Air duct cleaning in Los Angeles
Dust that keeps coming back, pet hair at the vents, or a house that needs a fresh start after a remodel or a smoky week. We look first and tell you whether cleaning will help.
Duct cleaning removes what has settled in the air ducts, and we will tell you plainly whether your house needs it.
Your air ducts are the metal and flexible tubes that carry air from the furnace or air handler to every room and back again. Over the years, dust, hair, lint and building debris settle inside them. Cleaning means loosening that material and pulling it out with a powerful vacuum, from the grille in each room all the way back to the main line.
We clean the ducts in houses, townhomes and condos that have their own ducted system: a furnace, a heat pump or an air handler feeding vents in each room and one or more returns. We work across Los Angeles County and eastern Ventura County, from Long Beach and Torrance to Santa Monica, Pasadena, the San Fernando and Santa Clarita valleys and Thousand Oaks. If you are not sure the ducts are the problem, look through all our heating and cooling services or call us and describe what you are seeing.
Why people book duct cleaning in Los Angeles
A few situations send homeowners looking for a duct cleaning. Each one is a good reason to have the ducts looked at, and each one is also a sign that your ducts may need cleaning.
After a renovation
Drywall dust, sawdust and plaster get pulled into the returns while work goes on, especially if the system ran during the job. That dust settles in the ducts and blows back out for months.
After wildfire smoke
Smoke and ash drawn in on bad air days can leave a smell and fine soot on the return side. We check the returns and the filter first, then clean what needs it.
Pets in the house
Hair and dander collect at the returns and in the first few feet of duct behind them. With more than one pet, it builds up faster.
Dust you can see
Take a vent cover off and look. If the duct behind it has a coat of dust or debris, or a puff of dust comes out when the system starts, the rest of the run often looks the same.
Dust that comes right back
If shelves are dusty a day after you clean them, the ducts may be part of it. A leaking return that pulls air from the attic can be the bigger cause, and we check for that too.
A house that is new to you
When you move into a home and do not know the history of its system, it makes sense to see what is inside the ducts before you settle in.
What duct cleaning involves, register to trunk
A duct system has more parts than the vents you see. A proper cleaning covers all of them.
- Supply registers and branch runs. The grilles that blow air into each room, and the smaller ducts behind them.
- The trunk line. The larger main duct that feeds the branches. In many Los Angeles homes it runs through the attic, a crawlspace or a soffit.
- The returns. The bigger grilles that pull air back to the system. They collect the most dust because they draw it in from the house.
- The plenums. The boxes where the ducts meet the furnace or air handler.
We connect our vacuum to the system near the furnace or air handler, so the whole duct system pulls toward it. Then we work from each register back, loosening what has settled with brushes and air tools sized for the duct. On flexible duct we use softer tools, because a stiff brush can tear the inner lining. We clean the grilles and look at the blower and the coil. If they are dirty, we tell you, because clean ducts feeding a dirty blower will not stay clean for long.
When it is worth it, and when it is not
Duct cleaning is worth the money when there is something in the ducts to remove. Construction dust after a remodel, heavy pet hair, soot after smoke and debris you can see behind a vent cover are all good reasons. In those cases the house usually feels cleaner and the filter lasts longer between changes.
It is not a routine yearly job. If the ducts look reasonably clean when we open them up, we will say so, and you can skip the cleaning. Cleaning also cannot fix a leak. If a return is torn or a joint has come apart in the attic, the system keeps pulling in attic dust no matter how often the ducts are cleaned. That is a job for duct repair and sealing, and we will show you what we found.
There are downsides to know about:
- It costs time and money. Ducts get dirty again slowly, so a cleaning is not something to repeat every year.
- Done carelessly, it can make things worse. Rough work can knock dust into the house or damage flexible duct. We cover the vents as we go and use tools that suit the duct.
- It does not replace good care. A clean filter and regular service do more for the air in the house over time. AC tune-ups and HVAC maintenance keep the coil, the blower and the filter in shape between cleanings.
What the visit looks like
A cleaning is a planned visit, and it goes in this order.
You call or send the form
Tell us roughly how big the house is, how many floors it has, about how many vents there are, and why you want the ducts cleaned. Mention a recent remodel, pets or smoke.
We look before we clean
We take off a few vent covers, check the returns and the filter, and look at the ducts we can reach. If cleaning will not help, we tell you then.
We protect the house and clean
We cover the floor near the work, seal off the vents, connect the vacuum and work through every supply and return run.
We put it back and run it
We refit the grilles, run the system and show you what came out. A typical house takes a few hours. A large or two-story home, or one with a hard-to-reach attic, takes longer.
Why call Air Cove HVAC
We work on heating and cooling systems, so we look at the whole system while the ducts are open. We can tell a dirty duct from a leaking one, and a dusty house from a dirty blower. We are licensed and insured.
Dryer vents are cleaned with the same kind of equipment as air ducts. If your dryer is slow too, ask for dryer vent cleaning on the same visit.
Air duct cleaning questions
Is air duct cleaning really worth the money?
It is when there is something in the ducts to remove, such as dust from a remodel, pet hair, smoke residue or debris you can see behind a vent cover. It is not worth paying for on a schedule when the ducts are already clean. We look inside first and tell you which one your house is.
What are signs your air ducts need cleaning?
Dust or debris you can see inside the duct when you take a vent cover off, a puff of dust when the system starts, dust that settles again a day after you clean, a recent renovation, a lot of pet hair, or a smoky smell after bad air days. Any one of them is worth a look.
What are the downsides to air duct cleaning?
It costs money, and the benefit is small if the ducts were not dirty to begin with. Careless work can spread dust or tear flexible duct. It also cannot fix leaks, so a house with a torn return will keep getting dusty. We check for all three before we start.
What is the average cost to clean air ducts?
It depends on the house. The number of supply and return vents, the size of the home, one story or two, how easy the attic or crawlspace is to reach and how much has built up all move the price. We price it after we have looked. Our guide to duct cleaning cost goes through each of those factors.
Do I need to be home for the cleaning?
Yes. We need to get to every vent in the house, the returns and the furnace or air handler, and we want to show you what we found before we start and what came out when we finish.
Wondering if your ducts need it? Tell us what you are seeing and we will tell you whether it needs it.
Breathe easier at home
Call us, or send the form and we will call you back. We clean ducts across Los Angeles, seven days a week.