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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AfterHow Much Does Duct Repair & Sealing Cost in Los Angeles?
Duct repair and sealing in Los Angeles typically runs $450 to $2,800, with most single-family homes landing between $700 and $1,400. Small, accessible leaks in one or two runs often come in under $500, while a full-home seal-and-repair across a 1970s ranch house in the San Fernando Valley usually lands closer to the $1,800 to $2,600 range. Sealing alone – mastic and mesh on exposed joints in an attic or crawlspace – is the cheaper path; repairing crushed flex duct or replacing a failed plenum connection costs more because the material itself has to come out and go back in.
We’re Kestrel Air Duct Cleaning, part of the Kingswell family of companies, and we’ve been writing flat, upfront prices on duct work since 2004. Every job is quoted in writing before a single vent comes off, backed by the 365-Day Done Right Promise. If you want a number for your specific house today, call (469) 972-3151 – the estimate is free and a live person answers, day or night.
Key Takeaways
- Most Los Angeles duct repair and sealing jobs land between $700 and $1,400.
- Sealing (mastic + mesh) is cheaper than repair (cutting out and replacing damaged duct).
- Attic and crawlspace access drives the price more than the size of the leak.
- Older LA housing stock – 1920s bungalows, post-war tracts, 1980s condos – all fail differently.
- You get a written price before work starts. No door-step revisions.
Duct Repair & Sealing Cost Breakdown (2026)
Here’s what the work actually costs in the Los Angeles market right now. These are real ranges, not “starting at” bait.
| Service | Typical LA Price Range | What It Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Sealing exposed joints (mastic + mesh) | $450 – $900 | Sealing leaks at plenums, boots, and accessible joints in attic or crawlspace |
| Sealing with aerosol/duct-level sealant | $1,200 – $2,400 | Seals hidden leaks from the inside; no cutting into drywall |
| Repairing torn or crushed flex duct (per run) | $180 – $450 | Cutting out the damaged section, reconnecting, and re-sealing |
| Replacing a collapsed rigid trunk section | $600 – $1,500 | Sheet-metal trunk repair where flex won’t do |
| Plenum rebuild (failed connection at air handler) | $500 – $1,200 | The most failure-prone spot in most LA homes |
| Disconnected duct in attic or crawl | $350 – $800 | Reconnecting and re-sealing a run that’s come apart |
| Full-home repair + seal (with cleaning) | $1,800 – $2,800 | Whole-system repair, sealing, and cleaning together |
What pushes you to the top of those ranges? Access, mostly. A leak on a duct run you can reach from the attic platform takes an hour. The same leak behind a spray-foamed ceiling or running through a chase in a 1920s Craftsman bungalow takes three. Rigid metal trunk lines are more expensive to repair than flex, but they also hold a seal longer. And if your system has never been sealed, you’re usually sealing a dozen joints at once rather than one, which is where the price steps up. Cleaning and sealing are often done together – burned-in debris at the seams is what kills a new seal, so it makes sense to tackle both in one visit. You can read more about that pairing on our Duct Repair & Sealing in Los Angeles page.
What Affects Duct Repair & Sealing Pricing in Los Angeles
Every quote is different, but in Los Angeles these six factors move the number more than anything else:
- Attic heat and access. In a Valley attic in July, a technician is working in 140-degree heat with a respirator. That’s a real labor factor, and it’s why summer quotes sometimes run a bit higher than winter ones. Easier access – a walkable platform, a scuttle versus a crawl – knocks the price down fast.
- Age of the duct system. Post-war tract homes (1946-1960) in places like Van Nuys and Westchester often have original galvanized or early flex runs that are brittle and cracked at the seams. 1980s condos in Koreatown and Mid-Wilshire tend to have undersized flex that was jammed into tight chases; it’s torn and pinched, which means more repair per run.
- Flex vs. rigid duct. Flex duct is cheaper to replace per foot but easier to crush. Rigid sheet metal trunks cost more to repair but hold a seal better over time. We tell you which you have before quoting.
- Number of leaks vs. number of runs. Ten small leaks on one trunk is a different quote than one big leak across four separate runs.
- Whether cleaning is included. Sealing over a dirty duct fails faster – the debris at the seam breaks the bond. Bundling cleaning (negative-air extraction, meaning dirty air is pulled out under suction instead of blown into the room) keeps the seal intact and usually saves money versus booking them separately.
- Air-conditioning season timing. LA’s cooling season runs long, and demand for duct work peaks from May through September. Off-season appointments in February and March are often easier to schedule and sometimes priced better.
How Much Does Duct Sealing Alone Cost in Los Angeles?
Sealing alone usually runs $450 to $900 for accessible joints on a typical LA home, and $1,200 to $2,400 if the leaks are hidden and require aerosol sealant. Sealing is the cheaper of the two because nothing has to be replaced – the technician is bonding existing joints with mastic (a thick, brushable sealant) and reinforcing mesh. No cutting, no new duct, no material cost. If your ducts are intact and just leaky, sealing is almost always the right call, and it’s the cheapest way to stop paying to cool your attic.
