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can flex duct be cleaned?

bad_sander | Posted in Energy, Heating & Insulation on January 11, 2007 07:30am

We recently had a small fire in our house that didn’t cause too much fire damaged but lots of smoke damage. The heater was running during the fire, so the furnace and duct work definitely need to be cleaned or replaced. The house was built in ’58 and remodeled once. Apparently there are 3 different brands/vintages of flex duct in the house.

I’ve now spoken to four professionals and gotten varying answers about how to handle the ductwork, and I’m trying to sort out the truth. Should we try to clean the flex duct or replace it? If we replace it, should we replace it with more flex duct or use metal? My wife and I hope to stay in this house forever, so we want to do what’s right for the long term.

Advice I’ve gotten from 4 professionals:
1. A duct cleaner/installer says: flex duct can’t be cleaned properly — must be replaced.
2. An indoor air quality consultant with no vested interest (i.e. does not do any of the work, cleaning or installing) says: flex duct can’t be cleaned.
3. A cleaner installer says: flex duct can be cleaned. He uses a rotary brush with a camera mounted on the end, not a vacuum truck.
4. A cleaner installer says: flex duct can be cleaned. He uses a vacuum truck and some agitators to dislodge debris. He also comments that rotary brushes can’t be used in flex duct because they’ll tear it up.

Can anyone help me sort this out?

Thanks,
Peter

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Replies

  1. User avater
    IMERC | Jan 11, 2007 08:23pm | #1

    replace it, cleaning can turn it into swiss cheese...

    Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming

    WOW!!! What a Ride!
    Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!

  2. ovolo | Jan 11, 2007 08:37pm | #2

    interesting... I did have a Ultra Clean contractor do all the 8" flexi duct recently on a reno and while I did not actually inspect the inside of the pipes but watching them and the dirt coming out.. .and now heat seems to be working fine. Also the occupant has no more allergy / dust complaints..

    It was just brushes on the end of flex vacuum hose. Maybe I should go back and run my hands inside the flexi duct lining.

    arthur

    http://www.thesmallbuildingcompany.com
  3. Geoffrey | Jan 11, 2007 08:46pm | #3

     I'd go with the replacement and I'd do it with hard pipe (metal) not flex, If your staying in the house for the long haul  you'll probably need to (or should)   have the duct cleaned sometime down the road and it sounds to me like cleaning flex is difficult at best and damaging and /or  incomplete at worst,

                                                                                          Geoff  

  4. User avater
    BillHartmann | Jan 11, 2007 10:23pm | #4

    I suspect that the difference whether you are talking about cleaning or cleaning.

    I suspect that a soft brush and vac can be used to get DUST and DEBRE out.

    But from the fire you have chemcials that are deposited and the surface. They would require hard scrubing and/or chemicals.

    .
    .
    A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.

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