Why is that room always too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter?

Ever have a room at home or work that is either boiling in summer or freezing in winter? It may not be the insulation in the structure; it could be the duct work vents. If you don’t have duct work, zone heating / cooling all in one units can be a great solution.

There are a few options when it comes to HVAC, Ductwork, Vents and Cold and Hot Air Returns:

1 )  The vents could be blocked or clogged.

Excess dirt dust debris, a critter, or especially large debris such as drywall cut-offs (bits left over from repair or reno) or a ball, toy or other blockage.

(See weird things down the vent article for more)

If there’s an odd smell, either electrical, charring smell or dead thing – it’s best to contact sooner rather than later! A smoldering smell could be debris on the heat exchanger and be a potential fire hazard.

Blockage isn’t just for the heating and cooling vents connected to the furnace but also the cold air returns. A dresser, sofa, picture, armoire or other item blocking the cold air return can affect the pressure of the house affecting the furnace and air conditioner (called static pressure).

The general rule is keep everything 10 inches away from the cold air return.

2) Damper air flow calibration issue.

Many residential and commercial properties have a damper, which is a piece of metal inside the venting system, which works like a keel or rudder in a ship to both direct and control air flow inside the facility.

If a room is getting too much air flow (meaning other rooms are getting less) then the damper can down-play the excess air, which should then make more airflow available to other rooms (unless that room’s damper system is also constricting airflow).

In some instances the dampers are pointed the wrong way for an entire wing (commercial) or level of a house (ie: upper level or 2^nd story).

If your house or commercial facility does not have dampers, they can often be added, such that if there is no regulation of air flow from vent to vent, this can help by directing the flow to where it is needed most.

3) Disconnected or Incomplete Venting.

Either it wasn’t installed properly or something happened and it got disconnected along the way by a renovation, repair or some other anomaly. Usually installs are pretty solid for the most part, but for whatever reason it does happen.

Cold air returns too help with house air pressure and moisture, if there is a situation with these, then it can throw the balance off in a room or the facility.

Sometimes, it’s just plain poor design or installation. The wrong size of duct work or equipment for the facility, or just simply improperly installed.

4) The Wrong Size of Furnace or Air Conditioner.

Interestingly the wrong size air conditioner can cause excess moisture in a structure. As for most things, and in this case, size matters.

Too small, the furnace works way too hard, pushes energy costs up, lessens the life of the furnace and won’t get the necessary air flow where it needs to go.

Oddly, a furnace or system too big for the home or commercial property can overheat the space, causing the thermostat to shut the system down too soon, causing immense stress on the furnace which can cause the system to be noisy in some instances and also to break down, usually blowing a motor or compressor. (Chain reaction)

5) A really dirty system and filter.

Sometimes, especially in rural areas with dirt roads and wood fireplaces, lots of pets, and open fields, it can collect in the system overtime. With Canadian summers being so short, we squeeze out every opportunity to crack open a window.

There have been instances where it’s just, for whatever reason, previous occupants who never got duct cleaning in the life-cycle of the facility;  or a commercial or residential development close by or the construction of a park or various other combinations that the filter and the venting system gets bogged down with debris. In this case a good duct work cleaning and filter replacement(s) can do wonders.

6) I Don’t Have Duct Work:

Not to fear, there are other such as an all in one heating/cooling system called a heat pump. Single or Multi Units are installed just where they are needed with no duct work required.

There are also alternate solutions for radiators, boiler systems, etc. just contact our office for various solutions unique to your situation.

Specialty Investigative Tools:

A company with video capacity tool can look down the vents and see where the disconnect or blockage is. It’s a great tool and keeps from pulling things apart unnecessarily.

Thermal tools to are excellent, because it can show at a moment’s notice where the heat loss is, and eliminates any guesswork.

Expertise:

Of course it goes without saying that someone with a lot of experience in the industry who has almost seen it all, can often pinpoint straight away after some testing what the true situation is. With the price-points of HVAC systems these days, this is the job for a crew with experience and not for a novice!

About Us:

You’ll sleep better at night, and be more alert and productive at work, thanks to Canaduct Commercial Duct Cleaning’s coming up 20 years of experience.

