Resources + Tips

Finished Basement Problems (aka Buried Drop Cold)

What is a “buried drop cold”?

In an unfinished basement or basement with removable ceiling tiles, access to the main supply and return lines of your ductwork is very easy, which assists us in making appropriate access points to ensure a thorough cleaning of your system.

Unfortunately, drywalled basement ceilings can prohibit us from fully accessing your system to ensure that thorough cleaning. Of particular concern is a situation that we call the “buried drop cold”. This is a situation in which your main cold (return air) duct has a bend or drop in it, and the ducting on the lower side of this drop is encased in drywall.

Why is this a problem?

In the course of our cleaning, we use our high pressure RotoWhip and airline through each vent, to blow dust and debris down to the main ductwork in the basement, where our large vacuum hose is attached, and it can be sucked out. If the dust and debris gets trapped in the lower ductwork and the vacuum is attached in the higher section, there may be a significant amount of dust and debris that we are unable to remove from the system. Because we fully guarantee our work, we are unable to clean in this situation.

What can be done about this?

In order to complete the thorough cleaning of your furnace & ducts, you will need to either cut a hole for us, or have a contractor cut a hole and install a grate so that we can access the ductwork on the lower portion of the main duct run.

Why can’t Alberta Furnace Cleaning cut a hole in my ceiling or wall?

We are really good at cleaning furnaces and ducts, but we’re not very good at cutting holes in houses. You wouldn’t want your dentist to perform open heart surgery on you, right?

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Alberta Furnace Cleaning Reviews

Dealing with Alberta Furnace Cleaning was very professional , easy and educational. Everything from appt setup to cleaning up after themselves was great. They communicated well with scheduling , were efficient with putting tarp covering door that needed to be propped open in cold for hoses. Two friendly gentlemen had the tools for difficult screws and told us differences pros and cons between permanent filters and disposable ones. We are repeat customers because they know their stuff and are fabulous! Keep up the great work!

- Eleine Cormier

I can't say enough about the service I received from Alberta Furnace Cleaning. They came today to clean my furnace vents and my in-house VAC system. My Vents were almost completely clogged with construction materials leftover from when the house was built. We also have two kitties and they contributed to the overall blockage. My furnace is already working at a much more efficient level. Alfredo and Joseph were knowledgeable, polite, and efficient. They left my house and furnace room immaculate before they left. Thank you for the great service!

- Deane Eldredge

Very pleased with using this company to have our furnace, duct, dryer vent and central vacuum lines cleaned. I didn’t even know they would offer a central vac line cleaning. We just bought a new house (9 years old, new for us) and we wanted to start fresh with everything cleaned. Our Furnace Tune Up company (Rob’s Albertan Service Experts) recommended we use Alberta Furnace Cleaning as they had a new partnership with them. I booked and was very happy with their service and work. Will use them again in the future.

- Teesha Borelli

Andrew led a team total of 3 to clean my furnaces on Sep 4th 2025. The whole cleaning process was very well organized, smoothly completed within 2 hours. They are very professional and use the proper tool to make sure all ducted were properly cleaned.

- Weimin Li