Q: Can air handling ducts insulated with fiber glass duct liner or fabricated from fiber glass duct board be cleaned?
A: Air handling ducts insulated with fiber glass duct liner or fabricated from fiber glass duct board should be cleaned using the methods recommended by NAIMA (North American Insulation Manufacturers Association).
NAIMAS's recommended duct cleaning procedures are discussed in Cleaning Fibrous Glass or Lined Sheet Metal Ducts, #AH112 (free from NAIMA), and are completely and fully detailed in Cleaning Fibrous Glass Insulated Air Duct Systems #AH122 ($7.50 from NAIMA). They can be ordered from: NAIMA AHC, 44 Canal Center Plaza, Suite 310, Alexandria, VA 22314, or 703-684-0084, or
http://www.naima.org/.
Tests have shown that cleaning air handling ducts insulated with fiber glass duct liner or fabricated from fiber glass duct board does no damage to the fiber glass so long as the methods recommended by NAIMA are followed. The design service life of the fiber glass products is the life of the air handling system, and repeated cleaning does not shorten the service life.
