How to Select a Reputable and Certified Air Duct Cleaning Contractor

When hiring an air duct contractor to perform work on your home, it’s important to do a careful screening in order to avoid scammers and uncertified telemarketers. Here’s what to ask:

– Can the cleaning technician actually cleaning your home show proof of NADCA membership and certification?

– Can the contractor provide you with evidence of the current Worker’s Compensation and General Liability Insurance coverage? (Ask for Certificate of Insurance)

– Does the contractor posses the proper Licenses that are required by your city/province to perform the work they are proposing? (Not all cities/provinces require licenses)

– Will the contractor provide you with at least 3 to 5 customer references with phone numbers for which they provided service in the last 30 days?

– Will the contractor conduct a thorough inspection of your system PRIOR to performing any work and alert you to any problems? This is required by the current NADCA Assessment, Cleaning & Restoration of HVAC Systems (ACR) Standard.

– Will the contractor provide you with a means to conduct a visual inspection at any time during the cleaning?  Can they show you that every part of the HVAC system is thoroughly cleaned?

– Will the contractor be cleaning the complete system, including coils and fans?  Can they show you that these components are clean?

– 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.)  Are the technicians servicing your home certified?

– Is the contractor giving you a guaranteed price before the inspection? This may expose you to extra costs. Finding mold in the system, damaged fiberglass insulation, cleaning or treating cooling coils may become add-on costs.

Download NADCA’s RESIDENTIAL CHECKLIST
– This checklist is designed to help residential consumers understand NADCA’s recommendations regarding the process of HVAC cleaning.