Whole-home duct cleaning
Dryer vent cleaning
Camera inspection
Sanitizing & deodorizingWhole-system duct and dryer vent check with before-and-after photos - you see exactly what came out of your vents
That "$99 whole-house special" is a bait ad - the real number appears once they are in your hallway, or the "clean" is a shop-vac at the register. We photograph the inside of your ducts before and after instead.
Air Duct Cleaning Company in Los Altos, CA
Air Duct Repair in Los Altos is the service we get called for when a routine cleaning reveals something worse: torn flex runs in a crawlspace, a disconnected return under a 1960s rancher, or ductwork that roof rats have turned into a highway. Most Los Altos homes were built between 1950 and 1975, and a surprising number still run their original galvanized or flex duct. That means what starts as a cleaning job often ends with a repair estimate, because the duct itself has failed. If you’re dealing with weak airflow, rooms that never reach temperature, or a musty smell that won’t leave, call us at (866) 528-3938. We’ll inspect the system and tell you exactly what’s broken and what it costs to fix before we touch anything.
Why Los Altos Homes Are Different
Los Altos is old-orchard land. Much of what’s now a $4 million-plus ranch house was built in the 1950s and 1960s on former apricot and walnut orchard lots, and the ductwork under those homes is often original to the build. We regularly open crawlspaces in neighborhoods off Foothill Expressway and find 50-year-old galvanized duct held together with decades of tape and hope, or flex runs that have sagged and collapsed between the joists. The single-story custom ranchers that define the city were built for a different climate expectation than today: they were not designed for wildfire-season smoke or the pollen load from the mature valley oaks and redwoods that still hang over the roofline.
The climate compounds the problem. Los Altos has dry Mediterranean summers and mild, wet winters. That means ducts here collect dry oak pollen, fine dust, and rodent debris instead of humid mold. The bigger issue is overhead. Dense old-growth trees over the roofline create heavy seasonal leaf litter and constant roof-rat and squirrel pressure. Rodents chew through attic flex duct, nest in insulation, and turn a sealed system into a leaky one. When a Los Altos homeowner calls about a cleaning and we find rodent damage, the cleaning stops and the repair conversation starts. You can’t clean your way out of a torn duct.
Newer tear-down rebuilds in the same neighborhoods add another wrinkle. We see modern HVAC equipment tied into legacy duct chases that were sized for smaller, leakier systems. That mismatch creates pressure problems, hot and cold spots, and higher energy bills. The house looks new, but the duct design is 1965.
Styles & brands we work with
- Whole-home duct cleaning
- Dryer vent cleaning
- Camera inspection
- Sanitizing & deodorizing
Our Main Los Altos Services
Two services account for most of the calls we run in Los Altos: full air duct cleaning for homeowners who want the decades of dust and pollen out, and dryer vent cleaning for laundry rooms that have become fire hazards. Both jobs change a little here because of what’s in the duct and how the house was built.
Air Duct Cleaning in Los Altos
If you have not had your ducts cleaned since buying a mid-century home in Los Altos, you’re likely breathing what’s accumulated since the Eisenhower administration. We use professional-grade Rotobrush and Nikro systems, not shop vacuums, and we run Abatement Technologies HEPA filtration during the job so dislodged contaminants are captured instead of recirculated into your living room. Los Altos ducts collect dry oak pollen, dust, and construction debris from tear-down rebuilds. Cleaning makes a measurable difference when the system is intact. If it’s not intact, we’ll tell you before we start. Full details and Los Altos-specific pricing are on our dedicated page: Air Duct Cleaning in Los Altos.
Dryer Vent Cleaning in Los Altos
Los Altos homes with long vent runs, especially single-story ranchers where the laundry room sits far from an exterior wall, are prone to lint buildup that slows drying and creates a fire risk. Rodents like dryer vents too. We clean the full run from dryer to outside termination, remove bird and rodent nests, and confirm the vent is moving air properly afterward. If the vent is damaged or improperly installed, we’ll quote the repair separately so you know exactly what you’re paying for. See Dryer Vent Cleaning in Los Altos for what the job involves and what it costs in your area.
Air Duct Repair in Los Altos
Air Duct Repair in Los Altos is our primary service, and it’s where the age of this city’s housing stock shows up most clearly. When we get under a 1960s rancher and find galvanized duct rusted through at the seams, or attic flex torn open by roof rats, cleaning is no longer the conversation. The conversation is about restoring a sealed, functional duct system so the air you paid to heat or cool actually reaches the rooms. Duct Cleaning Mountain View has served Los Altos since 2015, and the pattern is consistent: the older the home, the more likely a “cleaning” becomes a repair estimate. We fix it. We replace it if it’s beyond fixing. And we show you what we found before we ask you to spend a dollar. Learn more about the full scope on our Air Duct Repair page.
Ductwork Repair
Signs you need it
Rooms that never reach the set temperature, a sudden jump in the energy bill, or visible dust blowing from the registers even after cleaning point to a breach in the ductwork.
What it costs in Los Altos
Ductwork repair in Los Altos typically runs $350 to $900 for sealing and patching leaks, depending on how many sections are compromised and whether we’re working in a crawlspace or an attic.
How we do it
We locate the leak with pressure testing, clean the damaged section, seal the breach with mastic and mechanical fasteners rather than tape, and re-test to confirm the system holds pressure.
Air Duct Replacement
Signs you need it
Rust through the galvanized metal, collapsed flex, rodent damage extensive enough that patching would be patchwork, or duct that has separated at the joints in multiple places means replacement rather than repair.
What it costs in Los Altos
Full replacement in Los Altos generally runs $2,500 to $6,500 depending on the system’s length, whether it’s in a crawlspace or attic, and how many registers the home has.
