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A third of McKinney housing, about 25,750 units, was built from 2000 to 2009. Those houses are reaching the age where the air handler and outdoor unit get replaced while the ducts stay. If the ducts are ever going to be cleaned, the changeover is the day to do it.
Most of the time a duct system is sealed at the one place a cleaner would most like to get into: the plenum, the sheet-metal box that sits on the air handler and feeds the trunk lines. In Texas an unlicensed duct cleaner may not cut into it.
On replacement day the old air handler is disconnected and lifted out. For a while the plenum and the mouth of the return are simply open. A vacuum can be connected right where the equipment was, and twenty years of settled dust can be taken out before it has a new coil to land on.
| Step | Who |
|---|---|
| Inspect the existing ducts and say which runs stay | The licensed air conditioning contractor installing the system |
| Disconnect and remove the old equipment | The installing contractor |
| Clean the supply and return ductwork | The duct cleaning contractor, or the installer if they offer it |
| Replace any failed runs | The installing contractor |
| Set and connect the new equipment | The installing contractor |
The two companies need to be at the house on the same day, so the cleaning has to be arranged when the installation is scheduled, not after.
Not every replacement calls for a cleaning. If the registers show nothing but a light film and the installer finds the plenum clean when it comes apart, leave it. And if the installer finds the ducts in poor shape, new ductwork is the better use of the money. The flex duct page lists what to look for.
Before the new air handler is connected, if they are going to be cleaned at all. Debris knocked loose after that point is drawn toward a brand-new coil.
Not automatically. Ask the installing contractor to inspect the existing ductwork and say in writing which runs are sound and which are not.
Some do. What matters is that the cleaning is a real one with its own written scope, not a line added to the invoice.
Give the installation date. The cleaning has to be lined up for the same day.
Call (469) 712-2667 Write It Down Instead
McKinney