Air Duct Cleaning in Alpine, CA

Frequently Asked Questions

After the last round of fires, I could smell smoke inside for weeks. Does duct cleaning actually help with that?

It helps with the part that's sitting in your system. Fine smoke particulate and ash get pulled into attic ducts through return leaks and attic vents, then settle in the flex runs and on the blower wheel and coil. Every time the system kicks on, some of it comes back out. Cleaning the ducts, the blower, and the return cavity removes that reservoir. What it won't do is fix smoke that soaked into carpet, drywall, or upholstery, or odor coming back in through an unsealed attic hatch. We'll tell you straight which one you're dealing with, rather than cleaning ducts and hoping it covers everything.

The bedrooms at the far end of the house barely blow any air. Is that a duct problem?

Often, yes. It's one of the most common things we find in Alpine. Houses built out here from the 1970s through the 2000s are spread out on big lots, so there are long flex runs to the terminal rooms. Flex duct sags between supports over the years, kinks where it turns, and sometimes pulls partly loose at the boot. Add a layer of dust buildup inside and the room at the end of the line loses most of its airflow. We check run condition and connections while we're in the attic or crawlspace, not just vacuum and leave. Sometimes the fix is cleaning, sometimes it's resupporting or reattaching a run.

We've had rodents in the crawlspace before. Will you look at the under-floor ducts too?

We do, and on hillside foundations and crawlspace homes here that's usually where the trouble is. Rural attic vents and open crawl areas let rodents and insects in, and flex duct is easy for them to chew through or nest against. If we find droppings, nesting material, or a torn section, we show you photos before touching anything, because contaminated duct sometimes needs replacing rather than cleaning. Cleaning a duct a rodent is still living in just wastes your money. We'll also point out the opening they came through if we can see it, even though sealing it isn't our work.

What makes the price go up or down on a house like mine?

Mostly size and access. Alpine homes tend to be larger custom and semi-custom builds with more supply runs than a tract house, and more runs means more time. Access matters just as much: a tight hillside crawlspace or a low attic over a long run costs more labor than a walk-around attic. Manufactured homes and the older cabins usually come in lower because the duct layout is simpler. Heavy ash or rodent contamination can add to it, since those need more than a pass with a vacuum. We'd rather walk the house and tell you what it actually involves, instead of quoting a number blind over the phone.