DIY Air Duct Cleaning Tools, part 5 - Aggressive Wire Brush for Drills - To Clean Out Stuck-On Dirt

An aggressive air duct cleaning brush for drills will be my project this time. My DIY air duct cleaning tools have worked well so far for removing dust and debris from the HVAC ducting. But there is some rust and crud stuck onto part of the metal ducts the air whips I made, during part 2 of the series, just couldn't remove. A duct cleaning brush made by modifying a dryer vent cleaning brush kit was my solution. And now in part 5, I show how the drill powered brush worked on a mess inside the vents. Three different sizes of cable are experimented with in order to remove the crud, corrosion, and a small spot of moldy residue in one segment of ductwork. I also make a hand operated brush, shown near the end. In part 6, I experiment with softer brushes. Those brushes will be used for cleaning dust and debris from ductwork that doesn't have any stuck on messes or corrosion. Softer brushes will be necessary for the flexible ducting to prevent damage to the duct. I don't recommend metal brushes of any kind for metal ducts that can be cleaned with something softer. Below are links to some of the parts needed for the project. I receive a commission from some of the links in the description. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Items used in this video :
- Dryer Vent Cleaning Kit used in the video, 24 foot : amzn.to/3vtumn2
- Cordless Drill used in the video, 1/2 inch chuck : amzn.to/3NTdPPD
- Largest Steel Cable used, 3/32 inch : amzn.to/498MUHX
- Medium size Steel Cable, 1/16 inch : amzn.to/42xGgZB
- Smallest Steel Cable used, 1mm : amzn.to/498MYHH
- Cable Ties, 8 inch : amzn.to/4973vfj
- 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 3, DIY Negative Air Machines - • DIY Air Duct Cleaning ...
Link to part 4, DIY Skipper Hose for Whips - • 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 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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Any information and all content including video, audio, or text provided by the Budget Phil KZbin channel and it’s creator/producer (“I" or "me") is for general informational and educational purposes only. All information provided by me on this channel is provided in good faith, however I make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability, or completeness of any information on the channel. This channel does not contain any professional advice on how to design, purchase, make, use, maintain, repair, or clean anything and may not be suitable for all ages and skill sets. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon information found on this channel, I encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. Under no circumstances shall I have any liability to you for any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of this channel or the reliance on any information provided by me or the channel. Your use of this channel and your reliance on any information on the channel is solely at your own risk.

[@gwright7698]

Looking forward to more videos on this. Thank you for being very methodical in your approach to this project and for providing detailed information on the parts used. With an education in medicine (including environmental medicine) and a background in the trades, I can really appreciate these videos that help empower homeowners to take control of the health of their indoor environment. I have been around enough different people who cut corners in regards to proper mold remediation, HVAC, and other trades that greatly impact IAQ, to know that if you want it done right, you have to do it yourself (as long as you are a reasonably intelligent, handy, and safety-conscious person). I appreciate the creativity in the materials used in your approach as well. Keep up the good work!

[@BudgetPhil]

You're welcome. I originally thought the DIY air duct cleaning series would only take three or four videos to complete. But it turned out to be a more complicated subject than I originally thought. Don't know how many more videos it'll take but I'll keep sharing what I learn about air duct cleaning and the tools used. Thank you for your input and support.

[@tombrown8218]

Nice! Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences.

[@BudgetPhil]

Your welcome

[@nobuckle40]

Very innovative! Looking forward to more.

[@BudgetPhil]

Thanks man.

[@chuckw302]

Genius!!

[@BudgetPhil]

Thank you

[@chulada03]

I like your videos a lot, very informative and interesting... Thanks for taking the time and sharing them with us

[@BudgetPhil]

You're welcome. And thank you.

[@netorum]

You are the best 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@BudgetPhil]

Thank you

[@robertferraiuolo3675]

Thank you sir!!

[@BudgetPhil]

You're welcome

[@babaolowo35]

THANK you

[@BudgetPhil]

You're welcome

[@josephobable]

starting my duct cleaning tonight inspired by your informative videos. thanky!

[@BudgetPhil]

You're welcome

[@jweirdos]

What was your favorite and thorough tool you made? I can't wait to try thanks for figuring it out I dont want to spend a lot of money to clean the air ducts of our rental.

[@BudgetPhil]

You're welcome. In part 6, I made a do-it-yourself brush head for the rotary brush kit using some half inch aluminum tubing and broom bristles. I really liked how well it brushed the insides of the ducts. So far, it's probably my favorite. But I'm experimenting with some brush tips for the air whips that seem pretty effective also. Those will be shown in part 7.

[@hokmed4787]

You should try a chimney cleaner it has heavy duty trimmer line for the cleaner head

[@BudgetPhil]

A plastic chimney brush was one of the first things I tried but the bristles were too stiff. I should have mentioned that in the video. I'll include some information about the chimney brush experiment in part 6. Thank you for the suggestion.

[@kennethpayne7547]

That's nice however I don't have metal ducting, so do you know about cleaning the flex aluminum ducting?

[@BudgetPhil]

Thank you. I made some softer rotary brushes in part 6 of my do it yourself air duct cleaning tools series, there should be a link in the description below to that video. I made a rotary brush using broom bristles in that video which may be okay for flexible ducting. I also made a duct whip using rubber tubing in part 2 of the series that is pretty gentle and worked well. I'm currently working on organizing my channel and my videos better so that individual tools will hopefully be easier to find.

[@Userkzb20253]

Nice experimentation. Have you actually tried on a flexible cylindrical duct?

[@BudgetPhil]

Thank you. I've never tried this wire brush in a flex duct because it's too aggressive. But I have used a small air whip and some brushes made with broom bristles to clean some flexible ducting. That kind of duct is very fragile and cleaning it is tedious. I think I'll need to make videos specifically about cleaning flex duct because of that fragility.

[@Kuya_Raf143]

Mine with zipTie and works well

[@BudgetPhil]

Glad to hear it. Thank you for sharing that.

[@uaaviary73]

Hy, dear Very nice this product. I like it, can possible u send me one set ? Where ur location?

[@BudgetPhil]

Thank you. I don't currently sell any of the tools I make. But there are professional duct cleaning tools available online. They look good to me, but I'm too cheap to buy any.

[@DontJudasMe]

Change the duct work

[@BudgetPhil]

Wish I could

[@TheHumanRanger]

Name of product? kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZS4m5Kers17f5I

[@BudgetPhil]

Morinoli dryer vent cleaning kit. I bought the 24 foot kit.

[@TheHumanRanger]

@@BudgetPhil Thanks bro! You earned yourself a subscriber👍

[@calledWatchman]

make the thicker cables shorter

[@BudgetPhil]

Thank you for the tip

[@elizabethloucks9207]

Are you really saving money by the time you buy all these things and put in hours of your own work?

[@BudgetPhil]

In my situation, yes. I saved a lot of money. But I enjoy playing with these toys/tools also. It's a personal choice that requires evaluation on an individual basis. It's not a cost effective option for everyone, but it certainly is for some. If in doubt, I would recommend hiring a pro.