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.
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After
Before
After
Before
AfterAir Duct Replacement Done Right, Across the United States
Most homeowners who call us about air duct replacement have already tried something smaller. They patched a leak with tape, paid for a cleaning, or bought a new furnace and still felt the same weak airflow in the back bedrooms. When the ducts themselves are crushed, torn, soaked or full of mold, nothing else fixes the problem. At Kestrel Air Duct Cleaning, we have been replacing worn-out ductwork for homeowners nationwide since 2004, and every job starts with a written price before we touch a single section of duct. Call (469) 972-3151 and a real person will walk you through what your system needs.
Replacement is a bigger decision than a cleaning or a spot fix, so we treat it that way. Our technicians are background-checked and uniformed, and they arrive on time in the window we promised. Before anything comes out, we inspect the whole run, show you what we found, and tell you honestly whether replacement is the right call or whether air duct repair would cover it. If a section can be saved, we say so. If it cannot, we explain why and give you a firm number. Every job is backed by our 365-Day Done Right Promise, documented in writing on your invoice.
What Our Air Duct Replacement Service Includes
Full Duct Inspection
We trace the supply and return trunks from the air handler to every register, checking for crushed flex, disconnected joints, water stains, rust and rodent damage. We use a camera in sections we cannot reach by hand. You see what we see before any decision is made.
Removal of Old Ductwork
Old duct is pulled out carefully so insulation fibers, dust and debris do not spread through your living space. We seal off the work area, run negative air, and haul every piece away when we finish.
Sized and Laid Out Correctly
Bad airflow is often a sizing problem, not just a damage problem. We match duct diameters to the airflow each room actually needs, keep runs short, and cut down on sharp bends so your system moves air without straining the blower.
New Insulated Duct Installation
New trunks and branches go in with mastic-sealed seams and properly insulated jackets, so cold air stays cold and hot air stays hot on the way through your attic, crawl space or basement.
Register and Boot Replacement
Leaky boots at the ceiling or floor waste more air than most people realize. We replace damaged boots and seal them to the drywall so conditioned air ends up in the room instead of the wall cavity.
Airflow Testing and Cleanup
When the new system is in, we measure airflow at the registers, confirm the numbers improved, and clean up the work area. Nothing gets left behind in your attic or crawl space.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees – you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
When Air Duct Replacement Makes More Sense Than Repair
Repair is the right answer when a joint has come loose or a short section has torn. Replacement is the right answer when the damage is spread through the system and patching one spot just moves the leak somewhere else. These are the signs we see most often when a full replacement is the honest recommendation.
- Some rooms never get comfortable. If one bedroom is always hot in summer and cold in winter no matter how you set the thermostat, the duct feeding it may be crushed, undersized or disconnected inside a wall or attic.
- Your energy bills keep climbing. Leaky ductwork can lose a large share of the air your system works to heat and cool. If your equipment is fairly new and your bills are still high, the ducts are the first place we look.
- There is mold, water damage or a musty smell. Fiberglass duct board and flex duct that have gotten wet cannot be cleaned back to safe. Once moisture has soaked the insulation, replacement is the only fix that lasts.
- Rodents or pests have been in the ducts. Chewed flex, droppings and nesting material in the trunk line mean the section needs to come out, not just be vacuumed.
- The ductwork is decades old. Older systems often have crumbling tape, collapsed liners and thin sheet metal that has rusted through. If your home has the original ducts from before the 1990s, an inspection is worth scheduling.
- You are adding a room or swapping your HVAC unit. A new furnace or air conditioner will only perform as well as the ducts it pushes air through. Matching the ductwork to the new equipment is often the smartest time to replace it.
Duct Materials We Install
There is no single best duct for every house, so we pick the material based on where the run goes and what problem we are solving. Rigid galvanized sheet metal is our default for main trunk lines. It lasts for decades, resists crushing, and is easy to seal and insulate. Insulated flexible duct is a good fit for short branch runs to individual rooms, as long as it is pulled tight and supported properly so it does not sag or kink. In tight spaces we can use rectangular or oval sections that carry the same air in less height.
We do not use cheap, thin flex to save a few dollars and then leave you with the same sagging, restricted airflow you already had. Every seam is sealed with mastic or approved foil tape, not the cloth duct tape that dries out and falls off within a few years. Supply and return sides are sized together, because an undersized return will choke even a perfect supply system. If you want to talk through options, call (469) 972-3151 and we will explain the tradeoffs in plain language.
Our Air Duct Replacement Process – Step by Step
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Inspection and Airflow Baseline: We look at the full system, measure airflow at the registers, and photograph problem areas. You get to see the damage yourself, not just hear about it.