How we do it
We remove the failed duct, size the replacement to the home’s actual airflow needs rather than blindly matching the old run, install new sealed duct with proper support and insulation, and balance the airflow across rooms before we leave.
HVAC Duct Installation
Signs you need it
The telltale sign is a newer HVAC system tied to old, undersized duct: high static pressure, noisy airflow, hot and cold spots, and a system that short-cycles.
What it costs in Los Altos
New duct installation in Los Altos falls between $3,000 and $8,000 for a typical single-story home, with larger or more complex layouts at the upper end.
How we do it
We calculate the room-by-room load, design the duct layout for proper airflow, install the new runs with sealed joints and proper insulation, and commission the system by measuring actual airflow at each register.
What Air Duct Repair Costs in Los Altos
| Item | Typical range in Los Altos |
|---|---|
| Duct sealing & patching (per section) | $150 – $400 |
| Full duct replacement (single-story home) | $2,500 – $6,500 |
| New HVAC duct installation | $3,000 – $8,000 |
Can you repair ducts without replacing the whole system?
Usually, yes. Most Los Altos homes only need the damaged sections repaired, not the entire run replaced. We’ll only recommend replacement when the duct has failed structurally, which is common in homes where roof rats have torn through multiple flex sections.
Why did my duct cleaning turn into a repair estimate?
Because the duct was already damaged before we started. In Los Altos, rodent damage, rusted galvanized seams, and collapsed flex runs are common enough that a cleaning often reveals the real problem. We show you photos of what we found before quoting anything.
Brands We Service in Los Altos
We work on all major duct and HVAC brands found in Los Altos homes, and we stock common parts locally so repairs aren’t waiting on shipping. Around here, that means a lot of Aprilaire filtration components tied into systems that predate their installation. We also carry Rotobrush and Abatement Technologies consumables for our own equipment, and Guardsman-brand products for protective finishing on repaired duct surfaces. See our brands for the full list.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterPricing for Air Duct Cleaning Company in Los Altos, CA
| Service | Typical range in Los Altos |
|---|---|
| Air duct cleaning (whole home, up to 10 vents) | $450 – $850 |
| Air duct cleaning (larger homes, 10 – 20 vents) | $700 – $1,300 |
| Dryer vent cleaning (standard single-story) | $150 – $300 |
| Dryer vent cleaning (complex or long runs) | $250 – $500 |
| Duct sealing & patching (per section) | $150 – $400 |
| Full duct replacement (single-story home) | $2,500 – $6,500 |
| New HVAC duct installation | $3,000 – $8,000 |
| Crawlspace duct inspection | $150 – $350 |
What pushes a Los Altos job toward the upper end is access and age. Crawlspaces under mid-century ranchers are tight, often with low clearance, and the older the duct, the more likely we’re dealing with rusted seams, separated joints, or collapsed flex that requires more labor per foot. The upfront-price promise we make is simple: one flat price agreed before work starts, not a per-vent quote that balloons once the job is underway. You’ll know the number before we open a single register.
Neighborhoods We Serve in Los Altos
We work throughout Los Altos, from the custom ranchers near Foothill Expressway to the newer tear-down rebuilds closer to downtown. Most of our service area is reachable within 30 to 45 minutes from our Mountain View base, and we schedule Los Altos jobs in a single visit whenever possible so you’re not waiting for a second truck to arrive.
- North Los Altos
- South Los Altos
- Country Club area
- Los Altos Hills
- Loyola Corners
Service Area – Cities Near Los Altos
Beyond Los Altos, we run regular routes through the surrounding Peninsula and South Bay cities. If you’re in Mountain View, CA, Cupertino, CA, Palo Alto, CA, or Saratoga, CA, we can schedule your service with the same equipment and the same flat-price promise. Each of these areas has its own housing stock and duct conditions, but the process stays the same: inspect, show you what we found, quote one price, and do the work right.
Serving Los Altos, CA – Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Los Altos area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage – if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Air Duct Cleaning Company in Los Altos
For most Los Altos jobs, we can schedule within three to five business days, depending on whether you need a cleaning, a repair, or an inspection. Emergency calls, like a dryer vent that’s clearly blocked or a duct that has disconnected and is dumping air into a crawlspace, get priority. Call (866) 528-3938 and we’ll give you a specific date, not a vague window.
For most duct cleaning and repair work, no permit is required. If the job involves structural changes, like rerouting duct through a wall, a permit may apply, and some Los Altos HOAs with design review requirements may want to know in advance. We can tell you what your specific job needs before we start.
Yes. That’s the point of sending a specialist, not a general handyman. We arrive with our Rotobrush and Nikro cleaning equipment and the tools and materials for duct repair. If the cleaning reveals damage, we can quote the repair on the spot and, in most cases, complete it the same day.
If you’re in Los Altos and want ducts cleaned, dryer vents cleared, or damaged ductwork repaired, call us at (866) 528-3938 for a free estimate. We’ll tell you what’s in your ducts, what it costs to fix, and the one flat price we’ll charge before any work begins.
What happens when you call
- 1A real person answersNo phone trees. Talk to a local air duct cleaning pro.
- 2You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched. No surprises.
- 3We come out and measureLicensed & insured, at a time that suits you. The visit and the quote are both free.
- 4You get the price in writingLine-itemed, yours to keep, and nothing starts until you say go.
What Los Altos Customers Say
"Quoted per system rather than the bait and switch per vent pricing everybody else in town uses. The number I was told on the phone was the number on the invoice."
- Carmen Delgado"Two guys, about three hours, plastic down at every register, and they wiped the vent covers before putting them back."
- Maria Salazar"Fast, fair, done right. No notes."
- Brandon Kim