Indoor Air Quality

Here at Ness LLC, we believe in Life Restored. And since statistics show that 90% of our time is spent indoors, the quality of the air that you are breathing every day is a big deal. There are multiple issues in almost every house that can contribute to an unhealthy living environment. We offer a Full System Indoor Air Quality Tune Up for your home. Clogged dyer vents, leaky and dirty duct work, mold and unmaintained filtration systems can all be a factor. Since your ducts contain the main circulation of the air in your home, An entire HVAC cleaning process can be vital to achieve and maintain excellent indoor air quality. We don’t just clean out buildup in the ducts, we also clean the furnace, and replace the filter, all the while maintaining negative air pressure that helps remove suspended particles that are stirred up. This process can help to improve the efficiency of your HVAC system, and help you breathe easier.

Showing the importance of Indoor Air Quality from Ness LLC on Vimeo.

Indoor Air Quality is a big part of healthy living.

Ness Standard

-We will be on time.
-We will provide a complete system inspection and evaluation before work will start to insure all ducting is connected and in proper physical and working condition.
-All technicians will deliver legendary service to insure the highest quality workmanship available.
-All technicians are clean cut and highly trained. There is no smoking or tobacco use on the property, ever. There is no foul language, or improper conversation. Boot covers are always worn when inside the home.
-Guaranteed straight forward pricing, no hard sales or high pressure. We will not use duct cleaning to promote the means of unnecessary or unwanted products or services.
-All necessary floors, carpet, electronics and family items will be covered with drop cloths, and protected through the entire cleaning process. To keep your home safe and clean.
-Each supply duct and return is given individual attention and cleaned from the register all the way to the main line.
-We can do a visual inspection at any time with our video inspection camera, for our clients to show actual contaminants with the HVAC system.
-All registers and air return grills are removed and cleaned.
-We can provide you with 3-5 references that we have provided service for within the last 30 days.
-All duct work, plenums and return air vents are scrubbed with the air care brush/vacuum system.
-Negative air pressure is applied to the system to remove all excess debris that is stirred up.
-Furnace cabinet is opened up, and cleaned of dust and debris.
-The ducts are misted with an antimicrobial mist.
-New filters are installed.
-All vent registers are reinstalled and furniture and items returned to prior locations.
-The furnace is tested for proper function upon completion.

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Why does Indoor Air Quality matter?

The American Lung Association recommends that the first line of defense against indoor air pollution is finding ways to keep the pollutants from being added to the air in the first place. This is known as source control. Appropriate ventilation with clean fresh air can also reduce levels of indoor air pollutants. Finally, while air cleaning devices can be useful, they are no substitute for preventing the air from getting dirty in the first place.

The air quality of our indoor environments effects our health and often contributes to structural degradation and building failures within our homes.

Consider the Facts

• According to the American Lung Association of Minnesota, elements within our home and workplaces have been increasingly recognized as threats to our respiratory health. The most common pollutants are radon, combustion products, biologicals (molds, pet dander, pollen), volatile organic compounds, lead dust and asbestos.
• The Environmental Protection Agency lists poor indoor air quality as the fourth largest environmental threat to our country.
• There are an estimated 40 million individuals in the United States who are affected by allergies. Learning how to control a homes environment to reduce allergen levels is important for managing allergies and asthma. Individuals who suffer from asthma, or have other respiratory illness may potentially be at a greater risk for health complications associated with poor air quality in their homes.
• The prevalence rate of pediatric asthma has increased from 40.1 to 69.1,—a 72.3 percent increase. Asthma is the sixth ranking chronic condition in our nation and the leading serious chronic illness of children in the U.S.
• In the house, poor indoor air quality can result in structural rot within the walls and attic and around window framing from excess moisture.
• Common pollutants can enter our houses through air leaks in the structure.
• Common housing problems or failures that occur in our homes include: musty odors and mold growth, window condensation, structural rot, peeling paint, back-drafting appliances, damp basements and ice dams, or build-up of ice on the roofs edge, and high utility costs.

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Post Cleaning Consumer Checklist from the US EPA website, in discussion about air duct cleaning.

