Air Duct Cleaning in Hillsborough, CA

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Our house still has the original sheet metal trunks from the 1930s. Is it worth cleaning them, or should they just be replaced?

   In most Hillsborough period-revival homes, the old galvanized trunks are in better shape than people expect. Heavy-gauge sheet metal doesn't rot the way flex does, so if the seams are tight and the interior isn't rusted through, cleaning is the sensible move. Replacement makes sense when branches have been cut into and patched over decades of remodels, when flex add-ons are crushed in the crawlspace, or when a rebuild is already opening up the walls. We'll tell you which category your system falls into after we scope it.

2. Some of our ducts have old wrapped insulation on them. Can you still clean the system?

   This comes up often in the older estates here. Wrap and tape on legacy trunks from that era can contain asbestos, and we don't disturb, cut, or brush anything we suspect of it. If we see it, we stop at that section and tell you plainly, so you can have it tested and abated by a licensed contractor first. The interior of the duct can usually still be cleaned once the exterior wrap is addressed or confirmed safe. We'd rather lose the job than open up a material that needs a different trade.

3. Why do some rooms in our house collect dust and others don't?

   Long runs and multiple zones. Many Hillsborough homes are served by two or three air handlers split between the attic and the basement, and the zoning means whole branches can sit closed for months at a stretch. Those stagnant legs hold settled debris that releases in a slug when the zone finally calls. The shaded lots don't help either. Oak and pine litter, eucalyptus debris and pollen get pulled into returns year-round, and the damp crawlspace air condenses on cold supply runs. It's rarely uniform across the house.

4. What makes a duct cleaning here cost more or less than a standard home?

   Square footage is only part of it. The bigger factors in Hillsborough are the number of air handlers, how many zones feed off them, and how far the runs travel. A home with one attic unit and one basement unit is effectively two systems, and we price it as such. Full-height crawlspaces work in your favor since we can reach the trunks without demolition, while a tight attic plenum behind finished storage adds time. We walk the property, count the systems, and give you a number before we start.