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Good questions
Questions people ask before they book
Plain answers on dryer vents, air ducts and duct replacement: how often, how long, what moves the price and where we work. If yours is not here, call and ask. Every quote is free.
Dryer vent cleaning
Dryer vents
How often, how long, the six warning signs, the fire risk, and why Florida makes it worse.
How often does a dryer vent need cleaning?
At least once a year. A large household, or one that runs the dryer most days, needs it more often than that. Florida shortens the interval further: humidity compacts lint into a dense mass, and many Gulf Coast homes route a long vent from an interior laundry closet up to the roof or out through a side wall, so there is more duct for lint to settle in. If it has never been cleaned, do not wait for an anniversary.
How long does a dryer vent cleaning take?
Most are finished in under an hour. A long run from an interior closet to the roof, or a vent packed tight after years without cleaning, can take one to three hours. A vent that is kept on a yearly schedule stays at the short end, because there is less to remove each time.
What are the signs my dryer vent needs cleaning?
Six, and any one of them is reason to call. Clothes take more than one cycle to dry. The dryer or the laundry room is unusually hot. There is a burning smell while it runs. Lint collects around the exterior vent flap. The flap does not open when the dryer is running. And the lint trap fills faster than it used to. Each one is airflow you are not getting. The dryer vent page walks through all six.
Can a clogged dryer vent really start a fire?
Yes. The U.S. Fire Administration estimates 2,900 residential clothes-dryer fires are reported each year, causing about 5 deaths, 100 injuries and $35 million in property loss, and it names failure to clean as the leading factor, behind 34% of them. The NFPA says the same thing in fewer words: lint is highly flammable, and the leading cause of home dryer fires is failure to clean them. Dryer fires peak in fall and winter.
Why does Florida make dryer vents worse?
Three local reasons. Humidity: damp air keeps lint from staying loose, so it compacts along the run instead of blowing clear. Length: many Gulf Coast homes put the laundry in an interior closet, so the vent travels a long way to the roof or a side wall, with elbows where lint collects. Salt: the air off the Gulf corrodes the exterior hood, and a pitted flap sticks. A vent run in Pinellas or Pasco has more reasons than most to keep to the yearly cleaning.
Do you clean dryer vents for businesses as well as homes?
Yes. Ecovent serves homes and businesses across Pinellas and Pasco counties. A laundromat, salon, restaurant or office with a dryer has the same lint problem as a house. The job is the same: lint, debris and obstructions removed from the whole run, quoted free and with no obligation.
residential clothes-dryer fires are reported each year in the U.S. Failure to clean the dryer is the leading factor, behind 34% of them.
Source: U.S. Fire Administration
Air duct cleaning
Air ducts
How often, what the NADCA standard means, what happens before any equipment is unloaded, and how long it takes.
How often should air ducts be cleaned?
Every three to five years for most homes and businesses. Sooner if there are pets in the building, someone with allergies, or visible dust at the registers. The sign to watch between cleanings is the registers themselves: dust building on the grilles is the cue to call before the five years are up.
What is the NADCA standard, and why does it matter?
NADCA is the National Air Duct Cleaners Association, the industry body that publishes the standard for professional duct cleaning. Our air duct cleaning follows it, on the supply and return ducts alike. It matters because a published standard gives you something to hold the work to, and it is worth asking any duct cleaner about before they start. Separately, a full assessment of the system comes before any equipment is deployed, so the scope is clear upfront.
What happens before the cleaning starts?
A full assessment of the duct system, before any equipment is deployed. The technician looks at the whole system and sets the scope with you, so you know what is being cleaned and why before anything comes off the truck. The quote for duct work is built from that assessment, and the quote is free.
How long does air duct cleaning take?
Most jobs are finished in one to three hours, depending on the size of the system. More runs and more registers take longer, and the assessment at the start tells you where yours sits. For comparison, a dryer vent cleaning is usually under an hour and a duct replacement takes a full day or more.
Do you clean air ducts in offices and other businesses?
Yes. Homes and businesses both, across Pinellas and Pasco counties. A commercial system is assessed the same way before any equipment is deployed, cleaned to the same NADCA standard, and quoted free with no obligation. Larger systems sit at the longer end of the one-to-three-hour range, and the assessment says where.
Pricing
What moves a quote, on any of the three jobs
The length and route of the run
A dryer vent from an interior laundry closet to the roof takes longer to clear than a short run through an exterior wall. On a replacement, the length of failing ductwork sets the day.
How compacted the buildup is
Florida humidity packs lint tight. A vent on a yearly schedule is a quicker job than one that has never been cleaned, and a duct system with visible dust at the registers takes longer than one without.
System size and access
On air duct work the number of runs and registers sets the time, and attic access sets how hard each one is to reach. The assessment measures both before you get a number.
Replacement, pricing and scheduling
Replacement, pricing and booking
When cleaning is not enough, how long a replacement takes, what moves the price, where we work, and how to book.
When should ductwork be replaced instead of cleaned?
When cleaning can no longer fix it. Cleaning removes lint, dust and obstructions from ductwork that is still sound. Replacement is for ductwork that is failing: leaks, crushed or kinked runs, deteriorated flex duct. It starts with a full inspection, then the failing sections are removed and new ductwork is installed. If the inspection finds the ducts can be cleaned instead, that is what we tell you.
How long does a duct replacement take?
A full day or more, depending on the system. That covers removal of the failing ductwork and the installation of the new runs. The full inspection comes first, before the day is booked, so you know the scope and how long the work will take before you commit to anything.
How much does it cost, and is the quote really free?
The quote is free and carries no obligation, for all three services. We do not print prices because every job is different: the length and route of a vent run, how compacted the buildup is, and the size of a duct system and how easy it is to reach all move the number. What never changes: a free quote, a full assessment before any duct equipment is unloaded, lint, debris and obstructions removed from the whole run, and the NADCA standard on air ducts.
Which cities do you serve?
Pinellas and Pasco counties, on Florida’s Gulf Coast. That runs from Pinellas Park, St. Petersburg, Largo, Seminole and Clearwater up to Dunedin, Palm Harbor and Tarpon Springs, and across Pasco from New Port Richey, Port Richey and Trinity to Hudson, Land O’ Lakes and Wesley Chapel. The service areas page has the full list by county. We are a service-area business: we come to you.
How do I book, and what happens next?
Call, or send the four-line form on the contact page and we call you. For a dryer vent, the cleaning is usually done in under an hour. For duct work, a full assessment comes first, then the scope and the quote, then the cleaning or the replacement. Nothing is booked until you say yes, and the quote costs nothing either way.
Ask the question this page didn’t answer.
Call, or send four lines through the form and we call you. Every quote is free and carries no obligation.