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.
Fast, Reliable Air Duct Cleaning Across Wellesley
Air duct cleaning in Wellesley typically runs $450 – $850 for a full residential system, with most jobs completed in a single visit. We’re familiar with the specific challenges of Wellesley’s housing stock, from the pre-1950 colonials near Cottage Street to the mid-century ranches off Route 9. Our crew serves Wellesley from our Boston-area dispatch office, and we schedule most Air Duct Cleaning appointments within a few days of your call. If you’re noticing more dust on furniture, uneven heating between rooms, or musty air when the system kicks on, the ductwork is likely the culprit. Call us at (361) 326-5060 for a free estimate with a written price before any work starts.
Why Hollis Air Duct Cleaning Is Wellesley’s Preferred Air Duct Cleaning Company
We’ve been part of the Garrison Partners family since 2004, and our approach hasn’t changed: show up inside the window, price it in writing, do it by the book. Wellesley homeowners know the difference between a crew that treats their home with respect and one that doesn’t. Our technicians are background-checked and uniformed, and they arrive with professional-grade equipment from Rotobrush and Nikro, not hardware-store attachments.
Phones are answered by a live person 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. No voicemail loops. No callback queues. When you schedule Air Duct Cleaning in Wellesley, you get a confirmed arrival window and a technician who knows the local housing stock.
Every job carries our 365-Day Done Right Promise. If the work fails within a year, we return and make it right at no charge, including a free second visit. That promise is backed in writing on every invoice, not offered as a verbal afterthought.
We recently worked on a 1920s Tudor near Cottage Street where the original gravity-fed ductwork had been connected to a modern furnace years ago, leaving oversized, unsealed runs throughout the first floor. Using camera inspection and agitation tools under negative pressure, our tech found two crushed flex ducts in the finished basement and a disconnected run feeding a rear bedroom. After source removal and Duct Sealing in Wellesley for the accessible joints, the system’s airflow evened out and the homeowner reported less dust settling on the original hardwood floors.
Vent Cleaning in Wellesley
Vent Cleaning in Wellesley addresses the supply and return registers where conditioned air enters your rooms and where stale air gets drawn back to the system. In Wellesley’s older homes, these vents often sit at the end of decades-old duct runs that have never been properly sealed, meaning the grilles themselves become collection points for dust, pet dander, and construction debris from past renovations. A typical vent cleaning as part of a full system service in Wellesley runs $80 – $150 per zone when bundled with main trunk cleaning, or $120 – $200 per zone as a standalone service for targeted problem areas.
Supply Vent Buildup
Supply vents in Wellesley’s pre-1950 homes often show heavy accumulation because the original ductwork was sized for gravity-fed heating, not the higher airflow of modern forced-air systems. The reduced velocity lets particles settle on the grille fins and in the boot behind the wall. We remove each grille, clean the boot with rotary brushes, and reseal the connection to prevent future leakage.
Return Vent Blockage
Return vents pull air back to the furnace, and in Wellesley homes with original plaster walls, they often sit in walls that were never designed as duct chases. We’ve found blocked returns behind modified bookcases, covered by decades of paint, or choked by filters that were wedged in incorrectly by previous owners. Camera inspection finds these problems before we quote the fix.
Air Duct Repair in Wellesley
Air Duct Repair in Wellesley fixes the disconnected, crushed, and deteriorated ductwork we find in nearly every pre-1950 home we service. The town’s housing stock, heavy on balloon-frame construction with later-added HVAC, creates conditions where flex ducts fail at connection points and metal ducts corrode from condensation. Typical air duct repair in Wellesley ranges from $200 – $450 for sealing and reconnecting accessible runs, to $600 – $1,200 for replacing crushed or rusted sections in finished basements or attics.
Disconnected and Crushed Flex Ducts
Flex ducts routed through finished basements and attics in Wellesley’s older colonials get damaged during routine storage, renovation, or simply from decades of settling. A disconnected duct blows conditioned air into a wall cavity or attic space. A crushed duct creates a bottleneck that strains the blower motor. We verify every run with camera inspection, then reconnect or replace only what’s necessary.
Corroded Metal Trunks and Rust
Wellesley’s freeze-thaw cycles produce condensation in unconditioned attic ducts, particularly in homes where insulation was added after the fact and gaps were left around the metal. Rust weakens the trunk line and creates holes that leak air and draw in attic dust. We seal accessible corrosion with duct mastic and recommend replacement when the metal has thinned beyond repair.
