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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AfterFast, Reliable Air Duct Cleaning Across Altadena
Air duct cleaning in Altadena typically runs $350 – $650 for a full residential system, and most jobs are scheduled within a week of your call. If your home sits north of Altadena Drive near the Angeles National Forest foothills, you’re likely dealing with wildfire smoke intrusion and ash accumulation that routine cleaning won’t touch.
We’re Hollis Air Duct Cleaning, and our crews serve Altadena from our Los Angeles scheduling office. Roy Castellanos built this operation on The Garrison Standard: written prices before any work starts, background-checked uniformed technicians, and a 365-Day Done Right Promise backed in writing. We know Altadena’s housing stock – the 1920s Craftsman bungalows off Mariposa Street, the Spanish Revival homes near Christmas Tree Lane, the post-war ranch houses tucked into the foothills – and we know what hides in their ducts. Call us at (361) 326-5060 for a free estimate.
Why Hollis Air Duct Cleaning Is Altadena’s Preferred Air Duct Cleaning Company
We’ve been in business since 2004 as part of the Garrison Partners family, and our Altadena customers come back because we show them what we find. Our technicians carry Rotobrush rotary brush systems and Nikro negative-air machines – the same equipment commercial crews use – and we explain what the tools are doing while the job runs. No mystery, no moving targets.
Our phones are answered by a live person 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When foothill residents call after a red flag warning, they reach a human who understands the urgency and can get a crew on the schedule fast.
The Garrison Code governs how our technicians behave on every Altadena job: arrive inside the quoted window, price in writing before touching equipment, complete the work by the book, and leave the site clean. Roy Castellanos insists on it. Our 365-Day Done Right Promise means if the work fails within a year, we return and make it right at no charge, including a free second visit. That’s not a slogan – it’s written on every job.
Ductwork Cleaning in Altadena
Ductwork Cleaning in Altadena is rarely a routine vacuum job. Most homes here were built between 1910 and 1955, with original gravity furnaces or early forced-air conversions retrofitted into basements and crawlspaces. The sheet-metal trunk lines and add-on flex runs have accumulated decades of dust, and after the 2020 Bobcat Fire burned to the northern foothill neighborhoods, many systems also hold wildfire ash and fine char that standard cleaning misses.
Our process starts with a written price that doesn’t move. We set up HEPA filtration and negative pressure at the air handler, then run agitation tools through the full supply and return network. For a typical Altadena single-family home, Ductwork Cleaning runs $350 – $550. Homes with extensive flex duct additions, multiple HVAC zones, or post-wildfire contamination requiring odor treatment fall in the $500 – $650 range.
Raised Foundation and Crawlspace Access
Many Altadena homes sit on raised foundations with accessible crawlspaces under the main house. Our technicians navigate these spaces to reach original duct chases that haven’t been touched in decades. We often find disconnected branches dumping conditioned air into the crawlspace, or crushed flex runs where someone crawled through years ago. Reconnecting and sealing these runs is part of the job – not an upsell.
Post-Wildfire Odor and Particulate Removal
After Santa Ana wind events, we get calls from north Altadena neighborhoods where ash has entered supply registers within days. Surface vacuuming won’t remove char odor. We use negative-air extraction with HEPA filtration at the air handler, combined with mechanical agitation, to remove embedded particulate. Sealing dry-rotted flex connectors afterward prevents recontamination.
Air Duct Inspection in Altadena
Air Duct Inspection in Altadena should happen before any cleaning work is quoted, especially in homes built before 1955. Our video inspection runs a camera through the full duct network to map what you’re actually dealing with: original sheet-metal trunks, decades of add-on flex, disconnected branches, and the dry-rotted collar connections that Altadena’s hot, dry climate destroys.
A standalone Air Duct Inspection in Altadena costs $150 – $250. We apply this fee toward your cleaning if you proceed. The inspection typically takes 45 – 60 minutes, and we show you the footage. You’ll see exactly where the leaks are, which runs are disconnected, and whether your system is pulling attic or crawlspace air back in after cleaning.
Camera Documentation of System Condition
Our video inspection records the interior condition of every accessible duct section. In Altadena’s older homes, we commonly find flex duct that has separated at the collar, leaving a gap that draws unfiltered attic air. We document these findings so you understand why sealing work is often the real fix, not just the clean.
Attic Ductwork Assessment
Homes on Altadena’s north side, particularly those bordering the Angeles National Forest, often have exterior attic ductwork exposed to ember-laden Santa Ana winds. Our inspection checks for heat damage, dry rot, and ember intrusion points that standard cleaning won’t address. Replacement of damaged attic runs is quoted separately if needed.
