Five jobs, usually sold as one
"Duct cleaning" gets used as a catch-all. The work underneath it splits into distinct jobs with different costs, different evidence behind them, and very different value.
Ranked, at our own expense
Ranked by how confident we are it's worth doing
This ordering will cost us money, so treat it as sincere.
- Dryer vent cleaning: the only one with a documented safety case. Lint accumulation in dryer exhaust is a recognized residential fire cause. If you do one thing on this list, do this.
- Duct sealing. Measurable, repeatable savings on a system running six months a year through a Texas attic. Almost nobody offers it, because cleaning is easier to sell.
- Coil and blower cleaning, where efficiency degrades. A fouled coil raises your electricity bill in a way you can see on a meter.
- Mold inspection: worth doing if you have a reason to suspect it, and one of the three conditions the EPA says justifies cleaning. Testing first, though.
- Air duct cleaning itself. Useful when one of the EPA's conditions is present. Routine cleaning on a clean system is the one we would talk you out of.
The five jobs
What we handle
Air duct cleaning
Whole-system source removal to the NADCA method: negative pressure on the trunk, agitation in every branch. Not a vacuum poked into a vent.
Dryer vent cleaning
The one job in this trade with a documented fire-safety case behind it. Long duct runs in Arlington two-story homes make it worse.
Coil and blower cleaning
Where the measurable efficiency loss lives. A fouled evaporator coil costs you more each August than dusty duct walls ever will.
Duct mold inspection
One of the three conditions the EPA says does warrant cleaning. Testing first, because "it looks like mold" is not a diagnosis.
Duct sealing and repair
Leaky ducts in a hot Arlington attic dump conditioned air where nobody lives. Usually a bigger saving than cleaning, and rarely offered.
How the packages work
A note on bundles
Packages combining all five at a flat price are usually a way to make an unnecessary service look free next to a necessary one. If a quote bundles dryer vent cleaning with a whole-house duct clean, ask what the dryer vent alone would cost. Sometimes the bundle is genuinely good value. Often the answer is revealing.
Tell us the symptom and we will point you at the right one.
What your symptom usually points at
- Dust settling right after you clean. Check the filter first. If it is gray, matted or loose in the slot, that is your dust source and it costs five dollars.
- A musty smell when the system starts. The coil and drain pan, not the duct runs. That is where the water is.
- One room that never cools. Usually a crushed, disconnected or badly leaking run in the attic. Sealing, not cleaning.
- Two cycles to dry a load. The dryer vent, and this is the one job here with a documented safety case.
- Something visible in the duct. Get it tested before anyone treats it. "It looks like mold" is not a diagnosis.
Start with the symptom
Which of the five do you need?
The honest answer is often "none of them yet, check the filter first". The next most common is a job nobody quoted you for, usually the coil or a leaking run in the attic.