Trusted Brands We Service in Wellesley
Our equipment roster includes Rotobrush rotary brush systems for agitation cleaning, Nikro negative-air machines for source removal without cross-contaminating your home, and filtration products from Honeywell and Guardsman for homeowners who want upgraded protection after the cleaning is done. We stock common replacement parts and sealing materials locally, so when we find a disconnected run or a corroded section during your Wellesley service, we can often complete the repair same-day rather than scheduling a return trip.
Common Air Duct Cleaning Problems We See in Wellesley Homes
- Oversized gravity-fed runs in Cottage Street-area homes. Original ducts designed for coal or gravity furnaces were never meant for modern blower airflow. They move too slowly, let debris settle, and leak at every unsealed joint. We find decades of accumulation in these runs that standard equipment can’t reach without specialized agitation tools.
- Crushed flex ducts in finished basements. Wellesley’s pre-1950 colonials often have flex duct squeezed between floor joists or behind paneled walls where a previous owner stored holiday decorations or installed shelving. The restriction goes unnoticed until a room won’t heat evenly or dust blows from a single register.
- Freeze-thaw condensation damage in attic ducts. Wellesley’s cold winters and humid summers create temperature swings in unconditioned attics. Metal ductwork sweats, rusts, and eventually leaks. A surface cleaning won’t fix this; the corrosion needs sealing or replacement, and the attic may need better insulation to prevent recurrence.
- Disconnected runs feeding rear bedrooms or additions. In Wellesley’s mix of historic estates and mid-century expansions, ductwork was often extended haphazardly. We find rooms that have been heating poorly for years because a duct came loose in a wall chase and no previous contractor bothered to verify airflow at each register.
Pricing for Air Duct Cleaning in Wellesley, MA
Full residential air duct cleaning in Wellesley typically costs $450 – $850 for a standard single-system home with 8 – 15 registers. Larger homes with multiple zones or extensive gravity-fed ductwork, common in the Cottage Street area and near Wellesley College, run $900 – $1,400. Commercial duct cleaning for Wellesley’s small offices and retail spaces starts around $1,200 and scales with system complexity.
What moves the price: number of registers and returns, accessibility of ductwork in finished basements or sealed attics, whether we find disconnected or crushed runs that need repair, and if you add dryer vent cleaning or duct sealing. We give one flat price per system, agreed in writing before any work starts. No per-vent add-ons. No price change at the door. Call (361) 326-5060 for a free estimate.
We Also Serve Cities Near Wellesley
Our crews work throughout the western Boston metro area, including Wellesley and neighboring Needham, Framingham, Newton, and Medfield. Each community has its own housing stock quirks, and we adjust our approach accordingly, whether it’s Newton’s Victorian triple-deckers or Medfield’s newer construction.
Serving Wellesley, MA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Wellesley 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 Wellesley
Older Wellesley homes were built before forced-air HVAC existed, so ductwork was retrofitted into balloon-frame walls and finished basements with no standardization. That means hidden chases, unsealed joints, and gravity-fed runs that don’t match modern equipment sizing. We use camera inspection and negative-air source removal rather than aggressive brushing that could damage fragile original materials.
Homes near Cottage Street often have original gravity-fed heating ducts that were later tied into modern furnaces, leaving oversized, unsealed runs that collect debris and leak conditioned air into wall cavities. This retrofit quirk is rare in post-WWII towns where ductwork was sized correctly from the start. We identify these runs with camera inspection and seal accessible joints after cleaning.
We inspect with video cameras first to locate the problem without cutting into plaster or paneled walls unnecessarily. When repair is needed, we access through existing registers, utility chases, or the smallest possible openings. Our goal is to fix the airflow without damaging the finished spaces that make Wellesley homes distinctive.
Yes. The temperature swings in Wellesley’s unconditioned attics cause metal ducts to sweat in winter and draw humid air in summer, accelerating rust and microbial growth. We find this damage regularly in pre-1950 homes with original attic duct routes. Cleaning alone won’t stop the cycle; we recommend sealing or replacement plus improved attic insulation to protect the repair.
Our technician arrives in a marked van, in uniform, within the confirmed window. We walk the system with you, note any concerns, then provide a written price before starting. The cleaning itself takes 2 – 4 hours for most Wellesley homes, using rotary brush agitation and negative-air containment. We photograph the before and after condition of your ducts, leave the site clean, and back everything with our 365-Day Done Right Promise. Call (361) 326-5060 to schedule.
Written by Roy Castellanos, Owner at Hollis Air Duct Cleaning, serving Wellesley and the greater Boston area since 2004.




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