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.
Trusted Air Duct Repair for Northridge Homeowners
When a duct system starts leaking, separating, or collapsing, the symptoms show up fast: rooms that won’t heat or cool evenly, a spike in your energy bill, dust accumulating on surfaces within days of cleaning. Air duct repair in Northridge addresses the structural problem behind those symptoms, not just the debris moving through it. Our team at Air Duct Cleaning Northridge brings professional-grade diagnostic and repair capability to every job, from a single disconnected branch line to full-section replacement. We use Rotobrush brush-fed systems, Nikro HEPA extraction, and Abatement Technologies negative-air containment so the repair itself doesn’t spread dust through your home. Call (833) 968-4871 to schedule an inspection and get a straight answer about what’s actually wrong with your ductwork.
HVAC Duct Installation
HVAC Duct Installation means running new ductwork where none exists, or replacing a section that’s deteriorated beyond repair. In Northridge, where summer temperatures regularly push past 100°F, Northridge Air Duct Repair experts know that undersized or poorly routed ductwork forces your air conditioner to work harder than it should. We install rigid sheet metal and flexible insulated duct matched to the load calculation of each room, not a guess based on square footage. Costs for new HVAC duct installation in the Northridge area typically range from $2,500 to $6,500 depending on home size, accessibility, and whether the job involves a full system or a portion of the home, with attic and crawlspace work adding labor time. Every installation is sealed with mastic and tested for leaks before we finish.
New Construction and Additions
Adding a room or converting a garage means the existing duct system has to carry more air than it was sized for. We design and install branch runs that maintain static pressure across the whole system so the new space actually gets conditioned air, not a token vent with a weak trickle.
Replacing Undersized Runs
Some Northridge homes built in the 1970s and 1980s have ductwork sized for smaller cooling loads than a modern system delivers. The result is noisy registers, short cycling, and uneven temperatures. We replace undersized runs with correctly sized duct so airflow matches the equipment’s output.
Styles & brands we work with
- Whole-home duct cleaning
- Dryer vent cleaning
- Camera inspection
- Sanitizing & deodorizing
Air Duct Replacement
Air Duct Replacement is the removal of damaged, collapsed, or contaminated ductwork and installation of new material in the same layout. It’s the right call when ducts are crushed, rusted through, mold-contaminated beyond cleaning, or so badly sealed that repair would cost more than starting fresh. In Northridge, where attic temperatures can exceed 140°F in August, flex duct that’s past its service life turns brittle and splits at the seams. Replacement costs typically run $1,800 to $5,000 depending on how many runs are affected and whether the job is attic-mounted or in a crawlspace. We remove the old material, install new duct to current sizing standards, seal every joint, and verify airflow at each register.
Mold and Contamination Replacement
When microbial growth has penetrated porous duct insulation, cleaning can’t reliably remove it. We recommend replacement of affected sections, and we contain the removal using Abatement Technologies negative-air setup so spores don’t drift into living spaces during the tear-out.
Post-Fire and Smoke Damage
Smoke particles embed in duct liner and flex duct in ways that no cleaning system can fully remove. After fire or heavy smoke exposure, replacement is often the only way to eliminate the odor source rather than mask it. We document the condition with before-and-after photos so you know what was actually done.
Ductwork Repair
Ductwork Repair fixes specific failures in an otherwise functional system: separated joints, punctures, crushed sections, loose hangers, or poorly sealed connections at the plenum. Most Northridge homes lose 20 to 30 percent of conditioned air to duct leaks, so North Hills Air Duct Repair often pays for itself in reduced energy costs over the first year or two. Repair jobs typically cost $350 to $1,200 depending on the number of failures and how accessible they are. We locate leaks with a visual inspection and pressure testing, then seal with mastic and reinforced tape rated for HVAC use, never duct tape, which degrades and fails within a few years in attic heat.
Sealing Leaky Joints and Seams
The most common duct problem in the San Fernando Valley is separated joints where metal meets flex or where branch lines connect to the trunk. Air escapes into the attic or crawlspace before it ever reaches your rooms. We seal these connections with mastic and mechanical fasteners so they hold for the life of the system.
Repairing Crushed Flex Duct
Storage in attics, pest activity, and original installation shortcuts leave flex duct kinked or crushed, choking airflow to specific rooms. We identify restricted runs and either re-support them properly or replace crushed sections, restoring design airflow to the rooms they serve.
