Whole-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 Palo Alto, CA
Air Duct Repair in Palo Alto often means correcting decades of retrofits. Homes here range from century-old Craftsman bungalows in Professorville to mid-century Eichlers in south Palo Alto, and many have original galvanized ductwork or flex lines jammed into crawlspaces that were never sized for modern HVAC loads. Add wildfire smoke from the Santa Cruz Mountains settling into return ducts each fall, and you get duct systems that need diagnosis before cleaning, not just a hose run through a vent. Our team handles that full scope. Call (833) 620-7085 when you need a duct specialist who maps the system before touching it.
Why Palo Alto Homes Are Different
Palo Alto’s housing stock splits into two distinct eras, and each one creates its own duct problems. North side homes in Professorville and Downtown date to the early 1900s – Craftsman bungalows and Spanish Colonial Revival builds where wall cavities and attics have been collecting dust for nearly a century. Many of these homes still run on galvanized ducting that predates modern sealing standards. South of Oregon Expressway, you’re more likely to find 1950s and 60s tract homes and Eichlers, where original duct runs were undersized from the start and decades of additions have created mismatched systems with pressure imbalances. A duct cleaning here isn’t a quick pass – it starts with tracing every branch, identifying dead runs, and noting where air is leaking into unconditioned space.
Then there’s fire season. The Mediterranean climate gives Palo Alto long dry summers, but between August and November, smoke drift from the Santa Cruz Mountains and Diablo Range regularly pushes PM2.5 into the unhealthy range. Residents run HVAC systems on recirculate, pulling fine ash into return grilles and blower wheels. We routinely find smoke residue caked on blower wheels in homes near Arastradero Preserve and Foothill Expressway, where smoke settles overnight in the foothills. Post-smoke duct cleaning has become a recurring seasonal service here, particularly for households with allergy sufferers or infants.
Styles & brands we work with
- Whole-home duct cleaning
- Dryer vent cleaning
- Camera inspection
- Sanitizing & deodorizing
Our Main Palo Alto Services
Most Palo Alto homeowners contact us about two things: cleaning what’s accumulated inside the ducts, and clearing the dryer vent that runs to the outside. Both are explained below.
Air Duct Cleaning in Palo Alto
Air duct cleaning in Palo Alto is rarely a routine job. It’s a response to something specific: wildfire smoke residue, a remodel that’s spread drywall dust through the system, or years of accumulated debris in a century-old home. We run Rotobrush brush-contact cleaning systems through the full duct network, and pair that with Nikro HEPA negative-air machines to capture particulates as they’re dislodged – not push them into your living room. For homes near Foothill Expressway or Arastradero Preserve, post-fire-season cleaning typically reveals fine ash throughout the return side. Read the full breakdown at Air Duct Cleaning in Palo Alto.
Dryer Vent Cleaning in Palo Alto
Dryer vent cleaning in Palo Alto gets treated as a fire-prevention service, not an afterthought. Lint buildup inside a vent is combustible, and vent runs in older Palo Alto homes often extend further than code allows today. A restricted vent also forces your dryer to run hotter and longer, accelerating wear. We trace the full run from dryer to exterior termination, clean it with professional equipment, and verify airflow at the exit point. Drier lint is the fuel, and restricted airflow is the spark. The full service scope is at Dryer Vent Cleaning in Palo Alto.
Air Duct Repair in Palo Alto
Duct repair in Palo Alto frequently means fixing what previous retrofits got wrong. A 1920s Craftsman in Professorville may have original galvanized ducting that’s rusted through at the seams, while a south Palo Alto Eichler might have flex ducts that were undersized when installed and have since collapsed or disconnected. Each fall, smoke from the Santa Cruz Mountains settles into return ducts, and if the ductwork itself is leaking, that smoke gets pulled into wall cavities and crawlspaces instead of passing through the filter. Our Air Duct Repair service starts with inspection and mapping, then repairs or replaces the affected sections with properly sealed runs, so the system moves air where it’s supposed to.
Ductwork Repair
Signs you need it
Rooms that never reach the thermostat set point, whistling from wall registers, or visible dust streaks around vent covers in older Palo Alto homes.
What it costs in Palo Alto
Ductwork repair in Palo Alto typically runs $550 to $1,700 depending on the number of damaged sections and whether they’re accessible from a crawlspace or require attic access.
How we do it
We locate leaks with a pressure test or visual inspection, then seal gaps with mastic or foil tape, repair or replace torn flex sections, and re-wrap insulation where needed.
Air Duct Replacement
Signs you need it
Ductwork that’s collapsed, rusted through, or so undersized that the blower struggles to move air to the farthest rooms in your Palo Alto home.
What it costs in Palo Alto
Air duct replacement in Palo Alto typically falls between $1,800 and $4,200 for a full system, with partial replacements running less depending on the number of runs involved.
