FAQ
What is NADCA?The National Air Duct Cleaners Association was formed in 1989 to institute industry standards and credentialing programs for the HVAC industry. The need for industry standards was addressed in 1992 with the adoption of performance based standards. Recently the NADCA standards have been adopted by Japan and several European nations.
In 1995, the NADCA standards council released microbial contamination standards. In 2001 the standard specifications for cleaning and restoration of HVAC systems, and in 2003 requirements for testing vacuum collection equipment were released.
Make certain that both the company you deal with and the technician that performs your work are NADCA certified. NADCA only requires one person at a company be certified. Monster Vac requires all technicians to be both NADCA and EPA certified.
How can some companies meet NADCA standards and leave your HVAC filthy?A company does not have to follow or clean to NADCA standards in order to maintain NADCA certification. They don’t have to follow the processes they demonstrated knowledge about in order to remain certified. They can cut corners, skip steps all together, and contaminate your home or building and still maintain certification.
While they may be “certified” whether or not they actually follow and clean to NADCA standards is a different matter. Some of the NADCA standards you should be most concerned with are:
NADCA standards 5.1, 5.2 HVAC Duct Pressurization, Pressure Differential Requirements: This section deals with enough suction being created in the system to prevent contaminants in the portion of your duct being cleaned from spreading to other parts of the system and or the living spaces of your home or building. This is called cross contamination. Monster Vac has the most powerful truck mounted equipment in the business-powerful enough to create the suction required to prevent cross contamination.
NADCA standard 5.3 Cleaning Equipment: This standard also addresses cross-contamination. All cleaning equipment should be free of someone else’s dirt and germs before your house or business is cleaned. Monster Vac cleans their equipment before every job.
NADCA standard 6.2:Duct Systems: Monster Vac provides you with visual proof your system is clean in 14 critical areas before you pay us and before we leave.
NADCA standard 6.3 Coil Surface Cleaning: Cleaning the furnace unit and evaporator coil is perhaps the most important step in the HVAC cleaning process. It is the step that receives the least amount of attention from most air duct cleaning companies. Most companies simply wipe the outside of the cabinet and call that good. Monster Vac is the only HVAC system cleaning company to use an 8 step, pressurized wet cleaning process.
If you use someone other than Monster Vac they may leave you in the Dust!
What is an "air handling unit"?It’s all the mechanical components in your HVAC, plus the filters. It should all be cleaned includes the fan or blower, heating and cooling coils, regulator controls, condensate drain pans, and air filters.
The US Department of Energy recommends you check and or clean your Air Conditioning coils once a year. Duct cleaning companies generally do not clean the AC coils. Most do not even have the equipment to do it.
Your coil looks a lot like a radiator which air passes through. There is a filter before the air gets to it, however even the best filters do not get everything. Eventually dirt and grime clog the coil if it is not cleaned. This causes the air conditioning unit to run less efficiently using more energy. This places more pressure on the system causing mechanical breakdowns.
Use Monster Vac and you will breathe cleaner air save energy and have your AC system or unit last longer with fewer breakdowns.
What standards of certification and training should technicians have?There is very little government oversight of the duct cleaning industry. You see ads in the newspaper hear them on the radio of companies offering whatever price to clean your ducts. Your rule of thumb is Caveat Emptor.
Insist on NADCA certification of both the company you are dealing with and the individual tech that performs the work. .You must also require that all work is performed to NADCA standards, and that they have it in writing. You should also insist on EPA certification.
If these requirements are not met you will invariably end up not having your system cleaned, and settle for paying for a less filthy system. You will also likely end up with a low suction application resulting in your system cross contaminated to some degree.
Generally air duct cleaning companies do not properly clean your furnace let alone touch your evaporator coil. Often they do not even have the equipment to do so. This means you have paid money to breathe dirty air and guarantee that your air conditioning system will run less efficiently and break down sooner than it should.
If you find a company that actually will be cleaning your coil, ask them what they would do if a leak occurs? Cleaning the coil can be a delicate operation because the AC lines are often old or fragile. If not properly done, lines can be damaged –and result in a hazardous refrigerant leak into your home. Do they know how to “pump down” an AC unit? If they say they would call another company to deal with the problem…it’s too late. If a leak occurs, all of the refrigerant will leak out of the system in as little as an hour.
All Monster Vac Technicians are NADCA and EPA certified, and licensed to handle and recover refrigerants according to EPA regulations. Demand that your techs performing the job are both NADCA and EPA certified.
