An opportunity to provide a service not available between Lincoln and Denver, Colorado, prompted Bob Negley to open his Midwest Duct Pros, LLC a few months ago.
He was inspired to look into the business after looking for someone to come clean the ductwork in his own home.
“About a year and a half ago there was an advertisement on social media by this company that said they were coming into town to do (duct cleaning),” Negley said. “We wanted it done and I found out later it turned out to be a scam.”
Negley said there was a lot of interest expressed from area folks who wanted the service done in their homes.
“I started investigating and found out there wasn’t anybody in the local community that does it,” Negley said. “We looked into it. I went to school online with the National Air Duct Cleaners Association and then to tech school. I did all that this summer and here I am today.”
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Many homes have never had the ductwork cleaned and Negley said it is important in order to keep heating and air conditioning systems working properly.
“We go in and clean out the entire duct system on your HVAC unit,” Negley said. “When we’re done cleaning that, we vacuum out the unit itself and make sure everything’s clean and ready to go. You don’t smell that burned dust smell when you turn the heat on.”
He said mold spores, dust mites and other unhealthy particles are removed.
“When I’m done with the cleaning, I sanitize the system,” Negley said. “I throw a low volume sanitizer into the system itself and it kills everything.”
The process gets rid of cat hair, dog hair and pet dander.
“If you have pets, it’s important to have this done,” Negley said. “It is recommended every two to three years.”
Negley said they have found some interesting items stashed away in some of the ductwork.
“We found a wedding band that was missing for 15 years,” Negley said. “They were really happy to get that back because it was an original band in their 40-year marriage.”
A hidden cache of video tapes, a slab of sheet rock blocking the ventilation and a dead rodent are just some of the items Negley has discovered.
“We’ve seen a lot of stuff,” Negley said. “I pushed a stack of adult magazines from the ’80s from a system into my cleaning unit.”
Ductwork can be significantly blocked, which renders the heating and air conditioning system inefficient.
“I found returns that were 95% blocked so the unit wasn’t breathing properly,” Negley said. “As soon as we cleaned that out, (the customers) were so happy that the house was cooling faster.
He said some units have a cross brace in the ductwork that over time collect dust, pet hair and other things that eventually block the passageway.
“The process takes anywhere from three to five hours depending on the size of the home,” Negley said.
For those interested in this service may contact Negley on Facebook at Midwest Duct Pros, LLC or by phone at 308-660-5110.
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