acableconnection 0 Posted October 25, 2008 Im putting a camera on a fiberglass fish tape to check out how dirty my hvac ducts are. (having a baby in 8 weeks) anyone done this before? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CollinR 0 Posted October 25, 2008 Might try an RC car, you could make a follower cable strong enough to pull the sucker back if you had to. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
acableconnection 0 Posted October 25, 2008 well,my house is only 11oo sq ft, so the ducts are only 10' or so.. some were dirty, some were clean. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Lolo Wolf 0 Posted October 25, 2008 Duct cleaning research conducted by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)3 tested house and duct performance before and after cleaning. Research has noted little or no discernible differences in the concentrations of house airborne particles or in duct airflows due to duct cleaning. Unless you suspect air flow problems or water/moisture (mold) issues best to not disturb your system. Aside from good maintance (filter change- inspection-coil etc...) Be wary of cleaning services that make all kinds of claims and needed cleaning (some states have licensing requirements for accessing or servicing HVAC equipment) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) urges you to read this document in it entirety as it provides important information on the subject of duct cleaning: http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/airduct.html In response to your original question:the use of ROVs or pipe crawlers as noted by CollinR is a technology used often in the trades for inspection - also flexible cams as well more advanced thermo tech (imaging) to reveal leakage, blockage and source points, flaws within duct systems however aside from the visible inspection the actual overall assement - system integrity - returns etc- should be done by a qualified inspector who is certified for such applications. In my own home I installed a whole house Vann-EE air quality system tied into my Geo-thermal system and paid close attention to duct construction and balance- - often in the original placement of systems or retro-fits the leftover construction debri can be trapped due to careless or substandard work practice. Hope this helps. Best of health to your baby. Rgards Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scruit 0 Posted November 27, 2008 I attached a camera to the end of a fish tape and took pictures of the entire duct system before and after they came to clean it. ...I sent the pics to Sears with my demand that they come back to clean the ducts that they missed first time around. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alpine0000 0 Posted November 28, 2008 i was an HVAC technician for about 6 years, and did duct cleaning as well as repairs/installs. usually, supply ducts were never really dirty at all. its usually the large return duct that collects dust, as systems are designed to use a filter at the air handler to eliminate the dust traveling through the supply ducts. and it works! id just call somebody to have them come and clean your return duct... and, of course, keep changing your filter every 1-3 months (depending on what kind of filter you use). ymmv Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
