I sometimes call duct cleaning the " Emperors New Clothes Phenomenom. Rember the fairy tale ?
The clothes " designers " impress the emperor that he is wearing the latest style when he actually is wearing nothing.
Silly isn't, how could people be so foolish, even an emperor.
Well when you have duct cleaning performed either at home or at the office, unfortunately you can also be fooled.
To make sure that you dont get fooled by duct cleaners, here are some actual suggestions from the NACA ( National Air Duct Cleaners Association ) to avoid getting fooled and feeling like the Emperor without any clothes on .
| 1. Can the company show proof of NADCA membership and certification? | 2. | How long has the contractor been in the residential/commercial HVAC system cleaning business? | 3. | Can the contractor provide you with evidence of the current Worker's Compensation and General Liability Insurance coverage? (Ask for Certificate of Insurance) | 4. | Does the contractor posses the proper Licenses that are required by your city or state to perform the work they are proposing? (Not all cities or states require licenses - click here to check your state.) | 5. | Can the contractor provide you with 3 to 5 customer references with phone numbers for projects of similar size and scope of work which they provided service in the last year? | 6. | Does the contractor have written safety, respiratory, and confined space programs in addition to OSHA compliance reports? | 7. | Will the contractor provide you with a means to conduct a visual inspection at any time during the cleaning? (Mirror and flashlight, camera or other remote visual systems) | 8. | Will the contracting company actually do the work? (Some companies subcontract the work to independent contractors. You will want to apply these guidelines for subcontractors as well.) | 9. | Will the company be assigning an Air Systems Cleaning Specialist (ASCS) to your project that will be responsible for the complete project? | 10. | If there is any remediation of mold or other biological contamination does the company have a Ventilation System Mold Remediator (VSMR) on staff. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Here's my two cents worth of advise:
Just remember when the work is completed, inspect all work when the contractor is finished.
If you have furthur questions, don't hesitate to contact me Jeff Cohn at 410-458-5371.
The End