DIY Air Duct Cleaning Tools, part 3 - Making a Negative Air Machine for Duct Cleaning / Duct Vacuum
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- Опубликовано: 7 фев 2025
- A DIY negative air machine for negative air duct cleaning will be the project in this video, it's also known as a duct vacuum. In part 1 of my DIY Air Duct Cleaning Tools series, I did my best to clean some HVAC ductwork with a couple of do-it-yourself tools. One of those tools was a duct vacuum built from a leaf blower, a barrel, and some 6 inch flexible foil ducting. Now in part 3, I'll make a much stronger negative air machine using an air mover and a cardboard box or two. Below are some links to the items I needed for this project. I receive a commission from some of the links in the description. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Parts for the DIY Negative Air Machine :
Air Mover used in the video : ebay.us/oA8c5C
Flexible Foil Duct, 10 inch x 25ft. : amzn.to/48odI6V
Furnace Filters, 20" x 25" x 1", MERV 7 : amzn.to/47wVHSp
HD Cardboard Box, 18" x 18" x 24" : amzn.to/3tBzk0z
Parts for the Leaf Blower powered Duct Vacuum :
Leaf Blower model I used : amzn.to/3vrqliS
Flexible Ducting, 6" dia. x 25ft. : amzn.to/3RNf448
Gloves I wear : amzn.to/3xDggRd
Links to my Do it Yourself Air Duct Cleaning Tools series:
Link to part 1, My First Time Cleaning HVAC Ducts - • DIY Air Duct Cleaning ...
Link to part 2, Making Air Whips for Duct Cleaning - • DIY Air Duct Cleaning ...
Link to part 4, DIY Skipper Hose for Whips - • DIY Air Duct Cleaning ...
Link to part 5, DIY Wire Duct Brush for a Drill - • DIY Air Duct Cleaning ...
Link to part 6, DIY Duct Brushes for Drills - • DIY Air Duct Cleaning ...
Link to part 7, Air Whips with Brush Tips - • DIY Air Duct Cleaning ...
Links to how I made individual DIY Air Whips for Duct Cleaning :
DIY Air Whip, with Dual Whip Hoses - • DIY Air Whip for Duct ...
Small DIY Air Whip for Delicate Flex Duct - • DIY Air Whip for Flexi...
Making an Air Whip with Brush Tips - • DIY Air Whip with Brus...
Large DIY Rubber Air Whip - • Large DIY Air Whip for...
Simple DIY Air Whip, Assembles Quickly - • Simple DIY Air Whip fo...
Links for how I made individual DIY Air Duct Cleaning Brushes :
DIY Broom Bristle Brush for Drill - • DIY Air Duct Cleaning ...
Wire Brush for Drill - • DIY Air Duct Cleaning ...
Hand Operated Duct Cleaning Brush - • How I made a Duct Clea...
Affiliate Disclosure:
This video and the channel may contain links to affiliate websites, and I may receive an affiliate commission for any purchases made by you on the affiliate website using such links. My affiliates include the Amazon Associates. I am a participant in affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for me to earn advertising fees by linking to affiliated websites.
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Really enjoy watching your progress on this. Look forward to the next installment.
Thank you.
Awesome build with many general diy techniques 👍
Thank you
@Budget Phil I'm making my own machine thanks to your videos. I do hvac and just started my own company this year. I'm an engineer by heart tho. Would be awsome if I could ask you a few questions about your new vacuum.
Sure, I'll answer the best I can.
@@BudgetPhil how much of a difference did it make when you upgraded from the leaf blower to the air blower?
And if you were to upgrade again what would you upgrade to?
It was a massive improvement. I'd say it moved 4 to 5 times more air than the leaf blower. But of course I had to increase the size of the flexible ducting connecting it to the house ductwork in order to get maximum airflow. If I upgraded again, I suppose it would be to a 4,000 or 5,000 CFM air mover. And I would also need to once again increase the size of the flexible ducting used with it. The 2500 CFM blower I currently have is more than big enough for the size of ductwork I'm cleaning though.
