So we have been renovating our house for most of the past 2 years...total gut job the whole 9 yards! Noticed today as I had the vent covers off of the fresh air return ducts that they are chock full of construction debris (not from me as I had them covered or had them protected so no debris would fall in them) I looked down and saw some debris and started to vacuum it out but after further reaching into the duct and feeling the extent of the crap that is down there I went to the basement and as I push up on the duct work I can feel the weight of the crap that is in there???? Our house for the 8 years we have owned it has always been incredibly dusty and now I kind of know why???? Is it common to have these ducts cleaned out??? Its just a piece of tin nailed to 2 floor joists forming the return it looks like?? I plan on removing the nails holding the aluminum in place and clean them out as best as I can! Any advice or perspective on this?? I can't believe how much crap is in there.....guessing from the looks of some of it the kind fellows who built the house thought it might be a good place to dispose of some of the refuse???? Idiots!!!:smash:

Larry, call a duct cleaning service. They have the equipment to do the whole run of return and supply lines. Did ours when we bought the house and they pulled eight garbage bags of crap out. We do it every two or three years. You will breathe easier knowing it is done too.

How did all that crap get in yours Ross??? I just plan on doing it myself......its just as simple as I said.......drop the aluminum sheeting down and vacuum up the mess! Replace the aluminum and done? I only have a run of about 10 feet that needs to be done?

Look at some of the pictures on the site I sent you. It is everything from dead skin, dust mites, pollen, etc. It gets there even in the cleanest of homes. And you are blowing warm air through all that crap into your living space. I was happy to have them vac and disinfect the trunk and supply lines.

What do they charge you?

500. cash. The better half insists on it being done before heating season. Don't forget, I have a full shop in my basement that contributes to the dust that gets in the lines, even with a Jet air handler that runs 24/7.
Also, get the filters for the registers at one of the box stores.

Interesting, big chain or small business? Mind sending a pm me too? Have been thinking about this for a while...good to hear positive feedback, and it sounds like the disinfect / kill mold if any too?
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http://www.peabodycleaning.com/index.html

Peabody Duct Cleaning

Tell them I referred them....maybe I'll get a discount next time!

It should look like a layer of felt. Yes a lot accumulated but if there is old construction trash in there then that is abnormal. When I switched my house from hot air to forced hot water there was about an inch thick carpet of felt looking crap in the air ducts that was skin , dust, hair , etc. Really disgusting! The return vent was the worst of all the ducts.

I replaced all my metal pans with the foil cardboard. And I caulked it all, your return's are supposed to pull from the living space, not the basement like it probably does due to all the air leaks. Plus sometimes the metal pans if there done wrong which half of them are sqeak when they rub against the joists.

Mine does draw from the living area Matt.:uhuh:

Watch out for the mice :)
a friend who lives on a slab with no basement had tons living nice and cozy inside theses. They also install something like black lights inside to keep the mice out

Time to clean those ducts ahead of heating season......

I might just do this for my house. Been 12 years since we moved in. Might be worth it.