Duct Replacement
Duct Replacement in a Northridge home is a complete or substantial swap of existing ductwork, often done when the system has reached the end of its serviceable life or when a remodel changes the layout of the home, and North Hills West Air Duct Repair follows the same replacement standards. Flex duct typically lasts 15 to 20 years in San Fernando Valley attic conditions before the inner liner degrades and the insulation loses effectiveness. Full duct replacement for an average 1,800 to 2,200 square foot Northridge home generally runs $4,000 to $9,000. The work includes removing old material, installing new duct sized to current Manual D standards, sealing all connections, and balancing airflow at each register so every room gets its share of conditioned air.
Complete System Replacement
When every run is the same age and the same material, piecemeal repair becomes a losing game. We replace the entire duct system in one pass, which costs less per run than doing it section by section over multiple visits, and gives you a system with a single known service history.
Upgrading Insulation Levels
Older Northridge homes were often built with R-4.2 flex duct where current code requires R-8 in attic installations. Replacing under-insulated duct reduces heat gain in summer and heat loss in winter, which means the air leaving your HVAC equipment arrives at the register at the temperature it should.
Ductwork Installation
Ductwork Installation is the full design and install of a duct system, typically for a new HVAC installation, a major remodel, or a home that has never had central air distribution done properly. In Northridge, where many mid-century homes have been updated piecemeal over decades, we often find a patchwork of old and new duct from different eras that doesn’t work as a system. New ductwork installation typically runs $5,000 to $12,000 depending on home size, layout complexity, and accessibility of the attic or crawlspace. We size ducts using Manual D calculations, install with proper support and slope, seal every joint, and test the completed system before we hand it back to you.
Whole-Home HVAC Upgrades
When you’re replacing the furnace and air conditioner, the duct system deserves the same attention as the equipment. Old ducts that were marginal with the old system often can’t handle the airflow requirements of modern high-efficiency equipment. We replace the ductwork as part of the project so the new system performs to its rated efficiency.
Correcting Airflow Imbalances
Some rooms in a home are chronically hot in summer and cold in winter because the original duct layout simply wasn’t balanced. We install additional returns, properly sized branch runs, and in some cases zone dampers, to correct the imbalance at the source rather than telling you to close bedroom doors.
Brands We Service
Our equipment choices matter because the brands we run on the job determine how cleanly a repair is executed and how thoroughly the system is cleaned afterward. We use Abatement Technologies negative-air containment on every repair that involves cutting into or removing ductwork. That means the dust, fiberglass particles, and old insulation debris generated during the work are pulled into a HEPA-filtered airstream instead of drifting through your home. It’s the difference between a repair that leaves the house cleaner than we found it and one that leaves a dusty film on every surface.
We also integrate Honeywell and Aprilaire filtration components when the existing system calls for it. If your home has a Honeywell media cabinet or an Aprilaire whole-home filter, we service and connect new ductwork to those systems without disrupting their function. Whether you have these brands, a mix of others, or a system you’ve inherited from a previous owner, we can assess it and match the right repair approach to what’s actually installed. If you’re in North Hills or Santa Susana, our Air Duct Repair in North Hills and Air Duct Repair in Santa Susana pages cover those areas specifically.
See the difference
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterSigns You Need a Pro Right Now
- Rooms with wildly different temperatures. When one bedroom is 10 degrees warmer than the living room with all doors open, the problem is usually in the ductwork, not the thermostat. Uneven airflow in Northridge homes often traces back to disconnected or crushed runs in the attic that we can locate and fix the same day.
- Dust appears on surfaces within two days of cleaning. That dust isn’t coming through the windows in a closed-up house. It’s being pulled through leaks in the return duct and blown into your living space. Sealing the return side of the system stops dust at the source instead of chasing it with cleaning.
- A utility bill that climbs without a rate increase. Leaky ducts force your air conditioner to run longer to hit the set temperature. If your summer electric bill in Northridge has jumped and nothing else changed, a duct leak is one of the first things we check.
- You can hear air moving but can’t feel it. Hissing or rushing sounds near registers, combined with weak airflow, point to air escaping into the attic before it reaches the room. That’s conditioned air you’re paying to cool your rafters.
- Musty or stale smells when the system runs. Odor that appears only when the blower turns on means something inside the ductwork is what’s smelling. It could be old dust, pest activity, or moisture. Either way, it’s worth inspecting before it gets worse.
Our Process, Step by Step
- 1
Inspection and pressure assessment. We walk the system from the plenum to the last register, checking connections, insulation condition, and airflow at each vent. This tells us whether the issue is a single failed joint or a system-wide problem, and we document what we find.
- 2
Detailed scope and flat-price quote. You get a written scope of work with one price for the repair, agreed before we start. No time-and-materials surprises, no upsell pressure while the van is in your driveway in Northridge.
