About W.E. Welch
W. E. Welch & Associates provides their clients with a solid Management Team bringing collectively over 150 years experience in the mechanical and construction business. Our field operations are supervised by our Project Managers, General Superintendents and Foremen, the majority of whom have a minimum of 20 years of mechanical experience.

This experience is evident through our ability to perform well, integrity, growth, and dedication to quality. We foster a “WE” spirit that recognizes the need to help and to be helped in molding diverse talents together to meet client and company requirements. We look forward to working with you on these or any of our other projects.

Do I need duct cleaning?

Knowledge about the potential benefits and possible problems of air duct cleaning is limited. Since conditions in every home are different, it is impossible to generalize about whether or not duct cleaning in your home would be beneficial. If no one in your home suffers from allergies or unexplained symptoms or illnesses and if, after a visual inspection of the inside of the duct, you see no indication that your air ducts are contaminated with large deposits of dust or mold (no musty odor or visible mold growth), then having your air ducts cleaned is probably unnecessary. It is normal for the return registers to get dusty as dust laden air is pulled through the grate. This does not indicate that your air ducts are contaminated with heavy deposits of dust or debris; the registers can be easily cleaned. On the other hand, you might consider having your air ducts cleaned simply because it seems logical that air ducts will get dirty over time and should occasionally be cleaned. If a service provider fails to follow proper duct cleaning procedures, duct cleaning can cause indoor air problems. For example, an inadequate vacuum collection system can release more dust, dirt, and other contaminants than if you left the ducts alone. A careless or inadequately trained service provider can damage your ducts or heating/cooling system, possibly increasing your heating/cooling costs or forcing you to undertake difficult and costly repairs or replacements.

You should consider having the air ducts in your home cleaned if:

  • There is substantial visible mold growth inside hard surface (e.g., sheet metal) ducts or on other components of your heating/cooling system. There are several important points to understand concerning mold detection in a heating and cooling system.
  • Many sections of your heating/cooling system may not be accessible for a visible inspection, so ask the service provider to show you any mold they say exists.
  • If you have insulated air ducts and the insulation gets wet or moldy it cannot be effectively cleaned and should be replaced.
  • If conditions causing the mold growth in the first place are not corrected, mold growth will reoccur.
  • You may consider the use of ultraviolet duct lights, indoor dehumidifiers or duct purifiers to mitigate the growth of mold.
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