How to Estimate Duct Work
The quality of your indoor air is most often related to the quality of your ventilation system. Whether you are trying to keep your home or office with clean air, keeping the air ducts clean is the easiest way to eliminate bad odors and reduce the potential for mold growth.
- Locate the duct system. If you are in a residential building, many duct systems can be easily accessed inside a basement or in the attic. However, they can also be located inside a crawl space. In a commercial building, the duct system could be located on the exterior or the interior of the building. Refer to the layout of the building to find its exact location.
- Find out the exact number of registers, also referred to as air supply outlets, which need to be cleaned. After you know this number, you will want factor in the accessibility of each of the registers that are attached to the ducts. The accessibility of the registers has an effect on how the ducts need to be cleaned.
- Review the system to ensure that it does not contain asbestos. Any asbestos-containing materials found will require a specialized procedure for cleaning and should not be factored into an estimate.
- Consider both the age and size of the building to determine how long it will take to clean the entire system. In an older building, there is a higher potential of having much more buildup in the ventilation system than you would find in a newer building. In a commercial building, you will have a bigger system than in a residential building.