct Cleaning $39, There's something you should know.....
One thing I can't stand is misleading advertising. Recently I received one of those coupon envelopes that contained an ad from a supposed duct cleaning company offering to clean your whole house for $39. There was some fine print so I put on my glasses. I still could not make it out so I t took out the old magnifying glass. "includes one cold air return and main trunk" but wait a minute every system has at least two main air ducts called trunk lines and all but the smallest systems have multiple air returns. More fine print "additional returns are $15, additional furnace components are extra". Extra, it's amazing what a difference one little, and I do mean little, word can make. So exactly what is this going to cost me? Wait more fine print "$50 minimum charge on all appointments", $50 minimum on a $39 job I am no math whiz but this does not add up. Since you have more important things to do then play Indiana Jones in search of the lost Duct Cleaning Price I have composed a list of questions to ask your $39 Air Duct cleaner to get to the real price.
1- Does this price include all supply and return trunk lines? If not how much extra?
Trunk lines are the two main pieces of duct work that run across the basement ceiling or in the attic. One is the Supply trunk line and one is the return trunk line. Sometimes the return trunk line changes direction to form a second return trunk line.
2- Does this include all branch lines? If not how much extra?
Branch lines are the ducts that run from the trunk line to the register. Sometimes they are flexible and sometimes they are metal but they are always smaller then the trunk lines. The average 4 bedroom home contains 20 - 30 branch lines
3- Does this price include all duct-work in the attic? If not how much extra?
If you have ceiling registers on the second floor you probably have ductwork in the attic
4- Does this price include an extra unit if there is one in the attic? If not how much extra?
Again if you have ceiling registers on the top floor you may have a second unit in the attic. If so you will usually have a separate thermostat for upstairs and downstairs.
5- Does this price include cleaning BOTH sides all the registers? If not how much extra?
Registers are the only part of the system you actually see. They are the covers that lay in the floor or are attached to the wall.
6- Can you provide me with a copy of your insurance certificate? If not run.
They should have a minimum $1,000,000 occurrence and, 200,000 aggregate insurance. If you hire someone call the insurance company on the day they start working to verify that the policy is still active. They may not have paid the last premium or it may be cancelled between when they do the estimate and when you actually do the work.
7- Are your employee's bonded? If not hide the silverware
This covers you if anything is stolen by that employee.
8- Do you do criminal background checks on your employee's?
I had an applicant who said on his application that he had no criminal record. After doing a back-round check I found out he was on Megan's List!
9- Do you have references?
On line formats such as www.servicemagic.com and www.merchantcircle.com are a great source for references because the customer adds them after the service has been performed.
10- Is there anything else you can think of that might cause the price to change?
It's his business not yours and he should know the potential problems that might arise. An honest contractor will tell you up-front.
Good luck in finding the right contractor for your work if you have any questions or would like a free estimate do not hesitate to call.
Al Gallucci
Ductz Indoor Air Professionals
http://www.linkedin.com/profile?viewProfile=&key=35011751&locale=en_US&trk=tab_pro
http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Ductz.Indoor.Air.Professionals.Stroudsburg.PA.570-421-2930
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