Finished Basement (Aka Buried Drop Cold)
What is a “buried drop cold”?
The major supply and return lines of your ductwork are easily accessible in an unfinished basement or a basement with removable ceiling tiles, which helps us create the proper access points to ensure thorough cleaning of your system.
Unfortunately, we may not have complete access to your system to accomplish that comprehensive cleaning because of dry-walled basement ceilings. We refer to this circumstance as the “hidden drop cold”. The primary cold (return air) duct in your home has a curve or drop in it, and the ductwork on the lower side of this dip is covered in the drywall in this instance.
Why is this a problem?
During our cleaning, we use our high-pressure RotoWhip and airline via each vent to blow dust and debris down to the main ductwork in the basement, where it can be sucked out with our large vacuum hose. If dust and debris become caught in the lower ductwork, and the vacuum is attached to the upper portion, we may be unable to remove a large amount of dust and debris from the system. We are unable to clean in this circumstance because we cannot fully guarantee our job.
What can be done about it?
To complete the thorough cleaning of your ducts, you will need to either cut a hole for us or have a contractor cut a hole and install a grate so that we can access the ductwork on the lower portion of the main duct run.
WHY CAN’T PRESTIGE DUCT CLEANING CUT A HOLE IN MY CEILING OR WALL?
We are good at cleaning ducts, but we’re not very good at cutting holes in houses. You wouldn’t want your dentist to perform open-heart surgery on you, right?