Why is suction power and negative pressure necessary?Without sufficient suction power, the HVAC system cleaning company cleaning your house or building can’t get your system clean. In the parlance of the industry this is called capture velocity. If they don’t have sufficient suction power there is a substantial chance of cross contamination. When your house is cross contaminated filthy debris won’t be totally removed from the part of the system being cleaned and portions can end up in other parts of the system or inside your home or building.
There needs to be enough negative pressure so that when dislodged it will be removed from your system and not enter your house or building. There is a large percentage of HVAC cleaning companies that don’t meet NADCA’s minimum standards.
For those companies that passed the NADCA certification test, and know what capture velocities are required to get your system cleaned, why doesn’t their equipment meet even minimum NADCA standards? How can they protect you against cross contamination with the underpowered equipment they use?
Don’t waste your money. Make certain the company you use exceeds 4,500 cubic feet per minute escape velocity. Monster Vac’s Trucks idle at 21,000 cubic feet per minute.
Why is air conditioning coil cleaning vital?Most people know that they need to change the filters on their air conditioning system on an ongoing basis. Changing your filters could be a waste of time if you do not disassemble the sheet metal cover of your furnace, remove the evaporator coil and clean it.
The US Department of Energy recommends you inspect your coil a minimum of once per year and keep it clean. When your system is in operation, air passes through the filter and over the coil. Some people say your coil looks something like a radiator; it’s a network of coils. Not even the best filters can stop all the dust and particles from reaching your evaporative coil. Over time, these particles and dust adhere to your coils surface. It does not take a lot to begin to reduce your coils, and thus your systems efficiency. One hundredth of an inch accumulation can result in a 20% decrease in your system’s efficiency.
As debris builds up on your coil it becomes clogged. This in turn makes your system work harder using more energy and increasing the pressure on the system. This increased pressure fosters breakdowns in your system such as your pump. The buildup also makes a wonderful medium to grow molds and bacteria…and if it’s in your system it will end up in your lungs.
Very few duct companies disassemble the cabinet and clean your coil. Very few even have the equipment to do it. Most of those HVAC companies that do address the coil just wipe off the surface.
NADCA (National Airduct Cleaners Association) standard 6.3 reads:
All portions of the coil assembly must be cleaned. Both upstream and downstream sides of the coil shall be assessed for cleaning.
Cleaning of the coil requires multiple steps including compressed air and washing. The companies that are NADCA certified know that the evaporator coil must be cleaned in order for the system to be considered clean. In fact they must know it to pass the certification test. NADCA standard 6.3 also states the following:
"Coils with microbial contamination shall be wet process cleaned."
If NADCA certified air duct cleaning companies must know this standard in order to pass the certification test, why are they choosing not to clean to NADCA standards?
Monster Vac uses an 8 step evaporator coil pressurized wet cleaning process that a HVAC contractor will charge $450-to $800-more than Monster Vac charges to clean your entire system.
Demand that your AC Evaporator Coil be cleaned as part of your HVAC system cleaning service.
Should I choose Monster Vac to clean my HVAC system?Our customers tell us that having their Heating Ventilating Air Conditioning system properly cleaned has reduced their household dust. We, at Monster Vac, hear from our customers about how their allergy and asthma symptoms have been greatly reduced by having Monster Vac clear their HVAC of molds and allergens.
Along with better indoor air quality come other benefits such as more airflow and better delivery of warm air and air conditioning, reduction in energy costs and money saved by fewer HVAC breakdowns.
The Innovative Marketing And Management Group did an industry study and found critical characteristics somebody looking for an HVAC cleaning company should include in their selection.
NADCA Certification: The National Airduct Cleaners Association The Company you select must be a member. Furthermore NADCA only requires that one person at the company be certified. You should demand that the person cleaning your system be certified. Monster Vac and all Monster Vac technicians are NADCA certified.
Cleaning To NADCA Standard: A company can be NADCA certified yet not clean to NADCA standards. They can cut corners even skip steps all together. Monster Vac does everything to NADCA standards. Make sure your HVAC cleaning company uses equipment that generates sufficient suction and can demonstrate they have the required pressure differential. You should also demand that your HVAC cleaning company uses clean sanitized equipment, and perhaps most important ….they clean your evaporator coil with a pressure wash.
EPA Technicians: The Company you select should be EPA certified and licensed to handle and recover refrigerants in case of a mishap. All Monster Vac Tech’s are EPA certified and licensed to handle and recover refrigerants.
Disassemble Plenum To Clean Coil: Make certain the company you choose includes the cleaning of your AC coil. To do this they need to remove the cover (plenum) to clean the coil. If they are not doing this you are paying for an incomplete an ineffective job.