We are a Canadian Company! For an instant free estimate, call us at 416-410-3777 fill out the form below or see our locations on our contact us page:

Canaduct offers fast efficient appointments for our commercial and residential clients for these services:

• Commercial duct cleaning
• Air vent cleaning,
• Ventilation cleaning
• Dryer duct cleaning
• HVAC maintenance
• Boiler Systems
• Commercial Humidifiers
• Commercial carpet cleaning
• Indoor Air Quality Specialists
• Odour removal Specialists (powerful yet all natural treatments)
• Fire or Flood restoration

Ensure your heating and cooling systems at your home or business are operating at peak efficiency. Our air duct quality service will help you breathe clean, healthy air at work or home; saving money on energy costs and can help improve the bottom line.

Do you have multiple workplace facilities, franchises, homes or offices?

Canaduct’s broad range of coverage provides a huge duct cleaning service area in Southern Ontario including the Greater Toronto Area. No need to deal with multiple companies, technicians and locations. One call will solve it all.

Types of Buildings:

• Warehouses
• Offices: high rise, low rise and ground floor
• Retail stores & Grocery stores
• Medical buildings & Hospitals
• Schools; Elementary, Secondary, Public, Private; Day-cares
• Seniors homes, long term care facilities, retirement homes
• Real estate buildings & holdings, high rises, rental properties
• Townhouses, walk-ups, low rise, homes, condos, lofts

Call us if your building isn’t listed above, we can make arrangements.

The Weirdest Things You’d Never Believe Duct Cleaners Have Discovered in Your Duct Work

Ever wonder why your ducts may not be “bringing the heat” they used to? There could be several reasons, but one of the biggest is clogged ducks. You’d be as shocked as we are to hear about some of the strangest things we’ve found that seem to make their way down the vents.

By the way – it may not be your own kids,  if you’ve purchased a re-sale home, you’ll never know if previous owners could had curious children who thought vents were a great, secret storage space, especially cold air returns as often shown in the movies.

Surprisingly, even in new home construction, we are often called for duct-cleaning only to discover that new ducts don’t necessarily mean clean ducts.

Here’s our list (as well as from some other duct cleaning companies) that will make you wonder “what in the world”?

• stuff the cat swats down the vent that you don’t know about
• stuff the kids throw down the vent (much like the toilet) that you don’t know about
• baby & toddler items, pacifiers, food (cheerios, goldfish crackers anything that can fit in a child’s fist and be flung) especially at the grandparents house
• tennis balls, rubber balls, Nerf balls, laundry balls
• plastic bags, wrappers of all kinds
• socks & underwear, towels & rags (even a full size flag)
• small dead: pets, reptiles & rodents (mice & rats especially) don’t put the traps too close to the vent
• small alive critters – birds especially in the outdoor exhaust for the dryer vents; a kitten was lost and was found down the duct work, eyes peering back at them – was retrieved successfully but not easily.
• human and animal feces & urine residential buildings (it’s true this is a stunt my nephew pulled because he was told he couldn’t leave his room)
• human and animal feces & urine commercial buildings – homeless or contractors, one technician found a bed and table in a large commercial vent
• dirty magazines, love letters, novels, books
• jewellery which has fallen in duct work or for safe keeping in a cold air return, coin collections
• pieces of drywall & metal, leftover construction debris
• nails, screws, tacks
• rolls of partially-used duct tape
• candy: Smarties, jelly beans, M&Ms, Skittles, gum
• food: sandwiches, bananas
• children’s toys: marbles, Lego, army men, Barbie doll, even an RC helicopter was found
• craft supplies
• contraband (teenager or dealers), weapons (apparently a crazy ex boyfriend)

Our machines use 200PSI of suction power to draw out anything that could be lurking in the hidden chutes in your ceiling. We start down at the furnace level and create an access panel. If you don’t have an access panel for duct cleaning by your furnace, your ducts were never cleaned (or not cleaned properly).

We use a special unit which loosens the debris from the sides of the vents from the bottom up, then a specialized powerful industrial unit to pull the loose debris into the holding bin. We also suction the fine silt and sediment that settles at the bottom of the cold air returns, such that it doesn’t blow up and around when the furnace comes on.

Have you ever noticed you or your children sneezing when the furnace comes on? Especially if you have pets, lots of people living in the house or the previous owners, and the people before that may have never had the ducts cleaned, now is likely a good time!

Weird smell? Could be a dead thing, weed from a previous occupant, mold or mildew. As for an IAQ test (indoor air quality test)! Get real results.

Not only do we clean you ducts, cold air returns & laundry vents, we also use a medical grade all-natural disinfectant that kills, bacteria, viruses, mold, fungus, insects, fleas & dust mites, so you can sleep easier at night knowing the air you breathe in your home (11 times/minute) is fresh & pure.