@@BudgetPhil how long does it take for you to clean a duct system with your rig? I know it would depend on the size of the system and how dirty it is. Let's say a 1,600 sqr ft house with a 3 ton system on it, with average build up in the ducts.
I don't have enough experience to answer that question but it took me about 4 hours to clean the dust and debris out of the ducts of a double wide trailer house during my first attempt. If I knew what I was doing, probably could have done it in a fraction of the time. They're fairly simple, straight runs of ducting and easier to clean than most other houses I've looked at. I had to go back and do some cleaning with my DIY brushes which took me much longer. Another 6 - 8 hours longer approximately. Cleaning the ductwork was just part of the project though. I also needed to clean the HVAC unit. The blower and the coils. I have yet to show that process, but I intend to share everything as the series progresses.
I’m thinking of a design of two rubber made “totes” with the bottoms cut out then joined and JB welded or epoxied together and laid on its side that way you have two sides that can be sealed with lids for quick access and a lot more volume for possibly a dual blower/vacuum system.
How has your project developed so far?
I think a single large tote and blower would be more than enough for most houses. But if you need to do very large houses or commercial building ductwork, then you may want to go bigger. I really don't know. The negative air machine I made in this video was more than enough for the size of our ducting, although the leaf blower I originally used during part 1 was just barely able to clear the ducts when sweeping with an air whip.
So far, I'm pretty happy with the DIY duct cleaning tools that were made in the later videos. Our ductwork is getting dusty once more, so it won't be long before I will need to clean it again. I hope to share some more video about this equipment and how I used it.
Great video ,thank you for the blue print .i will tell my son to copy this and try to start his own business . Lets see if he has the ambition like you do. But I will definitely try this myself .We all sleep with sinus problems and clogged air passages I cant believe we all have sleep apnea. Next I want to look up how I can test my air quality in my house myself. Any suggestions?
Thank you. I believe they sell mold test kits at hardware stores but I've never used one.
Air quality monitors that have a variety of sensors may be able to help identify any air quality issues. They can measure things like the amount of carbon dioxide, dust, formaldehyde, or whatever, present in the air.
I’m thinking about using my blower off my dust collector for woodworking to use like this.
Seems like a good idea to me. Thanks for the info
You can keep the tubing amply separated from each other by shoving a spacer between the two. A perfect option is to shove a short length of the very same or even thicker tubing so that it stays place, but not so tightly that it forces the whip strands too far toward the sides and interferes with or eliminates any effect the pressurized air supplied by the air hose has on their movement. You mostly need to avoid pinching them too much that it constricts their inside diameter.
Also, have you considered using a gas-powered blower instead or adding multiple inline fans to the flexible hose/dryer vent?
Great tip! Another viewer mentioned a similar solution for the dual hose duct cleaning whip. I've never considered using a gas leaf blower or multiple air movers together for the diy negative air machine, but I like the ideas. Thank you for sharing some of your advice and ideas.
@BudgetPhil I am keeping an eye out for deals on multiple small box fans because this inspires me to build a unit myself. I live in a 100 year old house. I don't know when central heating was installed here, but the ductwork was obviously never cleaned.
I'm not sure if box fans can generate enough airflow for duct cleaning, but maybe. I haven't been able to get them to pull much air through tight spaces like ductwork. Air movers with squirrel cage fans seem to be the best bang for the buck in terms of air flow through tight spaces. Using multiple fans or blowers for a DIY negative air machine can be a problem if they "fight" each other for air, which can reduce their efficiency quite a bit. But I really don't know much about that. Used blowers with squirrel cage fans are commonly available, and they work well for directing lots of air where you want it. Many different sizes are available. I think the blower size, or air flow rate, needed depends on the size of the ducting used for the ductwork. It's an interesting subject that I'd like to learn more about.
Sorry, I still can’t understand why you put the outlet of the leaf blower inside the tank instead of using the inlet part of the leaf blower that is already negative.
Could you please explain that? Thank you! I have to clean a industrial laundry site and still figuring out how to do it at the minimum cost. Thank you.!
