Air Duct Cleaning & Dryer Vent Cleaning in Ottawa

What the Canadian evidence says about cleaning heating ducts

Federal housing guidance citing Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation studies states that duct cleaning will not usually change the quality of the air you breathe, nor will it significantly affect airflow or reduce heating costs, and that the process of duct cleaning can temporarily increase particles in the air as the system is disturbed.

That is not a reason never to clean a duct. It is a reason to be specific about why you are cleaning one. Renovation dust, a rodent or a new build with construction debris in the trunk are concrete reasons.

A general worry about indoor air quality is the case the evidence does not support, and the advice given in its place is to check furnace filters monthly and replace them every three months.

The filter is the cheaper lever

Natural Resources Canada puts the same interval on a furnace filter: change or clean it every three months, and sooner once it is loaded. A restricted filter is the thing that actually reduces the air your system can move, and it is a part you can replace yourself between visits.

The dryer vent is a different problem with a real fire risk

Federal housing maintenance guidance is direct about this one: clean the dryer vent hose and exterior hood regularly to prevent lint buildup and reduce fire risk. The lint that matters is not the tray you empty, it is what settles in the duct between the machine and the wall.

The same guidance asks that snow, ice and debris be removed from exterior vents, intakes and exhaust openings to maintain airflow, which in an Ottawa winter is a seasonal job rather than an annual one. A dryer hood at the base of a wall disappears under the same drift that buries a furnace vent.

What to ask before booking

1. Ask which service you are buying. Heating ducts, the dryer vent, or both, priced separately, so a dryer vent does not disappear into a duct package that never reaches it.
2. Ask what triggered the recommendation. A renovation, a pest, a new build or visible lint at the exterior hood are reasons. A seasonal promotion is not.
3. Ask whether the exterior hood is cleaned from outside. Lint collects at the flap, which is the part a hose pushed in from the laundry room does not reach.