Some people don’t see the value of duct cleaning, but if you have a child with allergies, you already know it’s essential to keep as clean of an air environment as you possibly can.

Have a room that’s always too cold in the winter and too hot in the summer? There is either something clogging the vents or improper calibration of the dampers on the initial install of the venting system or often times, and how the flow is balanced – sending too much air to one room and not enough to others.

You would also be amazed at how much easier the air flows when ducts are cleaned and or balanced, so air can get up to top floors (balancing of the dampers is a separate service, so be sure to state your situation at the time of inquiry).

Why not just vacuum the vents?

A great question. While a standard vacuum hose can remove visible debris from the top of the registers and surface portion of the vents, proper duct cleaning starts with access panels at the furnace level.

Take a look at the furnace; if there are no substantial access holes near the furnace duct work, then proper duct cleaning has never been done.

Professional duct cleaning equipment has extensive psi (suction) by a motor located in the commercial vehicle outside (or large portable unit), with a special device with tendrils to loosen the debris off the side of the vents.

Static electricity (cohesive forces) causes debris to be stuck to every nook in cranny and every surface inside of the duct work all the way down the shaft far beyond the reach and strength of a standard household vacuum. It continues to build up collecting more and more dust over as days, months and years pass by.

Cold air returns too, accumulate a lot of settlement, that doesn’t make it back to the furnace filter and remain on the floor of the cold air return shaft. This is often fine silt that is a common contributor to mystery coughs and allergies.

Mold, dust mites, bacteria and pathogens can stick to vent surfaces; the more moist the air in the home, the more habitable for these pathogens, professional equipment is required, as well as vent treatment after professional cleaning to ward them off for the near future.

House Fire Concerns – Debris can also settle on the heat exchanger and be a potential fire hazard, again, a standard vacuum would not have the power to handle this. Also if the clothes dryer is taking too long to dry, have the technician check the piping all the way to the exit whether at ground or roof level. It has been found a basket ball size of moist lint was compacted into the very top of a widowers roof vent! Once removed there was no more humidity in the laundry area and caregivers said the towels and sheets dried in half the time.

Previous Tenants – No one knows how many Christmas tree needles, confetti or kid toys, pet hair, dander, cigarette butts, or the like ended up at the bottom of the “vent sea” from your own family or the previous families!

Renovations: Do your kids sneeze when the furnace comes on? Did you or previous occupants do renovations? Drywall dust too is a concern for fire.

Professional Equipment – Proper professional duct cleaners will have a big truck or sizeable portable unit (for units where parking is unavailable with the large truck). They will need access to the furnace as well as each vent, as a proper cleaning will be done at both the furnace and the vents. All vents will be sealed off except for the one being worked on, and the crew will work from vent to vent, ensuring maximum pressure is used to remove any debris.

Ask to See the Debris – Proof is in the pudding: Up to 40lbs of dust is created in an average home on an annual basis. Good duct cleaning techs are more than happy to show clients how much debris was collected in their bins, to show how much the family and fur family was breathing in.

It may also make cleaning easier, without films of dust on everything. Some clients have experienced reduced heating bills too, without the furnace or air conditioner (or laundry) having to work so hard.

Commercial Duct Cleaning – What about your place of work? Not just for the home, many people spend 8 or more hours at their place of work.. It’s one thing to breath in “air” from your own family, but since the average human sheds 30,000 skin cells per hour, not to mention whatever other contaminants are in the carpet and wherever else floating around it’s often a good idea to ask when the last time duct cleaning happened in the place of employment, your kid’s school, your parents retirement facility etc.

Do you have multiple workplace facilities, franchises, homes or offices?

Canaduct’s broad range of coverage provides a huge duct cleaning service area in Southern Ontario including the Greater Toronto Area. No need to deal with multiple companies, technicians and locations. One call will solve it all.

We are a Canadian Company! For an instant free estimate, call us at 416-410-3777 fill out the form below or see our locations on our contact us page:

Types of Buildings:

• Warehouses
• Offices: high rise, low rise and ground floor
• Retail stores & Grocery stores
• Medical buildings & Hospitals
• Schools; Elementary, Secondary, Public, Private; Day-cares
• Seniors homes, long term care facilities, retirement homes
• Real estate buildings & holdings, high rises, rental properties
• Townhouses, walk-ups, low rise, homes, condos, lofts

Call us if your building isn’t listed above, we can make arrangements.