General

• Did the service provider obtain access to and clean the entire heating and cooling system, including duct work and all components (drain pans, humidifiers, coils, and fans)?
• Has the service provider adequately demonstrated that duct work and plenums are clean? (Plenum is a space in which supply or return air is mixed or moves; can be duct, joist space, attic and crawl spaces, or wall cavity.)

Heating

• Is the heat exchanger surface visibly clean?

Cooling Components

• Are both sides of the cooling coil visibly clean?
• If you point a flashlight into the cooling coil, does light shine through the other side? It should if the coil is clean.
• Are the coil fins straight and evenly spaced (as opposed to being bent over and smashed together)?
• Is the coil drain pan completely clean and draining properly?
• Are the blower blades clean and free of oil and debris?

Blower

• Is the blower compartment free of visible dust or debris?

Plenum

•  Is the return air plenum free of visible dust or debris?
• Do filters fit properly and are they the proper efficiency as recommended by HVAC system manufacturer?
• Is the supply air plenum (directly downstream of the air handling unit) free of moisture stains and contaminants?

Metal Ducts

• Are interior duct work surfaces free of visible debris? (Select several sites at random in both the return and supply sides of the system.)

Fiber glass

•  Is all fiber glass material in good condition (i.e., free of tears and abrasions; well adhered to underlying materials)?

Access Doors

• Are newly installed access doors in sheet metal ducts attached with more than just duct tape (e.g., screws, rivets, mastic, etc.)?
• With the system running, is air leakage through access doors or covers very slight or non-existent?

Air Vents

• Have all registers, grilles, and diffusers been firmly reattached to the walls, floors, and/or ceilings?
• Are the registers, grilles, and diffusers visibly clean?

System Operation

• Does the system function properly in both the heating and cooling modes after cleaning?

For more information on duct cleaning visit the  Environmental Protection Agency’s Website.

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The National Air Duct Cleaners Association’s (NADCA) residential cleaning evaluation, to be informed on what you should be looking for when you get your duct system cleaned.

1. Will the contractor conduct a thorough inspection of your system PRIOR to performing any work and alert you to any problems? This is required by the current NADCA ACR Standard.

2. Is the HVAC system fully operational prior to cleaning?

3. Clean Supply Ductwork

• Clean Return Air Ductwork
• For Metal Ductwork: Q: Are interior ductwork surfaces free of visible debris? (Select several sites at random in both the return and supply sides of the system.)
• For Fiberglass, or Fiber-lined, Ductwork or Ductboard: Q: Is all fiberglass or lining material in good condition (i.e., free of tears and abrasions; well adhered to the interior of the duct)?

4. Remove, Clean and Reset:

• Supply Registers
• Return Air Grilles
• Q: Are the registers, grilles, and diffusers visibly clean?
• Q: Are all the registers, grilles, and diffusers properly reset?

5. Access and Clean:

• Supply Air Plenum
• Return Air Plenum
• Q: Is the supply plenum (directly downstream of the air handling unit) free of moisture stains and contaminants?

6. Install Access Panels as Needed: Q: Are access panels properly sealed according to the NADCA ACR Standard?

7. Clean Airstream Side of Heat Exchanger

8. Clean Secondary Heat Exchanger

• Q: Was proper access made to the heat exchanger?

9. Remove, Clean and Reinstall

• Blower Motor, Housing & Assembly
• Q: Are the blower blades clean and free of oil and debris?
• Q: Is the blower compartment free of visible dust and debris?

10. Clean Evaporator Coil, Drain and Pan

11. Q: Which cleaning method was used?

12. Type 1: Contact vacuum, brush, or air wash

13. Type 2: Use coil cleaning chemicals and water

14. Q: Are both sides of the cooling coil visibly clean?

15. Q: If you point a flashlight into the cooling coil, does light shine through? It should if the coil is clean.

16. Q: Are the coil fins straight and evenly spaced (as opposed to being bent over and smashed together).

17. Q: Is the coil drain pan clean and draining properly?

18. Replace air filter

19. Q: Do filters fit properly and are they the proper efficiency as recommended by the HVAC system manufacturer?

20.Wash air cleaner.

21. If no to any of the services listed above, why not?

22. Is the HVAC system operating properly after cleaning?

Visit NADCA’s webiste at http://www.nadca.com/ for more information on duct cleaning.