Correctly Clean Your Coil: Make certain the company you choose, if they even bother to clean your coil does it properly. Taking a rag and wiping off the front surface of the coil is not cleaning the coil! They should clean all portions of your AC coil, both upstream and downstream portions. Often coils have microbial contamination, you should assume your AC coil has microbial contamination, and have it cleaned using a pressurized wet cleaning process…no exceptions!
Have The HVAC Cleaning Company Clean Your Air Handling Unit: This means they should remove and clean the motor/blower, clean the burners as well as remove the heat exchanger and clean it. While they are conducting all the previous they should clean both the inside and outside of your furnace compartment just like monster Vac does. Always require visual proof that the job has been properly done.
Make Certain The Company You Choose Has Sufficient Suction: Without sufficient suction power a HVAC cleaning company can’t get your system clean. Require written proof that the company you select has at least 4500 cubic feet per minute suction. If they don’t they are not cleaning to NADCA standards.. You are also running the risk of cross contaminating your system if there is not enough suction. Monster Vac uses a truck mounted system that idles at 21,000 cubic feet per minute.
Your HVAC Cleaning Company Should Have Multiple Tools & Methodologies: Experienced HVAC cleaning companies know that 1 fact is true: It is unrealistic to expect that 1 tool or 1 methodology will work for all environments they encounter. A quality HVAC company will have all the tools and methodologies available to them. Any company you use should have direct contact methods, central collection or negative air methods, hand agitation, mechanical agitation and compressed air. They should always use clean sanitized equipment so they can get your system clean, not just less filthy. Monster Vac utilizes all methodologies and tools as needed.
You Should Get Visual Proof That Your System Has Been Cleaned: Your cleaning company should offer you visual proof that your system has been cleaned-using visual, video or photo proof before you write them a check. Some companies offer to show you how much debris came out of the system. Some companies send you a photo in the mail of part of the system that’s easy to get to. Don’t be fooled. The photo could be of someone else’s system and your system could still be dirty. Demand that you be shown visual proof for at least 14 critical areas that do not usually get cleaned:
2 supply branches — Full Length
2 Return Branches — Full Length
Supply Trunk Line — Full Length
Return Trunk Line — Full Length
Motor /Blower Assembly
Blower Compartment
AC Evaporator Coils — Top
AC Evaporator Coils — Bottom
Heat Exchanger — Top
Heat Exchanger — Bottom
Condensate Drain Pan and Burner Compartment
Without definite proof that these areas are CLEAN, you could be left with a system that is just . . . LESS FILTHY!
How can Monster Vac reduce my energy bills?The US Department of Energy calculates that one hundredth of an inch accumulation of material on your evaporative coil can reduce energy efficiency by 20%. The DOE recommends it gets checked at least once per year. Industry surveys such as Wisconsin Public Service put the additional energy costs of a dirty condenser coil at an average $250 per year.
If you have not had your coil cleaned not only are you wasting energy, you are adding pressure on your whole air conditioning system. This additional pressure will lead to premature breakdowns and costly repairs.
When you have your system Monster Vac’d, you will not only be saving energy . . .you will save on repairs and breathe cleaner air.
What equipment must be used?Experienced HVAC cleaning companies know that 1 fact is true: It is unrealistic to expect that one tool or 1 methodology will work for all environments they encounter.
A quality HVAC cleaning company should possess the resources and tools to perform direct contact methods, central collection or negative air methods, hand agitation, mechanical agitation, and compressed air. Your HVAC cleaning company should clean all instruments and place them in a sealed container so that you are assured they are not contaminated with somebody else’s debris.
Require your HVAC cleaning company to have all the equipment available so your system gets clean, not just less filthy!
Is visual proof needed before I write a check?Your cleaning company should offer proof your system is clean by offering visual proof the system is clean-using visual, video or photo proof before you write them a check.
Some companies offer to show you how much debris came out of the system. Some companies send you a photo in the mail of one part of the system that’s easy to get to. Don’t be fooled. The photo could be someone else’s system, and your system could still be dirty.
Demand that you be shown visual proof for at least 14 critical areas that don’t usually get cleaned:
2 supply branches — full length
2 return branches — full length
Supply trunk line — full length
Return trunk line — full length
Motor/blower assembly
Blower compartment
AC evaporator coils — Top
AC evaporator coils — Bottom
Heat Exchanger — Top
Heat Exchanger — Bottom
Condensate Drain Pan
Burner Compartment
Without definitive proof that these areas are CLEAN, you could be left with a system that is just . . . LESS FILTHY!
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