654. Clean It, Then Seal It — The Right Way to Fix Your Ducts
28 Jan 2026 · 5 min
Derek Cole explains why you should clean your ducts before sealing them. Dust, debris, and critters get removed first, then a patented Air Seal process fixes leaks. Better energy bills, more even comfort, and cleaner air follow.
Questions this episode answers
20–30%
Fayetteville, Larenberg, Palmer, Sanford, Lumberton and surrounding areas
Since 1953
Chapters
Home and Life Comfort with Derek Cole. Hey friends, welcome back to the Home and Life Comfort podcast. I'm your host, Derek Cole. Today we're tackling something that most homeowners don't Think about. Your duct system. It's hidden in your attic, in your crawl space or the walls. It's out of sight, out of mind. But here's the hard truth. If your ducts are full of dust or leaking air, you're paying higher energy bills for less comfort. Now, the two big services people hear about and talk about are duct cleaning and duct sealing. Both are important, but most people get the order wrong in which you should do first. So how should it go? Step one, clean your ducts over time. Dust, pet dander, construction debris, even growth, organic growth, or the occasional, we'll say, bug critter, maybe critter or the occasional critter can build up inside your duct system. Cleaning uses a special set of vacuums and brushes to remove all that buildup. A special vacuum comes in and brushes all that is used to remove the buildup that gives you a cleaner, air less dust blowing solution. It's going to be a solution for blowing less dust around your home. And, and it protects your HVC system from buildup of dirt and dust on coals and motors. But. But cleaning alone doesn't solve airflow or energy loss problems. That's where step two comes in. Step two, Seal your ducts with air seal. Most duct systems leak 20 to 30% of the air you're paying for. That's right, 20 to 30%. Meaning for every dollar you spend heating or cooling, for every dollar you put into heating, cooling, only 70 cent is coming into your home. So you're paying for a dollar, but you're losing 20 to 30% of that dollar because it's being lost. Air Seal is a patented system that pressurizes your ducts and seals all those hidden cracks from inside. It locks that clean, conditioned air inside ducts, not leaking into your attic or into your crawl space. The result? Lower energy bills, more even comfort in every room, and best of all, cleaner indoor air. And because you clean the ducts first, all that clean air stays clean, stays sealed. So if you do it backwards, seal first, then clean, you risk stirring up dust, trapping dust in your system. So the smart way to do it, clean first, then seal. Here, here at Simmons, one hour. That's exactly what we do. We've been helping families in Fayetteville, Larenberg, Palmer, Sanford, Lumberton and all the surrounding areas breathe easier and save money since 1953 and this is one of the best upgrades you can make. So if your home has dusty air, uneven comfort or high energy bills, schedule a duct inspection@simmons1hour.com thanks for listening and as always, your friend named Comfort Energy Savings Derrick Cole Home and Life Comfort with Derrick Cole.
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