XP: Duct cleaning - is this a good deal?

[IIOY]

This is the description of a Living Social deal that a local company has for $50. Is this worth it? I know *nothing* about duct cleaning but it has been on my radar since I recently realized that I need to clean the dryer vent.

"Includes the cleaning of an unlimited number of vents, one main duct, one return vent, chimney inspection, one access panel, air duct deodorizer, and dryer vent up to six feet"

[casmgn]

You can clean the dryer vent very easily yourself.

[IIOY]

That's actually on my to-do list for today. :-)

I'm wondering about the rest of this. Is it worth it? What does a duct cleaning usually include?

[casmgn]

Not sure but I know I have read that professional duct cleaning is kind of a scam.

[IIOY]

Jan 28, 2013 7:41:50 GMT -5 casmgn said:

Not sure but I know I have read that professional duct cleaning is kind of a scam.

Yeah, I'm doing some research now and the consensus seems to be that unless you have an obvious problem, this is a waste of money.

[runblondie26]

We had all our vents cleaned right before we moved into our house a few years ago, just as a precaution since we were about to be bringing a newborn home.

We paid $300 for the whole house using somene we found on Craig's List. We were quoted up to $600 by places like ServePro. I'd be a little cautious about how much you're really getting at $50, but if you're mainly concerned after the dryer vent, then it's worth a shot.

It didn't seem bad to the naked eye. The amount of stuff they flushed out was incredible.  

[thatgirl2478]

From my experience, yes, $50 is a good deal and yes duct cleaning is worth it.

I was shocked at how much crap they pulled from our ducts & returns - it was nasty. They put a camera in to show me what it was like before & after cleaning, so I know they were gross.

[cosmowife]

Ours was over $400 for the whole house. He told me why those $50 deals were rip offs, but I don't remember why. Although $50 just for the dryer vent is pretty good! Something about one main duct makes the offer not valid for anyone who has a zoned system.

[IIOY]

Gah! Now I'm getting confused since y'all think the $50 is worth it alone for the dryer, LOL! The summary of the work says it includes the dryer vent only up to 6 feet, so I'm thinking they won't actually do a complete job. I may call to find out, although I'm such a cheapie at heart that I may not be able to stomach $50 for something that I should be able to do by myself with a leaf blower.

And cosmowife, if you remember why they are a rip-off, PLEASE let me know.

[mae141]

We paid $300 and that included the dryer vent.

[UnderProtest]

I paid $125 for just the dryer vent.

[Deleted]

I got some quotes on duct cleaning in the fall. Everything was in the $800 to $1200 range. (We did not get it done.) Another friend in my area got similar quotes.

I am not convinced duct cleaning is necessary anyway except in extreme cases but even if I wanted it done I would be wary of a price that low.

[steph96]

The cheap ones are a rip off because they usually just stick a shop vac in the vents.

A good duct cleaning will cost much more.

[dexteroni]

We used a Groupon for duct cleaning last year; there were additional charges over and above that price (ours was more than $50), but I can't remember why.  But they told us about them when we called to make the appointment, so it seemed on the up and up. One they got there, it did turn out that the Groupon was worded in a way that made it seem like we wouldn't be charged for something they usually charge for, so I had to debate that. The poor tech was like "yeah, I've been hearing this all day, it's fine" and you could tell he was so over talking about it. lol.

The reason we had it done was because our furnace installers recommended it. They said our ducts seemed pretty dusty, and since their company doesn't do duct cleaning and aren't affiliated with a duct-cleaning company, we figured they didn't really have a reason to say that if it wasn't true. And I have noticed a lot less dust buildup this winter, so hopefully that has contributed to it.

[cosmowife]

Jan 28, 2013 9:26:24 GMT -5 IIOY said:

Gah! Now I'm getting confused since y'all think the $50 is worth it alone for the dryer, LOL! The summary of the work says it includes the dryer vent only up to 6 feet, so I'm thinking they won't actually do a complete job. I may call to find out, although I'm such a cheapie at heart that I may not be able to stomach $50 for something that I should be able to do by myself with a leaf blower.

And cosmowife, if you remember why they are a rip-off, PLEASE let me know.

I don't remember exactly, sorry!  I do think it had something to do with limitations on main trunk lines and probably the equipment used.  I just remembered one more thing as well - one company told me to be cautious if you have a flexible dryer line (like the bendy metal pipes versus a rigid pipe) because some companies use a brush that can tear the line and put holes in it. 

[annabear07]

Lurker here. I got the $50 deal through either Living Social or Groupon and it was a little bit of a scam. The $50 was just to get them to the house and then it was another $300 for the cleaning. That being said it was a quality duct cleaning that made our HVAC more effective and the house a little less dusty. But beware of the upsale!

[twodogsandababy]

I called around about this a few months ago. The cheap places usually only clean about ten feet of duct work from the vent with something like a shop vac. The more expensive ones bring out a big vacuum truck and hook it up to the vents and get all the guts while closing off all the other vents. We will be doing the more expensive one soon and I am very excited about it.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using proboards

[aspentosh]

Jan 28, 2013 7:41:50 GMT -5 casmgn said:

Not sure but I know I have read that professional duct cleaning is kind of a scam.

I haven't read all the replies, but I agree with this. Ducts are square/rectangular and the brushes they use are round. It doesn't clean well.

[IIOY]

I didn't realize this thread had been revived!

Thank you for all your thoughts. I passed on the deal.

[cosmowife]

We had some serious duct cleaning done to our new house after the renovation. It cost us over $1000, if I remember. They actually sent this really skinny, short guy INTO our return vent (hooked up to oxygen) and he pulled the vacuum all the way through while wiggling on his belly. It was CRAZY.