Is Duct Repair and Sealing Worth the Cost in Los Angeles?
For most homes, yes. A leaky duct system can lose a meaningful share of the air you’re paying to cool, and in a city where summer electric bills climb fast, sealing often pays for itself over a few seasons. If you’re seeing rooms that never get cold, a system that runs nonstop, or dust that reappears days after cleaning, your ducts are the likely culprit. The decision hinges on whether the system is otherwise healthy – sealing a failing 20-year-old flex system is throwing money at a problem that needs replacement. We’ll tell you plainly which one you have.
How to Save on Duct Repair & Sealing
A few practical ways to keep the number down:
- Get the estimate in writing first. This is the single biggest protection. A written price before work starts means no door-step revisions – and if someone won’t put a number on paper, that’s your answer about how the job will go.
- Bundle cleaning with sealing. Sealing over a dirty duct fails early. Doing both in one visit costs less than two visits and gives you a seal that lasts.
- Book in the off-season if you can. Spring and fall slots are easier to get, and you’re not competing with everyone whose AC just quit in August.
- Fix the small leak before it becomes a big one. A $180 run repair today is cheaper than a $900 trunk job next year. Disconnected ducts don’t heal on their own.
- Keep up on filtration. Honeywell, Aprilaire, and Guardsman filters and IAQ products help keep debris out of the duct wall between service visits, which extends the life of a new seal.
Every estimate we give is free, and the number we hand you is the number you pay. Call (469) 972-3151 and we’ll walk your system and put it in writing.
FAQs - Duct Repair & Sealing Cost
How much does duct repair cost in Los Angeles?
Duct repair in Los Angeles typically costs $180 to $2,800, depending on scope. A single damaged flex run runs $180 to $450; a full-home repair with sealing and cleaning lands closer to $1,800 to $2,800. Call (469) 972-3151 for an exact quote – estimates are free.
Is it cheaper to repair or replace ductwork?
Repair is almost always cheaper when the duct is structurally sound – a $180 to $800 repair versus $4,000 or more for full replacement. Replacement only makes sense when the system is failing across the board, which we’ll tell you directly if that’s what we find. Call for a free assessment.
How much does duct sealing cost in Los Angeles?
Duct sealing in Los Angeles costs $450 to $900 for accessible joints and $1,200 to $2,400 for hidden leaks that need aerosol sealant. It’s the cheapest fix for a leaky but otherwise healthy system. Call (469) 972-3151 for a written price.
Can you fix my ducts the same day you come out?
In many cases, yes. Simple repairs and accessible sealing are frequently done same-day once we’ve seen the system. Larger jobs – full-home repair, aerosol sealing, plenum rebuilds – get scheduled with a defined arrival window you can count on. We’ll tell you honestly when you call.
Why do quotes for the same job vary so much in LA?
Because access and duct condition vary house to house. A leak in a wide-open attic takes an hour; the same leak behind spray foam or in a tight chase takes three. The quotes that vary most are usually the ones that weren’t written down. Our price is in writing before any work begins, backed by the 365-Day Done Right Promise – if the work falls short, we come back and make it right at no charge.
Does the 365-Day Done Right Promise cover duct repair?
Yes. Every job we do is covered by the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if the repair fails within the guarantee period, we return and fix it at no charge – and the free second visit is included in writing, not offered as a courtesy. It’s the same standard we’ve applied since 2004 under the Kingswell Guarantee. Call (469) 972-3151 and we’ll walk you through exactly what’s covered.
What to Expect When Kestrel Comes Out
Background-checked, uniformed technicians arrive in the window we gave you – not a four-hour maybe. They’ll walk the system with you, show you what’s failing and where, and hand you a written price before any work begins. The cleaning itself runs on professional equipment: Rotobrush rotary brush systems agitate debris off the duct wall, Nikro negative-pressure units pull it out of the system, and Abatement Technologies HEPA filtration keeps loosened particles out of your living space while we work. These are the real tools of the trade, not a shop vac and a hose.
The Kingswell Way governs every visit: say the price, show up in the window we gave, leave the place cleaner than we found it, put the guarantee in writing, and come back if it fails. That last part is why we put the 365-Day Done Right Promise on paper instead of a vague satisfaction pledge. When you’re ready to know what your ducts actually need, call (469) 972-3151 for a free estimate – a live person answers, any time of day.
Pricing reflects the Los Angeles market as of 2026. Kestrel Air Duct Cleaning offers free estimates – call (469) 972-3151.
Written by Dale Whitmore, Owner at Kestrel Air Duct Cleaning, serving Los Angeles since 2004.
What Our Customers Say
"Our dryer was taking two cycles to dry a load. They cleaned the vent and pulled out a frightening amount of lint. Dries in one cycle now and honestly I feel better about the fire risk."
- Marcus Lee"Set up an appointment for the whole house plus the dryer line. They called the morning of to confirm, showed up in the window, and showed me pictures of the gunk they pulled out. Worth it."
- Terrence Boyd"My wife's allergies were awful every morning. Had the ducts done and it's made a real difference. Tech was on time and wore booties in the house without me asking."
- Rob Pendergast