is your ductwork insulated on the inside? I would try replacing the filter with a good media type filter. Every house will have/collect dust. there is no way around this unless you seal the house and install hospital operating room type filtration system.

do you have carpet? pets? if so that is your source. when we pulled up 317 sq ft of carpet in our den i FILLED a 5 gallon bucket with the dust/dirt that was under it. evne now with tile we have dust, but no where near as bad as when we had carpet. also, if your windows and doors are not sealed against air leaks you will suck a lot of dust in the house.

NO, pulled up all the carpet, I have used a great media filter, merv 12, no difference at all in the dust. Yes the ducts are insulated, It is getting worse every year, when we built, it was not near this bad, but I had a honeywell air cleaner, but it has since bit the dust.....any other suggestions? Regards, P.K. ps, yes, two dogs, but I don't think that is the problem, always had dogs.

I have read a number of times on this forum how people think that having their ducts cleaned is not a worthwhile expense. I have done many of projects where having the ducts cleaned removed a ton of nastyÂs from a property. No, I donÂt do duct cleaning but I am involved in the construction industry.

If you think after 10 years that your ducts have not accumulated some real nasty particulate then give this a try. Go find a spot in your house, behind a bed, a couch or some other piece of furniture that is near a duct supply and has also not been touched in 10 years. Now look behind it or under that furniture and you wonÂt believe how much dust and dirt is back there. You can bet your ducts have far more garbage in them then what lies behind your furniture.

The HVAC system is the lungs to your home. If there is dirt in those ducts, and I promise you there is, your system is breathing out dirty air. IÂm not saying having your ducts cleaned will resolve your problem, IÂm just advocating that having your ducts cleaned is a step in the right direction to good indoor air quality.

Was the dust white?

If you suspect duct leakage, have a qualified contractor do a duct blaster test. You may have a leak in the return system. That is the only place you can drag dust into the system and distribute it through out the house. A good media filter can catch most of the dust. Dust comes in all sizes so some may get by a media filter. Take a good look around the furnace down stream from your filter. You could be drawing in unfiltered air after the filter.

The duct blaster will pressurize the ducts and can determine the amount of leakage. A good tech will look at the supply and return separately.

Was the dust a fine white powder?

Just some info for ya.. the people 2 doors up have a split like mine. The owner and his friend decided to blow insulation into the garage wall and sealing.

That was in the fall........... in the spring the owner asked me if I have the same dust proble he has.

He has to dust everyday because of the covering of dust all over his house. ( we usually use a snow blower once a month to get to the fridge ) Joke

He found the problem... they filled the RETURN duct almost full of blowen in insuation. ( oh my goshhhhh I was icching just talking about it) Now he had clean all of that stuff out. They were breathing all of that junk.

So if you have a leak... gap... opening... UNDERNTH the insulation of a return duct. That could very well be pulling insulation in to your system.

I would have it tested as the others have suggested.

Good Luck, Scott

I am sorry I cannot help you. I have a similar problem of my own. I live in Vancouver, WA. My home is also only 1200 sf and do not live in an area with a lot of outside dirt. In 2005 I had new duct work all in attack area and vents on the ceiling and a Lennox two stage high efficiency heat pump installed, the heat pump has had problems since it was first installed. Since then there has been a great increase of dust and dirt in the house and an accumulation of dirt/dust especially at the ceiling vent and return vent. This was not a problem before this installation. I was preparing to replace the carpet and install home filtration system, neither of which I can afford, but the problem is affecting my son's and my allergies.

My questions are: What should I have the company who installed it do to address the dust?
How much should a home air filtration system addded to the current system cost?
Or would a stand alone system like the one from Alen systems be sufficient?
The Lennox system has had repeated problems including excessive noise especially when it is cold. When or how should I contact the company itself to address the problems. I am concerned that the shaking and excessive noise will effect the life of the system itself.

I appreciate any advice you all may have on these.

In my statement previously I meant to type that I had new duct work installed in the attic area, not attack area.

Your contractor is probably thinking that the problem was preexistent in your home going by what you have said I don't believe that to be true I just want you to be prepared for what you are up against there should be a certified rater in your area who can do a test on your system to find out if there is any infiltration if your ductwork is not leaking then the dust is coming from inside your home

Here is a link that might be useful: Air Conditioning and Heating Repair Made Easy