Duct cleaning AC/heat pump and furnace

[ChadLynn]

2003 Journey DL 36GB
RVP Airxcel 6535 package heat pump
Suburban Airxcel Suburban Gas Furnace model SF-42 stock NO.2323
Looking to have a professional company come out and clean them like they clean ducts in your house. My AC vents(plastic?)and ducts(Styrofoam) are black along with carpet on ceiling! I have removed the vents and washed, vacuumed the carpet and tried to vacuum vents. Nothing is working on carpet stain have used carpet cleaner, dawn dish soap and steam machine. I used hot water and dawn soap to clean Styrofoam what I could reach with hand. We don't even know if AC works because we live in MN and it's still cold. We purchased New Year's Eve and it was FREEZING! couldn't test anything plus house batteries were frozen. Pretty much purchased as is and just digging in to cleaning as was stored for 2 years in dirt floor pole barn. I will be asking lots of technical questions on lots of stuff for my husband. Why would vents be black

[Morich]

Just a small point to watch who is doing the cleaning as RV ducts are different than house ductwork. That means if they don't do it different, they may totally damage the styro ducts!
Treat them gently as they are more like foam coolers than the metal ducts in houses!

[Ray,IN]

re: ceiling stains around vents. Mine gets that way too, what I found does work quite well is Foley's carpet stain remover,
I use microfiber clothes to wipe off the foam after working it in with a soft bruxh and/or my fingertips. Always wipe inward towards the vent hole, this means you are wiping from the cleanest area into the dirtiest instead of spreading the dirt into a larger area.
I found out what was causing my black stain around the ceiling vents.
The engine cover was leaking at the joint with the rear interior wall and the basement return air was sucking outside air into the MH; also when I removed my basement unit for servicing I discovered it had been out before and the seal around the return air box was not covering all the inside coil, which allowed more outside air to be sucked though the indoor coil.
I remedies both leaks and now I get very little staining on the ceiling carpeting. I;m too old to work overhead now so hire a grandson to clean the ceiling now.
On Escapees.com some full-timers use a Bissell little Mean Green machine to clean ceiling carpeting, but I haven't tried it yet..
I agree with Richard, the styrofoam roof insulation is fragile and crumbles off just by touching it. I tried blowing out dirt with compressed air; what a mess it created.

[Jim Simon]

Ceiling vents are sourced by A/c and the associated heat pump. Furnace vents are on floor only. Ray, is correct to inspect the supply duct about 5 feet up into the rear cap. That joint opens on its own. Also, Morich is correct, its not a duct only a styrofoam channel about an inch high. Nothing commercial made for homes will fit and likely damage. Be sure to change the air filter. Mine was under a rear set of drawers by the closet on my 40’.