Slideshow: Why HVAC Systems are Surprisingly Dirty in a New Home
Duct cleaner shares his before and after photos from a system that accumulated heavy levels of dust through the construction process
(Courtesy of Full Throttle Furnace & Duct Cleaning Inc.)
When you have no choice but to run HVAC during a new home construction, newly minted ductwork can accumulate so much dust that it reduces static pressure, the force that it takes to move air, by 90% within just a few weeks of move in for a new home. Filters designed to last months are overwhelmed by the indoor dust storm caused by the combination of dry walling and air circulation.
Owner of Full Throttle Furnace & Duct Cleaning Inc. Clint Orr, ASCS, CVI, discovered this after inspecting his own HVAC system three weeks after move in day, March 2020. The “dust settling period” – a milestone that varies from new home to new home – had mostly come to a close. He said he wanted to set a “proper baseline” for the system, because when HVAC systems run at optimal parameters, they generally require less maintenance and last longer.
“The before and after pictures of the coil say it all,” Orr said, adding that he had his employees treat his home as they would any customer’s. When they took static pressure, they determined the system required a full cleaning.
“Just because it's new ductwork doesn't mean that it doesn't need to be cleaned,” Orr said, adding that general inspections usually don’t scratch the surface on the holistic status of ductwork. Specialized inspections, even on new homes, are necessary and help consumers address defects before taking on the occupancy permit.
Orr touts the services of the National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA) CVI-certified ventilation inspectors as well as mechanical inspectors and contractors.
“The CVI certification enables our NADCA members to focus on a higher level of inspection. Static pressure readings help to quantify the HVAC cleaning process for all kinds of environments such as commercial, institutional and residential,” Orr said.
His NADCA-certified lead tech cut access openings in order to run various agitation tools in conjunction with high-powered portable HEPA vacuums. This is the "push-pull method.” He had his employees photograph and caption the process for the posterity of future inspectors and contractors, just as he has done for all customers.
By providing detailed reports with "before and after" photos, NADCA contractors provide their customers a higher level of understanding of the cleanliness of their HVAC system. This detail can often provide mechanical contractors a look into the system down the road should there be mechanical/operational issues.
“The static pressure readings can detail what the coil’s optimal operating pressures were and help to guide the HVAC contractor down the right path to resolve the issue,” Orr said. “The static pressure base line can save the customer money by potentially speeding up diagnosis and repair.”
Orr cites industry standards for residential coils, which show a baseline static pressure of around 0.5 inches. “Some factors that may cause this to vary would be system design and installation, but this is a good number to start with,” he said.
“Inspections and cleanings by NADCA member companies will provide a guide for home owners, facility managers and commercial building operators,” Orr concluded. “The data collected and the before and after photos will give many different people the opportunity to cross reference the system months or years after the inspection and cleaning were completed.”
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