I didn't do the best job of explaining in this video, but the inlet of the leaf blower is what was inserted into the custom wooden lid of the barrel. The outlet of the blower was pointed out towards the front yard.
Is what you built kinda like a negative air machine?? Looking at the costs you listed in the description, it is more than the cost would be for me to locally rent a negative air machine (about 90$ for 1 day, in my area) .. Which would be the better option, you think? It would cost me less which is great . But the downside is of course not being able to keep the negative air machine.
That may indeed be a good option but I don't know. I would ask the rental service provider what their opinion was. They may be able to point you to the appropriate machine. They'll probably need to know the size of the ductwork.
Good job on these videos. I wished I had time to do this. My ac unit is in the second floor attic in a townhouse and the ductwork in both attics are really dirty as evident on the outside of the vents. Idk if making my own tool for cleaning when the dust is piped down two floors would be something I could do.. once I took off the big duct pipe off that is near the V coil inside the unit the attic.. I was only ever able to get to one side of the coil what a mess I made trying to clean that coil. Also since then when I crawl back up there, I see that that big pipe is starting to come off. I used foil tape but also that foil foam tape. It just makes it harder going between the two floors
Thank you. I'm having the same basic problem trying to figure out how to access both sides of the AC coils without any major disassembly. I've seen videos where technicians spray a foaming cleaning agent onto the coils and I believe that could be a good option as long as I can rinse it off. Or maybe the moisture condensing on the coils during operation would rinse the chemicals off. I don't want people breathing in that stuff. Cleaning the HVAC and the ductwork has proven to be a much more involved task than I originally thought, but I'm going to continue my effort to clean all of it by myself. And I'll keep sharing what I learn.
@@BudgetPhil I used to own a Pringle Vac truck (overkill) and now own a RamAir International system that incorporates a lot of what you've tried... check out Dave Hart's youtube videos for some more ideas... good on you for testing stuff out. Using the existing furnace fan as your vac blower and working with the existing air flow was a unique idea he had, although you might want to pull the fan clean it and put it back before firing it up and duct cleaning. Thanks for your time and trouble.
Sounds like you have some nice equipment. Thank you for the advice, I'll check out those videos.
when the inlet is clogged, the motor doesn't work as hard, it works a lot less. Just put a watt meter on the plug of the fan and test with and without restriction. The only problem is that heat removal is also a lot less because of less airflow.
That makes sense. I should have thought about that a bit more. Thank you for helping me to understand it better.
Phil, if you don't mind, please comment on an approximate dollar number for your equipment. That would help us decide the best course of action based on our individual requirements. Thanks for sharing your builds with us and take care!
That's a great idea. I'll try to include that information in the videos from now on and I'm going to list those expenses in the description section of videos I've already posted. Thank you for the advice.
can't you figure it out yourself?
I guess I'm just not understanding the process of the negative air box. Why can't i just connect my shop vac to vacuum the dust as i clean the vents?
A shop vac can't move enough air for this size of duct using this type of duct cleaning system. I tried my 6hp shop vac first and had no luck. But I believe an effective duct cleaning system could be made that uses a shop vacuum.
The air hose flex seems to be a weak link, if you can't push it down there, then how you going to clean it.
Yes, that's a good point. In part 4, I'll be showing how I made a stiffer whip leader hose that fixed the problem. The hose is finished but the video will take a couple more weeks to finish. I'll post it as soon as it's complete.
Didn't you just post this video about a week ago? Or am I just loosing my mind?
I had accidentally turned off the option to notify my subscribers about posting that video and RUclips wouldn't let me change it without reposting. Sorry about that.
Seems like it would just be worth paying a company to do it.
I think for many people that would be the best choice. But there are also many people who simply cannot afford that expense right now. And clean ductwork is very important for health reasons. The ductwork I cleaned in the video was pretty simple but if it were much more complex, I would have considered hiring professionals. It's a personal choice depending on many factors. Since I intend to keep cleaning the ducts regularly, it seemed more practical for me to buy or make the tools and do it myself.
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👏👏👏👏👏👏
Thank you
Can you come to do my ducts?😂