How does one clean the duct work of a furnace heating system, in a home? Is it a do-it-yourself job?

After months (summertime) of not using the furnace, it obviously has built up dust and mold. Upon turning it back on in the wintertime, a very musty smell is emitted from all of the furnace vents, into the house. I'd hate to know what is actually being blown into our house. Allergies are a problem, shortly afterwards. Thanks
How does one clean the duct work of a furnace heating system, in a home? Is it a do-it-yourself job?
It requires a professional service, unless you have the equipment to clean it yourself. They are easily found online or through your yellow pages. It really is something you should have done every 5 years or so.
Reply:Mold should NEVER be growing anywhere in your HVAC system. You have something called "dirty sock syndrome." Funny name, but it is real. What happens is that bacteria/mold is growing on your evaporator coil during the summer when you are using the AC. The evap coil stays nice a damp and it is dark, that is a breeding ground. Then, when you turn on the heat and expose the coil to hot air, the mold and bacteria quickly multiply. The smell is often compared to dirty socks. Cleaning your ducts will not solve this problem - you have bacterial/mold growth on your evap coil. If you can find the evap coil, and are comfortable disconnecting the duct work, you can purchase evap coil cleaner from an HVAC supply house. Cost is $15/gallon - it is usually colored green and sold under various brand names. Be advised, that cleaning the coil is going to flush all kinds of nasty stuff into the drain pan of your coil and if you don't get it out of there, it will stop up your condensate line. So make sure you have plenty of towels and a wet-vac with a small attachment designed to get in to tight places. The cleaner should take care of MOST of your problem, but it is likely to return. Something in your house is causing the bacteria/mold growth - usually high humidity. If the smell comes back, call and HVAC company and ask that they install a UV light on your coil. UV light will destroy the DNA of bacteria/mold and prevent them from reproducing. The UV light will need to be installed right next to the coil for maximum effect...installing it down stream in the duct work somewhere is useless. A good HVAC contractor will probably charge $250-$300 for the light, plus $150-$200 labor. Duct-cleaning, if you are still interested or feel it is really required, normally runs $750-$1000 for an average size house.
Reply:if you can take it apart easily then you can vacuum it all out, my duct was straight so I bought some PVC and attached screw ends to it and used that, with my Vac





but there are professional cleaners that will come do it too
Reply:Been scouting around for a duct cleaning service %26amp; so far have found price range from $300 to $500 .


Recently did some remodeling %26amp; had to relocate a return duct for forced hot air %26amp; cooling system.


Personally do not suffer from allergies but I did for a while after that.


Definitely getting a pro to do complete cleaning %26amp; sanitizing.


Would not think it's a DIY since they use special tools %26amp; vacuum system.


Found some pros are not too fond of systems w/ flexible ducting.


Apparently harder to get clean %26amp; they are afraid of damage.


Best regards
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