Air Duct Cleaning in Arlington - One Flat Price, Before-and-After Photos

Air Duct Cleaning in Arlington, VA

Our most common finding in Arlington homes built before 1995 is a vent run with 2 to 4 inches of compacted lint against the exterior flap, reducing airflow to the point the dryer’s thermal fuse is one heavy load away from failing. If you need the vent cleaned, the ducts cleaned, or both, call (806) 606-6902 for a written price before anyone touches a panel.

Call (806) 606-6902

Why Arlington Homes Are Different

Arlington’s housing boom happened between roughly 1970 and 1995, and that timing matters more than most homeowners realize. The original flexible ductwork installed in those homes is now 30 to 50 years old, well past the industry’s typical 25-year service life, and much of it sits in unconditioned attic spaces where summer temperatures routinely exceed 140°F. That heat cycling degrades the inner liner of flex duct until it begins to crumble, sending loose fiberglass particles into the air supply every time the air handler cycles on.

In subdivisions east of Collins Street and south of I-20, we regularly open attic access panels and find the galvanized trunk lines from the 1970s still intact while the flex branch runs attached to them have failed. The liner breaks down first, then the outer jacket, and eventually the run itself sags or disconnects at the trunk connection. Add Arlington’s position in the Southern Plains pollen corridor, where mountain cedar from December through February and oak and grass from March through May push heavy particulate loads through systems cycling between heating and cooling in rapid succession, and the ductwork becomes a distribution system for whatever is in the attic.

Winter Storm Uri in February 2021 compounded the problem for many Arlington systems. Units ran at maximum capacity for days, and the pressure differentials pulled outdoor debris and attic dust into duct runs that had never been inspected. Homes along the eastern corridors near the Grand Prairie border, built in the late 1970s and early 1980s, show this pattern more than most.

Our Main Arlington Services

Two services account for the majority of what Arlington homeowners ask us to look at. Each has its own dedicated page, linked below.

Air Duct Cleaning in Arlington

Full-system Air Duct Cleaning in Arlington means negative-pressure extraction at every register, not a shop-vac at the nearest floor vent. We photograph every duct run before and after so you can see what was actually removed. Homes in the older subdivisons east of Collins typically show the heaviest buildup at the first elbow beyond the plenum, where flex liner has begun to shed.

HVAC Cleaning in Arlington

HVAC Cleaning in Arlington covers the components air passes through before it reaches your ductwork: the blower assembly, evaporator coil, condensate pan, and the plenum box. Arlington’s long cooling season runs from late April through October, which means the evaporator coil stays wet and collects a layer of biofilm that restricts airflow and lowers system efficiency.

Before

After

Dryer Vent Cleaning in Arlington

Dryer vent cleaning in Arlington is a documented maintenance task, not a quick pass with a brush. The city’s boom-era homes were built with short, straight vent runs that exit through a wall or the roof, and those runs have been collecting lint since the day the first load of laundry went through. In homes where the vent exits through the roof, we consistently find 3 to 5 inches of packed lint at the first bend, compressed by years of heat and humidity until it forms a hard, felt-like plug. A plugged vent does three things: it triples drying time, it forces the dryer’s high-limit thermostat to cycle constantly, and it leaves combustible lint sitting inches from the dryer’s heating element. Arlington’s typical 3 to 4 bedroom houses produce more lint than most systems were designed to carry, which is why we treat Dryer Vent Cleaning as a job where the documentation matters as much as the cleaning itself.

Dryer Vent Inspection

Signs you need it

The dryer runs a full cycle and clothes are still damp, the laundry room feels humid while the dryer is on, or the exterior vent flap doesn’t open when the dryer is running.

What it costs in Arlington

A camera inspection of the full vent run in Arlington runs $89 to $129, and the footage is included in the written report you keep.

How we do it

We run a push camera from the dryer connection to the exterior termination, record the entire run, and mark every bend, restriction, and accumulation point on a written diagram before quoting any work.

Vent Cleaning

Signs you need it

The dryer takes 70 minutes or longer to dry a normal load, the top of the dryer gets hot to the touch, or you notice a musty smell when the dryer runs.

What it costs in Arlington

Full vent cleaning in Arlington runs $119 to $179 for a standard single-run vent up to 25 feet, with longer or multi-story runs quoted in writing before work begins.