Trusted Brands We Service in Altadena
Our equipment roster includes Rotobrush rotary brush systems for mechanical agitation, Nikro negative-air machines for controlled debris extraction, and filtration products from Honeywell, Aprilaire, and Guardsman. We stock common replacement parts locally for Altadena customers, so when our inspection finds a failed flex connector or a crushed run, we can often repair it same visit rather than ordering parts and rescheduling. That matters in a town where duct work spikes after every red flag warning, and you don’t want to wait two weeks for a callback while ash sits in your supply registers.
Common Air Duct Cleaning Problems We See in Altadena Homes
- Decades of accumulation in original gravity-furnace trunks. Pre-1940s homes near Christmas Tree Lane still have sheet-metal trunk lines that were never designed for forced-air retrofit. The original construction debris, combined with 80+ years of dust and post-Bobcat Fire ash, forms a packed layer that surface vacuuming won’t dislodge.
- Dry-rotted flex connectors from Altadena’s inland desert climate. The hot, dry air and seasonal temperature swings crack rubber and fabric duct collars. These leaks pull attic and crawlspace air back into the system immediately after cleaning, undoing the work within weeks.
- Disconnected branches dumping into crawlspaces under raised foundations. We regularly find supply runs that have separated from the trunk and are blowing conditioned air directly under the house. The homeowner feels weak airflow at the register and assumes the system needs cleaning; actually, half the air is going into the dirt.
- Post-wildfire char odor mistaken for routine dust. After Santa Ana wind events, north Altadena homeowners smell smoke at the registers and call for a standard clean. Without camera verification and negative-air extraction with HEPA filtration, the odor source remains in the original trunk line.
Pricing for Air Duct Cleaning in Altadena, CA
A typical residential Ductwork Cleaning in Altadena runs $350 – $550 for a single-system home with accessible ductwork. Larger homes with multiple zones, extensive flex additions, or post-wildfire contamination requiring enhanced filtration and odor treatment fall in the $500 – $650 range. Commercial duct cleaning for small offices or retail spaces in Altadena starts around $800 and scales with system complexity.
What moves the price: the number of supply and return registers, whether the home has a raised foundation requiring crawlspace work, the condition of existing flex connectors, and whether post-wildfire ash removal requires additional HEPA filtration passes. We do not quote per-vent pricing. One flat price per system, agreed in writing before work starts. No add-ons at the door.
Every estimate is free. Call (361) 326-5060 and we’ll schedule an inspection or provide a ballpark based on your home’s description.
We Also Serve Cities Near Altadena
Our crews regularly work in Altadena and the surrounding communities: Pasadena to the south, San Marino, Sierra Madre, and South Pasadena. Dispatch and scheduling are coordinated from our Los Angeles office, with local crews serving each area. If you’re in one of these neighboring cities and found this page while searching, the same pricing structure and 365-Day Done Right Promise apply.
Serving Altadena, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Altadena area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Air Duct Cleaning in Altadena
Yes, but the approach differs from a modern forced-air system. Original gravity-furnace ductwork in Altadena’s pre-1940s homes is typically oversized sheet-metal trunk lines with no blower motor to force air. We adapt our negative-air equipment to these low-pressure systems and use lighter mechanical agitation to avoid damaging aged seams. The inspection is especially important here to map which runs are original and which were added during retrofit. Call (361) 326-5060 and we’ll assess your specific system.
Schedule an inspection within one to two weeks of heavy smoke exposure. Ash and fine char particles settle in ductwork quickly, and the longer they sit, the more they embed into existing dust layers. North Altadena homes near the foothills should prioritize this, as Santa Ana winds can push contamination deep into the system. We set up HEPA containment and negative pressure to prevent redistribution during cleaning. Call (361) 326-5060 to get on the schedule.
Yes, if your home is on Altadena’s north side where attic ductwork is exposed to ember-laden winds. Our camera inspection checks for heat damage, dry rot at flex connections, and gaps where embers or unfiltered air enter. Attic ducts in these homes fail faster than interior runs, and cleaning without inspecting them wastes your money if the ducts need replacement. The $150 – $250 inspection fee applies toward any work you proceed with.
Cleaning alone removes loose particulate, but persistent odor usually requires sealing the leaks that let contaminated air back in. In Altadena’s older homes, dry-rotted flex collars and disconnected branches under raised foundations are the real culprits. We clean first, then camera-verify that every run is connected and sealed before we call the job done. If odor persists after that, our 365-Day Done Right Promise covers a free return visit to locate and fix the source.
Your ducts are pulling unfiltered air from the attic or crawlspace through leaks. Altadena’s hot, dry climate cracks flex connectors and dries out mastic seals, creating gaps that bypass your filter entirely. The house can be sealed tight, but the duct system is breathing dirty air from inside your walls and under your floor. Our inspection finds these leaks, and sealing them stops the dust source rather than just cleaning the symptom. Call (361) 326-5060 for a free estimate.
Written by Roy Castellanos, Owner at Hollis Air Duct Cleaning, serving Altadena and the greater Los Angeles area since 2004.