- 3
Containment and removal. For any repair that requires cutting into ducts, we set up Abatement Technologies negative-air containment to pull debris into HEPA filtration rather than letting it circulate. Old insulation and dust stay out of your living space.
- 4
Repair or replacement, sealed to last. The actual work: resealing joints with mastic, re-supporting sagging runs, replacing crushed flex, or installing new sections. Every connection is sealed and inspected before we button things up.
- 5
Verification and walkthrough. We re-check airflow at each register and compare it to the pre-repair readings. You see the before-and-after difference, and we leave you with a summary of what was done and what to watch for going forward.
How Much Does Air Duct Repair Cost in Northridge?
A typical Air Duct Repair in Winnetka runs from $350 for minor sealing of a few joints to $1,200 for more involved work like re-supporting sagging sections or repairing a crushed flex run. If the damage is extensive enough to require replacement of multiple runs, expect to pay $1,800 to $5,000. Full system replacement for an average Northridge home sits in the $4,000 to $9,000 range. New HVAC duct installation where none existed before runs $2,500 to $6,500, and complete ductwork installation for a whole-home project runs $5,000 to $12,000.
What drives the price? The biggest factor is accessibility: an attic with standing headroom is faster, and therefore cheaper, to work in than a tight crawlspace. The number of failed connections also matters, since each one adds labor and material. The age and condition of the existing duct determines whether repair is even worth doing or if replacement is the better investment. To avoid overpaying, get a fixed-price quote before work starts, ask whether the quote includes sealing and testing, and be wary of any company that gives a price without looking at the attic or crawlspace first. Our estimates are free, and the price we quote is the price you pay.
Our Service Area Near Northridge
We serve Northridge and the surrounding San Fernando Valley communities, including home base coverage across Winnetka, North Hills West, Granada Hills South, Porter Ranch, North Hills East, Mission Hills, Panorama City, Granada Hills North, and Sun Valley. Since much of our work involves attic and crawlspace access, we schedule each visit with enough time to do the job properly, not squeeze it between three other calls. If you’re closer to the North Hills area, see our Air Duct Repair in Northridge page for details specific to your neighborhood.
Serving Northridge, CA – Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Northridge area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage – if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
Frequently Asked Questions About Air Duct Repair in Northridge
Air duct repair is the process of fixing structural or sealing failures in your HVAC duct system, including separated joints, crushed flex runs, holes, sagging sections, and disconnected branch lines. It restores proper airflow so conditioned air reaches every room instead of leaking into the attic or crawlspace. Most repairs in Northridge homes can be completed in a single visit once we’ve identified the failure points.
Most single-visit repairs take 2 to 4 hours depending on the number of failures and how accessible the ductwork is. Full section replacement or complete system replacement can run one to two days. When we give you a fixed-price quote, we also give you a time estimate so you know what to expect before we start.
Minor sealing and joint repairs start around $350, while more involved work like replacing crushed flex or re-supporting sagging sections runs $400 to $1,200. Multiple-run replacement costs $1,800 to $5,000. Call (833) 968-4871 for an exact quote on your system, estimates are free and the price we quote is fixed.
Yes, we work with Honeywell media cabinets and Aprilaire whole-home filtration systems when we repair or replace the ductwork connected to them. We keep the filtration components properly connected and sealed so they continue filtering air as designed after our work is complete.
Some duct failures, like a disconnected return pulling attic air into the living space, should be fixed quickly because they affect indoor air quality. We prioritize scheduling for these cases and can often visit within a few days of your call. True emergency response depends on our current schedule, so call (833) 968-4871 and we’ll give you an honest answer about timing.
We stand behind our workmanship on every repair and replacement, and we’ll walk you through what’s covered before the job starts. Specific warranty terms depend on the scope of work and materials used, and all of it is documented in your written quote so there’s no ambiguity later.
Clear access to the attic hatch or crawlspace entry is the most helpful thing you can do. Move any stored items that block those access points, and make sure we can reach the furnace and main return. That’s usually all it takes. We handle everything else, including protecting floors and cleaning up after the work.
Schedule Your Air Duct Repair Service in Northridge Today
If your ducts are leaking, crushed, or disconnected, every week of delay costs you money on your utility bill and sends conditioned air into your attic instead of your rooms. Call (833) 968-4871 today for a free, no-obligation estimate from Benny Lawson and the team at Air Duct Cleaning Northridge. We’ll inspect your system, show you what we found, and give you a fixed price before any work begins.
Written by Benny Lawson, Owner at Air Duct Cleaning Northridge, serving Northridge, CA.