Zachary Ortwine Archives

Zachary Ortwine

Company name: Southeast Clean Air Solutions

Position: Owner

Zachary Ortwine is the owner of Southeast Clean Air Solutions and has 7+ years of full-time, field-based duct cleaning experience. He holds the following certifications:

National Air Duct Cleaners Association (NADCA): Certified Ventilation Inspector (CVI) and Air Systems Cleaning Specialist (ASCS)

National Comfort Institute (NCI): Duct System Optimization, Residential HVAC System Performance, Residential Air Balancing Certified

He is also a 3x previous speaker for NADCA Fall Technical Conference, a NADCA Scientific Committee member, and serves as part of the ASCS and CVI Exam Writing task forces.

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The “Bad” Contactor That Wasn’t

I wanted to share a recent “rediscovery” with you out of pure humility. I call it a rediscovery because it’s a basic fundamental I already knew, but it just hadn't come up recently enough to be top of mind until the other day. I found myself troubleshooting a single-pole Mars 91311 contactor. I had voltage […]

How Private Equity Has Been Shaping the Industry (and How to Navigate It)

My family tries to live as holistically as possible. We make a lot of our own food and stay away from things that are heavily processed and have a lot of additives, preservatives, and common allergens. That means we like to buy snacks from independent brands that are transparent about their recipes, and one of […]

So You Want to Be a Space HVAC Tech

“It sounds very fancy, but it's really the HVAC of the spacecraft — controlling humidity, temperature and the whole atmosphere onboard.” — Manuel Retana, NASA Project Manager, ECLSS Artemis II | University of Nevada, Reno, April 2026 A NASA engineer who spent five years building the life support system on the Artemis II spacecraft name-dropped […]

Ethical Duct Cleaning

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Duct Cleaning Training with Zach Ortwine

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Can You Coat Fiberglass?

In this episode of the HVAC School Podcast, Bryan interviews Zach about duct coatings and their applications in HVAC systems, particularly focusing on the Hardcast RE500 product. The discussion delves into the importance of proper duct coating applications and their benefits for both contractors and customers. Zach, who has extensive experience in duct cleaning […]

Duct Cleaning – How Long & How Often?

In this episode of the HVAC School podcast, Bryan interviews Zach from Southeast Clean Air Solutions about the intricacies of professional duct cleaning. Zach specializes in addressing duct cleaning challenges specific to the Southeastern climate, with a particular focus on fiberglass-lined ducts. The conversation delves into the complexities of cleaning different types of duct […]

Can Ducts Be Cleaned Ethically?

In this episode of the HVAC School Podcast, Bryan interviews Zachary Ortwine, a duct cleaning professional who provides insights into ethical duct cleaning practices. The conversation delves deep into the complexities of cleaning different types of ductwork, the importance of proper assessment, and the potential challenges in maintaining indoor air quality. Zach emphasizes the […]