Duct Cleaning in San Jose, CA
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It takes about a minute.
Seven months of duct use a year, with power out on some of those days
Your ducts run November through May here, close to seven months of the year. That is a long stretch for dust and pet hair to settle in the bends and joints before anything gets a break.
Santa Clara County sees its share of wind, 257 damaging wind events over the past ten years alongside a few winter storms. Wind events like that knock out power, and statewide, 17% of California households lost power for at least a day in 2024. When the system shuts off and restarts, air moves through the ducts differently than it does on a steady run, and that can stir up what has settled since the last cleaning.
- 7 months
- November through May, your furnace pushes air through your ducts
- 3 months
- July through September, your air conditioner does the same
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- How often should air ducts be cleaned?
- There is no fixed schedule that fits every house. Most homes only need it when something changes, like new allergy symptoms, a rodent problem, or dust coming back right after cleaning the vents. A contractor can look inside your ducts and tell you whether they need attention now or can wait.
- Is air duct cleaning worth it?
- It depends on what is happening in your ducts right now. If dust is visibly blowing out of the vents, there is a musty smell when the system runs, or you can see debris inside a duct, cleaning will make a real difference. If none of that is true, your ducts are probably fine as they are.
- What does air duct cleaning involve?
- A contractor connects a vacuum system to the ductwork and uses brushes or air tools to knock loose dust and debris, then pulls it out through the vacuum. The vents, the plenum, and the main trunk lines all get checked, not just what you can see from the room. The filter is a separate part and is not cleaned this way. It gets replaced on its own schedule.