Air Duct Cleaning Service

A negative-pressure HEPA collection unit is non-negotiable. It connects to the trunk line near the air handler with a large-diameter hose and puts the entire duct system under suction while the work happens, so anything knocked loose travels into a sealed HEPA-filtered collection bag instead of into your bedroom. If the crew's vacuum fits in one hand, the ducts are not going to get cleaned.

Second, mechanical agitation: rotary brush heads for sheet metal and duct board, compressed-air whips for flex, and hand tools for boots. Suction alone does not lift dust that has been packed against a duct wall by years of airflow. Third, register seals — magnetic covers or tape — because negative pressure only concentrates where every other opening is closed.

Ask the office two direct questions before booking: what type of collection equipment the truck carries, and whether the ducts are put under negative pressure for the whole job. Vague answers to either question are your answer.

Pre-inspection first: filter pulled and evaluated, return drop opened, one or two boots pulled, static pressure noted, and photographs taken of the specific spots we will photograph again at the end. If the system doesn't need cleaning, this is where we say so.

Then setup: drop cloths and shoe covers, HEPA collection unit connected at the trunk, every register sealed but the one in work. We move branch by branch through every supply, then every return, agitating and vacuuming each run and each boot. The blower compartment gets vacuumed, the accessible coil face gets cleaned, and the condensate drain gets flushed and checked for slope.

We finish with a new correctly sized filter, a post-clean photo set of the same locations, a written summary of anything we found — a disconnected boot, crushed flex, an undersized return, a filter slot that leaks — and a startup check to confirm the system is moving air the way it did when we arrived, only cleaner. Nothing gets closed up until you have seen the pictures.

A legitimate quote states the number of systems and registers included, the total price rather than a per-vent teaser, whether blower and coil work are included or extra, whether sanitizing is included, and what filter is being installed. Per-vent pricing is where surprise bills come from: a 22-register home at 'from $30 a vent' is a very different number than the ad implies.

You should also get licensing you can verify. Arizona contractors are searchable by ROC number, and any company working on your HVAC equipment should carry both liability insurance and workers' compensation. Ask for the ROC number before the appointment, not after the invoice.

The most common one is the mid-job mold call: a photo of something dark on a duct wall, an urgent remediation quote, and a decision demanded while the system is open. Real biological growth has a moisture source, and a real contractor can show you the source. Insulation shadows, dust streaks, and mastic are routinely photographed and sold as mold.

The second is the 'your ducts are collapsed, you need a full replacement today' pitch after a coupon booking. Duct replacement is sometimes genuinely warranted — but it is a several-thousand-dollar decision that deserves a second opinion and a leakage test, not a same-afternoon signature.

The third is padding: sanitizing on every job whether or not there is a biological reason, UV lights sold as a cure for dust, and 'electrostatic' filter upgrades that restrict airflow on systems that were already tight. We quote add-ons only when the inspection gives a reason for them.