Q. I am living in the California, I will start the new small business, It is airt duct cleaning for houses, commercial and industrial. Should I need the license for air duct cleaning or only business license is OK?

A. Oh man - in California they probably require a license and insurance for everything. One good area to get into is "asbestos abatement" - you'll run into asbestos a lot while cleaning ducts - and if you could THEN be the guy who cleaned this stuff out, you'd be in the chips. You'd probably need a separate license for everything. Asbestos is not really a big deal except that town governments are terrified of it now - so it means a LOT of money for you to make it go away.

Q. I service and train buyers of commercial floor and air duct cleaning equipment, as well as flood clean up equipment. I've been all over this country. I just returned from a two week trip to Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee. I also passed through Virginia on the way home. I like Virginia and visit every few months. The other three I mentioned I visit every 12-18 months the past 10 years. These were my first Red States since the election. I'm a Yankee from NY. I don't try to hid it. In the past, trips have been pretty good. This trip was a little uneasy. A class in Tennessee training five white males, aged 20-30 ended 5 minutes after it started. I introduced myself and one said "Oh sh*t, a G*d D*mn F*cking Yankee" under his breath. I asked for the person who said it to just leave. They all snickered. Nobody had the guts to fess up. I called my company and explained the situation. Even though this customer made a $30k purchase, they just blew the training session that comes with the sale. They can be on their own or pay for a trainer (maybe me) to come back. The owner of the business was very upset. He threatened to fire the whole bunch of them. Since nothing was resolved, he was very embarrassed and told me to call next week to reschedule a training class, with new employees. Is this just sour grapes of a few biggots? Is this how the average Red Stater feels after losing the White House? I've seen a little bigotry down south before, but nothing like this. A white lady from Huntsville, AL invited me to dinner earlier last week. She was a big woman, easily 200 lbs. She was also one of the finest cooks I ever met. She made meatloaf, which you wouldn't expect to be AWESOME, but it was, and both pecan pie and coconut cake that were also as good as any expensive NY bakery would sell.

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Q. Water leak to personal home Jan 2010. Professionally removed sheetrock, insulation cabinets 35K worth of rehab. Sat dried out with commercial vacs, commercial cleaners on wood studs. etc All wet wood was dreid professionally for 5 days, washed and scrubbed with bleach. New sheetrock insulation etc. All old hauled away. New carpet new kithcen and baths yes the damage was extensive. home sat "SHUT" up with no Hvac heat or air for 9 mnths.Home sold. Buyer asked for Air quality test. It failed. MOLD SPORES EVERY WHERE. I am cleaning today with HEPA vac and washing everywhere with Hydrogen peroxide. RE test on Tuesday of next week. DId not runing air cause major spores ? Am I going to have to possibly retear out walls again and start over ? Why did professional contractor not tell me to turn air on ? DO most professional contractors have liabilty insurance for redo work ? Or am I just scared of another 35 k rehab over spores ? HOw does the LAb air quality guys and gals test for mold in the walls ? Jill Cremens 678 524 4112 Cremensjill@yahoo.com

A. I would also get the duct work and furnace clean and certified it is mold free.If there is mold in the wall it will show up on the drywall.If it was there and cleaned and only bleach was used it will come back. once it is cleaned and removed properly the entire house needs to be professionally cleaned and painted.If there is carpet any spores are in there too Also run the heat up to dry out the house even rent heaters if you must.Good Luck As for the contractor if he did the work and the house was left closed up for months unless you can prove he missed something he is not liable.If he was a mold specialist and gave you a certificate the you have a claim!

Q. I need to get an HVAC system cleaned. What is the difference between service from an air duct company that says they can also clean the main furnace or blower unit and fan and using an HVAC company to clean the system? My system is electric. It is 8 yrs old, has never been cleaned and apparently has never had the filter changed. Thanks!

A. Hvac will usually only service the units and not clean the ducts. They should vacuum off the coils and fans and apply a coil cleaner to help remove the dirt that has been sucked into the coils over the years. Sometimes they will want to remove the coil, which means they will remove the freon, take out the coil and chemically clean it. At 8 years old they may try to sell you a new unit, which you prabably do not need. If you want to find a service company and do not have a recommendation try http://www.servicemagic.com/ They will send your info out to qualified, reputable companies. Duct cleaners are not usually licensed ac repair men so be careful. You may get a good tech or you may end up with somebody just doing summer work. You can contact the same web site above for leads in this and all areas as well. Luck

Q. Can any body tell me Where can i find Air Duct Cleaning in Canada at low rates ? I live in Toronto. Thanks 416-915-9390 thanks herry!

A. Look in the Yellow Pages. Get quotes from various companies that do that kind of work.

Q. There was a coupon today in the Valpak for $59 air duct cleaning. Does it really make a difference when they clean them, or is it just a scam?

A. If anyone in the house has allergy issues, it is indeed very helpful. However, a reputable company cannot do a good job for $59.00. If you don't want to pay more then don't do it however you will get nothing worthwhile for $59.00. lp

Q. Is there anyone out there who has had their air ducts cleaned by a professional service? If so was it worth the money and what is the cost average?

A. The price is based on how many hot &cold regesters you have i live in northern ohio ,have mine done every 5-6 year's it is defenyley worth it i would call around for price's i think i paid 2.50 or 3.00 per. regester

Q. I have a small air duct cleaning business, actually it's just me am the president & the technician. I want to know if I need a license to do air duct cleaning in homes ONLY no commercials. I do have have a DBA as required by California. I have called the state but even they weren't sure. if I do need a license what name is it under?? thanks

A. Actually, I would form a limited liability company to limit your personal liability in case something goes wrong. Legally, there is no difference between you and your DBA. This site might help clarify licensing requirements http://www.cslb.ca.gov/