Canaduct offers fast efficient appointments for our commercial clients for these services:

• Commercial duct cleaning
• Air vent cleaning,
• Ventilation cleaning
• Dryer duct cleaning
• HVAC maintenance
• Boiler Systems
• Commercial Humidifiers
• Commercial carpet cleaning
• Indoor Air Quality Specialists
• Odour removal Specialists (powerful yet all natural treatments)
• Fire or Flood restoration

Ensure your heating and cooling systems at your home or business are operating at peak efficiency. Our air duct quality service will help you breathe clean, healthy air at work or home; saving money on energy costs and can help improve the bottom line.

Furnace Filters VS Duct Cleaning

I have a furnace filter, so why would particles blow back up through the duct work?

Because of static electricity and cohesive forces dust also gets stuck to every nook in cranny and every surface inside of the duct work, and it continues to build up collecting more and more dust over as days, months and years pass by at work and home.

The furnace filters are only designed to trap the free floating dust hairs and particles. Also, when the furnace isn’t being used, the particles that are traveling in the duct work accumulate on the sides of the ducts which can get stuck and doesn’t flow to the filter.

Dusty Film:

As is common in houses any surface that isn’t being used accumulates dust, the same is true with the venting system. While replacing your furnace filter often is a great idea, it is only just one component of working towards healthy air.

If you dust in the morning, and there’s a film by evening, look into duct cleaning sooner rather than later. It’s likely not for lack of elbow grease… if every time the furnace or air conditioning comes on if it’s poofing up dust, there’s a very good chance it needs a cleaning.

Not just the heating vents:

Cold air returns too, accumulate a lot of settlement, that doesn’t make it back to the furnace filter and remain on the floor of the cold air return shaft. This is often fine silt that is a common contributor to mystery coughs and allergies.

House Fires:

It’s not just clothes dryer vents that can cause house fires (over 16, 000 per year) but dust particles on the heat exchanger can be a factor in causing a home to burn, and unfortunately (and sadly) sometimes the people in it.

Icky Pathogens:

Mold, dust mites, bacteria and viruses can stick to vent surfaces; the more moist the air in the home, the more habitable for these pathogens. Some houses have the wrong size air conditioner, which creates excess humidity in the house.

High energy costs:

Sometimes, the vents are so coated that it makes the furnace or air conditioning work harder, and uses more energy than it needs to.

Thus, it’s best if there are ongoing problems to ask an IAQ specialist (indoor air quality specialist). There are varied and practical solutions. Is the furnace or air conditioner to small, too big, too old. Is there sneezing when the furnace comes on, or a cough that won’t go away?

Air can be tested, furnaces can be repaired, maintained, replaced. We have seen up to 60% savings on energy bills due to replacement of inefficient systems. Sometimes a furnace tune up and repair and can do wonders!

Why is that room always too cold/hot :

Have one cold room or a cold area in the house in the winter? Have that space that is always too hot in the summer? Making sure the vents are adjusted correctly by a seasoned HVAC technician can make a world of difference.

HVAC as cohesive system:

It’s more than duct work, the HVAC in a house works as a complete system, taking into consideration furnace, air conditioning, venting, moisture content, particle analysis, and more. We don’t feed our kids off dirty dishes, thus similarly we should make sure they are breathing clean air as well.

The Workplace:

Somehow we often forget that our workplaces too need clean air. You don’t just breathe at home, you breathe at work too, for the entirety of your time there, as well as the kids at their school or daycare, and even their grandparents at their retirement or long term care home. It’s a good idea to ask the health and safety committee to provide proof of when each of these places when the last time the vents were cleaned commercially.

Do you have multiple commercial or workplace facilities, franchises, shopping centers or rental homes or offices?

Canaduct’s broad range of coverage area provides an expansive duct cleaning service area in Southern Ontario including the Greater Toronto Area.

No need to hassle with multiple companies, technicians and locations. One call will solve it all.