How we do it

We run a rotary brush and HEPA-filtered negative-air extraction through the entire run, then photograph the interior at the connection point, the mid-point, and the exterior termination before and after.

Lint Removal

Signs you need it

Lint is visible at the exterior flap, the flap no longer opens, or the dryer’s lint trap fills abnormally fast even after a full cleaning of the trap itself.

What it costs in Arlington

Heavy lint extraction from a blocked Arlington vent runs $149 to $199, which includes removing the exterior termination if necessary to clear impacted debris.

How we do it

We disassemble the accessible portions of the vent run, mechanically break up compacted lint, extract it under negative pressure, then reassemble and seal every joint to the manufacturer’s specification.

Bird Guard Installation

Signs you need it

You hear scratching or chirping near the dryer vent, the exterior flap is missing or damaged, or a nest was removed and you want to prevent a repeat.

What it costs in Arlington

A galvanized steel bird guard installed at the Arlington vent termination runs $45 to $85, installed as part of a vent cleaning call.

How we do it

We mount the guard over the termination with a gasket seal so it stays secure through Arlington’s wind and hail, and so the flap keeps working when the dryer runs.

What Dryer Vent Cleaning Costs in Arlington

How often does a dryer vent actually need cleaning in Arlington?

Every 12 to 24 months for most Arlington households, and every 12 months for larger families or homes with roof-terminated vent runs. The camera footage from your inspection gives you a baseline for your specific run.

Can you clean a roof-terminated dryer vent from inside?

We can reach most roof terminations from inside the attic, which is safer and usually faster than working from the roof deck. If the roof access is unsafe, we’ll tell you in the written quote what the alternative is.

Duct Repair & Sealing in Arlington

Duct repair in Arlington is rarely a small job, because the housing stock that needs it most was built when flex duct was a cheap alternative to sheet metal, not a long-term solution. We open attics in homes built between 1978 and 1992 and find branch runs that have separated from the trunk line entirely, leaving the air handler blowing conditioned air into a 140°F attic. The flex liner crumbles, the outer jacket tears, and the duct run sags until the last four feet collapse under its own weight. Every job we quote includes a written scope with photographs, because the camera shows what a visual inspection from the attic hatch cannot. That’s the core of Duct Repair & Sealing in Arlington: measure the loss, show the homeowner the evidence, then fix it so the system holds pressure again.

Flex Duct Repair

Signs you need it

One or two rooms never reach the thermostat setpoint, the system’s fan runs constantly in summer, or you can see a duct run visibly sagging or collapsed in the attic.

What it costs in Arlington

Replacing a failed flex run in an Arlington attic runs $289 to $549 per run, including removal of the old duct, new R-8 flex, new strapping, and mastic-sealed connections at both ends.

How we do it

We cut out the failed section, install new flex duct supported every 4 feet per code, seal every joint with mastic and foil tape, then pressure-test the run to confirm it holds.

Duct Sealing

Signs you need it

Utility bills stay high even after adding insulation, dust accumulates quickly on surfaces near registers, or a blower-door test shows air leakage from the duct system.

What it costs in Arlington

Aeroseal or mastic-based duct sealing in Arlington runs $1,450 to $2,900 for a full system, depending on measured leakage rates and how much of the ductwork is accessible.

How we do it

We test the system for total leakage with a calibrated fan, seal the trunk and branch connections with mastic, then retest and give you the before-and-after CFM loss figures in writing.

Duct Insulation

Signs you need it

The air coming from your registers feels warm in summer, condensation forms on the outside of exposed ductwork, or existing insulation has torn away and is lying in the attic.

What it costs in Arlington

Re-insulating exposed ductwork in an Arlington attic runs $2.50 to $4.50 per linear foot, which includes removing deteriorated insulation and replacing it with R-8 wrap.

How we do it

We strip the failed insulation, inspect the duct body underneath for cracks or separation, then wrap with new R-8 insulation and secure it with mechanical fasteners, not tape.

What Duct Repair & Sealing Costs in Arlington

Will my homeowner’s insurance cover duct repair?