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Written Price and Plan: We put the scope and the total price on paper, including which sections come out and what goes in. You approve it before we start. No add-ons appear on the invoice later.
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Protection and Containment: We cover floors and furniture near access points, seal the work area, and run negative-air equipment so dust stays out of your living space.
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Removal and Installation: Old duct comes out and new, correctly sized duct goes in, with sealed seams, proper supports and insulated jackets in unconditioned spaces.
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Testing and Walkthrough: We run the system, recheck airflow at each register, and walk you through the finished work. If a room is still short on air, we fix it before we leave.
How Much Does Air Duct Replacement Cost?
Partial replacement of a damaged section often runs from about $500 to $2,000, while replacing the ductwork for an entire home commonly falls between $3,000 and $8,000 or more. The spread is wide because homes are so different. The final number depends on how much duct is involved, how hard it is to reach, the duct material you choose, and whether anything else has to be fixed along the way. We do not use teaser coupons or bait-and-switch tactics. When you call, we give you a clear, written price for the whole job before we begin.
The biggest cost drivers are square footage, the number of floors, and where the ducts run. A single-story home with an open attic is much simpler than a two-story house with ducts buried in finished ceilings. If we can save part of your system with a smaller fix, we will tell you, and our duct sealing service is often the better value when the trunk lines are sound but the joints leak. Call (469) 972-3151 for a free estimate based on your actual home, not a national average.
Replace, Repair, Seal or Clean: Choosing the Right Fix
Replacement is the most expensive option, which is exactly why we try not to sell it when something simpler will do. If your ducts are intact but dirty, a professional HVAC cleaning may be all you need. If the ducts are sound but leak at the seams, sealing them can recover much of the lost airflow. If one section is torn or disconnected, repair handles it. Replacement comes in when the system is damaged throughout, contaminated by water or mold, built wrong from the start, or no longer matches the equipment connected to it.
The same logic applies to related work. A new dryer line is its own project, handled under dryer vent installation, and it should never be tied into your HVAC ducts. When you call, tell us what you are seeing, and we will point you toward the smallest fix that actually solves it. You can also start at our home page to see everything we do.
Air Duct Replacement Across the United States
Kestrel Air Duct Cleaning serves homeowners nationwide, and we have done so since 2004. Climate, home age and construction style differ from one region to the next, and we plan each job around what your house actually has. Attic ducts in hot climates get heavier insulation, crawl space and basement runs get moisture protection, and older homes get extra care around plaster and finished ceilings. Wherever you live, the same standards apply: written price first, a tech who shows up in the window we gave you, and our 365-Day Done Right Promise on the work. Call (469) 972-3151 to confirm scheduling in your area.
Frequently Asked Questions – Air Duct Replacement
The clearest signs are rooms that never reach the right temperature, a musty smell when the system runs, visible mold or water stains near vents, evidence of rodents, and ducts that are crushed or falling apart. A technician can confirm it by inspecting the full run and measuring airflow. If only one section is bad, repair may be enough, and we will tell you so.
Replacing a single damaged section can be done in a few hours. A whole-house replacement usually takes one to three days, depending on the size of the home and how accessible the ductwork is. We give you a time estimate in writing with the price, and we tell you right away if we find something that changes the schedule.
A partial replacement often runs about $500 to $2,000, and a full-home replacement commonly lands between $3,000 and $8,000 or more, depending on size, access and materials. We give you a firm, written price before any work starts. Call (469) 972-3151 for an estimate based on your home.
Yes, in most cases. We contain the work area and run negative-air equipment to keep dust down. Your heating and cooling will be off or limited for part of the job, so on extreme weather days we plan the schedule around that and tell you what to expect ahead of time.
It depends on the damage. Cleaning works when the ducts are structurally sound and just dirty. Replacement is the better choice when ducts are crushed, torn, leaking badly, wet, moldy or damaged by pests. We inspect first and recommend the least costly fix that will hold up.
Yes. Every job is backed by our 365-Day Done Right Promise, written on your invoice. If the work falls short within that period because of our installation, we come back and make it right at no extra charge.
Schedule Your Air Duct Replacement Today
Weak airflow, high bills and a musty smell are not things to live with. If your ductwork is past repair, the sooner it is replaced, the sooner your system works the way it should. At Kestrel Air Duct Cleaning, we give you an honest assessment, a written price and a 365-Day Done Right Promise on every job. Call (469) 972-3151 today for a free, no-obligation estimate.
Written by Dale Whitmore, Owner at Kestrel Air Duct Cleaning, serving homeowners nationwide since 2004.