Canaduct offers fast efficient appointments for our commercial clients for these services:

• Commercial duct cleaning
• Air vent cleaning,
• Ventilation cleaning
• Dryer duct cleaning
• HVAC maintenance
• Boiler Systems
• Commercial Humidifiers
• Commercial carpet cleaning
• Indoor Air Quality Specialists
• Odour removal Specialists (powerful yet all natural treatments)
• Fire or Flood restoration

Types of Buildings:

• Warehouses
• Offices: high rise, low rise and ground floor
• Retail stores & Grocery stores
• Medical buildings & Hospitals
• Schools; Elementary, Secondary, Public, Private; Day-cares
• Seniors homes, long term care facilities, retirement homes
• Real estate buildings & holdings, high rises, rental properties
• Townhouses, walk-ups, low rise, homes, condos, lofts

Call us if your building isn’t listed above, we can make arrangements.

Our 8 Point Inspection is a thorough cleaning procedure, making sure that all dust mites, pollen, mold and allergens are removed. You’ll sleep better at night, and be more alert and productive at work, thanks to Canaduct Commercial Duct Cleaning’s 15+ years of experience.

We are a Canadian Company! For an instant free estimate, call us at 416-410-3777 fill out the form below or see our locations on our contact us page:

Don’t Live in Someone Else’s Grime… Move in Duct Cleaning, HVAC Cleaning and Carpet Steaming

You love your new home, and you want it to be safe for your family. But who knows what kind of dust, dirt, dander, spores, pet hair or other unmentionables are lurking behind the walls from the previous occupants, ready to spew out when the furnace or air comes on.

If you’ve ever gotten a cold in summer, there’s a good chance you had a stationary fan blowing on you the day before (maybe at a friend or relatives place, or cottage). The reality is most home-owners never clean their ceiling or portable fans, which are a magnet for mould, bacteria & viruses. These need to be cleaned one a year with soap & water, alcohol or vinegar.

When you pull out your oscillating fans in spring, make sure you clean them before use, and put them on reciprocate so that it’s not always blowing on you. If you can catch a cold from a ceiling fan in just one year of dust accumulation, why wouldn’t you think it could be possible to get it from a furnace/central air system that’s on for several months of the year, and hardly ever cleaned?  When was the last time the office fan or central air system at work was cleaned – talk to you Health & Safety department to keep your workplace health issues from spreading.

Not just vents, but carpet too, all the same things as above and maybe more.  Removing someone else’s mystery stains and any odours before your kids play on the floor would be even more things for you to do when moving in. You’re probably an awesome cleaner, but having it professionally done, ensures a deep clean with commercial equipment that elbow grease alone couldn’t muster.

Even new homes can have drywall dust and silt that settled in the bottom of the cold air returns, which could poof all over your furnishings, the first chance it gets. Did you just renovate? As good as you did on the clean up; it’s amazing what makes it down into the vents.

Clothes dryer vents are the leading cause of home fires, even if you’re diligent about cleaning the lint trap, who knows if the previous owner(s) were? It’s amazing what gets trapped in those pipes over the years. We do lots to keep our kids and family safe, and this should be one of them.

Does the house have a weird smell? A customer focused duct cleaning company with IAQ (indoor air quality) certification will spray the vents once cleaned with a non-toxic commercial grade odor control comprised of essential oils, to ensure your new house smells fresh and clean.

While you’re at it, considered having the furnace or HVAC maintained and cleaned prior to move-in. There’s no sense having your kids sneeze every time the furnace or air conditioner comes on. Making sure there are no gas or oil leaks, no critters to stink up the house, and maintenance that it can operate at peak efficiency, is good for peace of mind.

Having clean vents and HVAC is not only safer for your family, and help prevent fires, but could also save money, by not having to force air through constricted vents.

In a condo? No problem, we duct clean high rise condos, apartments, office buildings, warehouses, retail shops and all kinds of spaces.

Have commercial properties? We do that too! We service a broad coverage area across Southern Ontario Burlington – Scugog – including: Milton, Halton Hills, Oakville, Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, King, Newmarket, Markham, Pickering, Bradford, Georgina, East Gwillimbury, Uxbridge, Oshawa and more)

With multiple technicians and can handle various commercial properties simultaneously. Let us handle the project management for cleaning and maintaining your HVAC, duct work, boilers, odor removal services, carpet cleaning, IAQ, fire & flood restoration and related services, and let you get back to doing what you do best.

If You Need Duct Cleaning Near Me – Call Today 416-410-3777 to ensure you’re scheduled before your move in date near one of our many local offices!

About Us:

Canaduct Duct Cleaning is widely recognized over the last 10+ years for our commitment to serving our customers while staying friendly to the environment. We have a history of excellence and dedication to our clients, providing professional and high-quality duct cleaning services across Southern Ontario.

We are NADCA Certified