How we do it
We remove the failed sections, install new properly sized duct runs sealed at every joint, and confirm airflow at each register before we finish.
What Air Duct Repair Costs in Palo Alto
| Item | Typical range in Palo Alto |
|---|---|
| Ductwork repair (sealing, patching, re-wrapping) | $550 – $1,700 |
| Air duct replacement (partial to full system) | $1,800 – $4,200 |
| HVAC duct installation (new runs, additions) | $2,500 – $5,000 |
Prices shift upward in Palo Alto when duct runs are tucked into tight crawlspaces that require more labor to access, or when repairs must be coordinated with an older home’s framing. We give one flat price per system before any work starts – no per-vent charges, no surprise add-ons after the van is parked.
How do I know my ducts need repair rather than just cleaning?
If rooms stay hot or cold regardless of how long the system runs, or you see dust streaks around registers, you have a leak or restriction. Cleaning won’t fix airflow; repair will. Call us for an inspection before deciding.
Can you repair ducts in a crawlspace in a Palo Alto Eichler?
Yes. Eichler crawlspaces are tight, but we work in them regularly. The undersized original ducts in these homes are a common repair job. We’ll map the runs, identify the failed sections, and replace them without disturbing the slab.
Brands We Service in Palo Alto
We work with the equipment already in your Palo Alto home and can supply filtration upgrades at the source. That includes Honeywell and Aprilaire media cabinets, plus Rotobrush and Nikro systems for the cleaning side of the job. Most common replacement parts for Honeywell and Aprilaire units are stocked locally, so repair work typically moves faster. See the full list at our brands.
See the difference
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AfterPricing for Air Duct Cleaning Company in Palo Alto, CA
| Service | Typical range in Palo Alto |
|---|---|
| Air duct cleaning (whole-home, up to 10 vents) | $350 – $650 |
| Air duct cleaning (larger homes, 11 – 20 vents) | $650 – $1,100 |
| Dryer vent cleaning | $120 – $285 |
| Ductwork repair (sealing, patching, re-wrapping) | $550 – $1,700 |
| Air duct replacement (partial to full system) | $1,800 – $4,200 |
| HVAC duct installation (new runs, additions) | $2,500 – $5,000 |
| Filter replacement (media cabinet or standard) | $40 – $120 |
| Filtration upgrade (Honeywell or Aprilaire media cabinet) | $400 – $1,000 |
What pushes cost up in Palo Alto is access: duct runs threaded through century-old framing or the tight crawlspaces common under Eichlers and Spanish Colonial Revivals take more labor than open attic runs. We provide one flat price per system before work starts, so the number we quote is the number on the invoice.
Neighborhoods We Serve in Palo Alto
We work across the full span of Palo Alto, from the oldest homes to the newest additions.
- Professorville
- Downtown Palo Alto
- South Palo Alto (Eichler tracts)
- Arastradero Preserve area
- Foothill Expressway corridor
Most Palo Alto appointments can be scheduled within a few business days, and we’ll confirm the exact arrival window the day before.
Service Area – Cities Near Palo Alto
Our service area extends to the communities that border Palo Alto and beyond. We regularly work in Stanford, CA, where campus-adjacent homes and older faculty housing have their own duct quirks. East Palo Alto, CA has a mix of older and newer construction that we service routinely. Atherton, CA homes tend toward larger custom builds with complex duct systems. And in North Fair Oaks, CA, we see a lot of small post-war homes with original ductwork still in place.
Serving Palo Alto, CA – Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Palo Alto 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 Palo Alto
We typically schedule within a few business days. For post-smoke duct cleaning requests during fire season, call early in the week – the schedule fills up quickly from August through November when smoke settles over the foothills.
Duct cleaning and most duct repair work does not require a permit in Palo Alto. If replacement involves new runs or significant modifications, your contractor should check current city requirements. We’ll flag that before work begins if it applies.
Yes. We’re a full-scope duct provider, so if a cleaning reveals damaged sections or failed seals, we can repair them on the same visit. You won’t be referred out to another company or left waiting for a second appointment.
If you need air duct cleaning, repair, or dryer vent work in Palo Alto, call (833) 620-7085 for a free estimate. We’ll explain what’s happening inside your ducts, what it costs, and what we’ll do about it – one flat price, no surprises.
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 Palo Alto Customers Say
"Two guys, about three hours, plastic down at every register, and they wiped the vent covers before putting them back."
- Sarah Mercer"Follow-up call a week later to check that everything was still working. I've never had a company do that."
- Heather Parker"My wife's allergies had been bad in this house since we moved in. It's been two months since they did the ducts and it's noticeably better. Not a miracle, but real."
- Hector Herrera