Hail, rodent, and severe-storm damage to accessible ductwork is sometimes covered, but wear from 30-plus years of heat cycling is not. We give you the photo record and written scope you need to file a claim.

How much air is my Arlington home actually losing?

Arlington systems regularly show leakage between 20 and 35 percent when we test them, and the worst offenders are the homes built between 1978 and 1992. A test costs less than what most homeowners are losing in a single cooling season.

Air Quality & Sanitizing in Arlington

Air quality work in Arlington is driven by what the Southern Plains pollen corridor puts into the ducts and what 30 to 50 years of attic heat does to the liner that’s supposed to keep the system clean. Mountain cedar hits from December through February, oak and grass pollen from March through May, and the system runs in both heating and cooling modes in rapid succession through the shoulder seasons. That means the evaporator coil stays damp, the duct liner keeps shedding, and the air handler pulls whatever is in the attic through the return side. Homeowners east of Collins Street and south of I-20 ask us about this more than anyone else. Air Quality & Sanitizing for Arlington is evidence-based: we test, we treat, and we document the results in writing.

Mold Treatment

Signs you need it

A persistent musty smell comes from the vents, visible mold growth appears on the evaporator coil or duct surfaces, or household members have worsening respiratory symptoms indoors that clear up when away from home.

What it costs in Arlington

Mold treatment for a single HVAC system in Arlington runs $450 to $850, which includes an EPA-registered antimicrobial treatment applied to the coil, plenum, and accessible duct surfaces.

How we do it

We photograph the affected surfaces, treat with a registered antimicrobial product under negative pressure, then take a follow-up air sample to confirm the load has dropped.

Odor Removal

Signs you need it

A stale or chemical smell persists after cleaning the ducts, cooking or tobacco odors return within days, or the smell is strongest near the return grille rather than at the source.

What it costs in Arlington

Full-system odor treatment in Arlington runs $350 to $600, which includes cleaning the evaporator coil, treating the plenum, and deploying a thermal fog through the ductwork.

How we do it

We identify the source with a camera and moisture meter, remove the material causing the odor, then apply a deodorizing treatment that addresses the remaining VOC load rather than masking it.

UV Light Installation

Signs you need it

You see repeated mold or biofilm growth on the evaporator coil despite regular cleaning, or the coil sits in a warm, damp plenum that never fully dries between cooling cycles.

What it costs in Arlington

A coil-mounted UV light system installed in an Arlington air handler runs $550 to $1,100, depending on lamp wattage and whether it requires an additional power drop.

How we do it

We mount the lamp in the plenum at the coil face, wire it to run with the blower, and install a viewport so the lamp output can be visually confirmed during routine maintenance.

What Air Quality & Sanitizing Costs in Arlington

Should I test my Arlington home’s air quality before treating?

An air sample gives you a baseline before treatment and confirms we moved the needle after. It’s included in our mold treatment scope, and it protects you from paying for work that wasn’t measurable.

Will sanitizing solve my pollen problem?

Sanitizing reduces the biological load that has already accumulated on surfaces, but pollen continues entering through returns unless the filtration is upgraded. We’ll tell you in the written scope what UV or filtration will and won’t do for your system.

Brands We Service in Arlington

We work on all major HVAC brands in Arlington, including Carrier, Trane, Lennox, Goodman, Rheem, and American Standard. Our trucks carry the common filters, UV replacement lamps, and flex-duct fittings for these systems, and we can source anything else from local supply houses the same day. For specifics on equipment we service, see our brands.

Pricing for Air Duct Cleaning in Arlington, VA

Neighborhoods We Serve in Arlington

We work throughout Arlington, including the older subdivisions where the ductwork is now three to five decades old and the newer construction where the issue is typically build quality rather than age. If you’re in one of these neighborhoods, we can typically schedule within the same week:

• East Arlington
• South Arlington
• Dalworthington Gardens
• Pantego
• North Arlington

Service Area - Cities Near Arlington

Our crews serve Arlington and the surrounding communities, including Alexandria, VA to the north and Annandale, VA across the river. We also cover Burke, VA and Oakton, VA for duct cleaning, dryer vent work, and air quality services. If you’re not sure whether we cover your address, call (806) 606-6902 and we’ll tell you straight.

FAQs About Air Duct Cleaning in Arlington