How Much is Furnace Cleaning?

The cost of furnace cleaning usually varies from one company to another depending on the amount of labour needed for cleaning the furnace. Typically, the traditional cost for furnace cleaning in Calgary starts at $180 for ten vents.

A furnace in operation should be cleaned at once a year to maintain indoor air quality and prevent possible malfunctions in the long run. The furnace cleaning process should involve troubleshooting and cleaning the furnace components that are usually prone to breakdowns, e.g., the pilot ignitor, air filter, ductwork, and even the heat exchanger.

Regular furnace cleaning will maintain your heating system’s overall efficiency and elongate its lifespan. We can see that there are no specific or set rates for cleaning a furnace’s ductwork. The price will always vary from one service company to another depending on several factors that we will outline below.

First and foremost, the price will depend on the company you choose to perform the cleaning and maintenance. We recommend you keep an eye on scammers who might claim to be professional cleaners.

Therefore, seek and search first to make sure you get the most experienced cleaners in the Air conditioning market. You can even ask for a referral from a friend or neighbor since they probably know some excellent cleaners from around your local area.

Factors Affecting the Cost of Furnace Cleaning

Number of furnaces

Many homes usually have one central furnace, while bigger homes can contain two since they have more significant heating needs. HVAC companies will charge double the price for cleaning two furnaces, and that’s fine and fair.

Amount of labour required

Suppose you fail to clean and maintain your furnace for a couple of years. In that case, it’s possibly going to require a thorough clean-up as soon as possible before it starts experiencing mechanical complications. The cleaning company might need more people and time to clean up the whole mess for a heavily contaminated furnace and ductwork.

For instance, if you have moulds or rodent droppings inside your ductwork, the technicians will have to spend more time on the affected parts to make sure they’re sparkling clean. Hiring an exterminator can cost you around $500 separately to remove the droppings.

Ductwork accessibility

When your HVAC company arrive to clean your forced air furnace, the first thing they’ll inquire about is the access points and crawlspaces that you can use to reach the central unit of your heating system.

Suppose the central unit is relatively easy to access. In that case, the cleaning cost will be cheaper compared to someone with complex or challenging accessibility. If the unit is difficult to access, you’ll be charged more for this attention-demanding and time-consuming activity.

Number of vents in your AC system

Cleaners will have varying rates, but their prices always depend on the number of vents and the extent of the ductwork.

The price for cleaning a single vent runs from 20 to 50 USD per vent. Therefore, more vents in your house will cost you a more significant fee, but it is worth it. Thus, the vent number in your heating system significantly affects the cost of furnace cleaning from one home to another.

Benefits of Furnace and Duct Cleaning

Cleaning your furnace is an assurance for good indoor air quality and improves your furnace’s efficiency. Let’s look at some other few benefits of maintaining and cleaning your furnace.

1. Remove odours
2. Rids hazardous mold and rodent droppings that introduce impurities into your indoor air.
3. Extends the lifespan of the HVAC system
4. Minimizes respiratory and allergy complications, which might trigger the presence of dust and debris in your breathing air.

Tips for Maintaining Your Furnace

Maintaining your furnace is more than just calling your HVAC technician to clean and repair some furnace components. It involves the furnace owner as well since there are some maintenance measures you can undertake yourself.

Before contact your technician, here are a few measures you can perform to lengthen the lifespan of your furnace and boost its efficiency:

Cleaning vents and ductwork

We recommend you take off your vents once after every heating season and clean them using a damp cloth. Suppose your ductwork is simple and easy to access. In that case, you can use a vacuum extension to remove any dust or debris inside your ducts and vent openings.

Inspect the pipes and ducts

Regularly check your drainage pipes and ductwork to ensure you don’t have any cracks that may result in gas leaks which can cause you much trouble. Seal tiny cracks and holes using foil tape and replace eroded flues.

Replace filters

Make sure you do a regular monthly check of your filters to ensure that they’re always clean and in good shape. Replace worn-out filters to avoid risking a depreciation in the furnace’s efficiency.

Inspect your thermostat

If your thermostat is on and set, but your furnace is still blowing cold air, then you should look-see if it might need a new battery.

Cost of Furnace Cleaning – Conclusion

With the appropriate cleaning tools and equipment, you can manually clean your furnace and ductwork as long as it has simple accessibility to the central unit. Make sure you have your gas mask and gloves on before undertaking such a DIY task.

This task can take a few hours of your day, but you’ll have saved a lot. If you have long ductwork, you’ll have to contact professionals to help you with the deep cleaning.

Using this cost of furnace cleaning guideline, you can easily decide how you want the cleaning to go down and whom you want to do it. Remember to keep the maintenance schedule for your furnace to get the best out of it.