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 Duct Sealing Across Swampscott
We serve Swampscott from our Boston scheduling office, and our crews are on local roads most days of the week. A typical duct sealing job in Swampscott runs $450 – $850 for a whole-system seal, depending on access and how many runs need attention. Call us at (361) 326-5060 and we’ll give you a written price before any work starts.
Swampscott’s older housing stock is what we see most. Homes near Phillips Beach, along Humphrey Street, and in the Clifton Avenue area were built between the 1880s and 1940s, with ductwork that has been patched, extended, or simply left to corrode in basement and crawlspace conditions that don’t exist inland. We know what to look for in these homes because we’ve sealed and repaired hundreds of them. Salt air, summer humidity, and winter nor’easters all leave their mark on duct systems here in ways that a technician from Peabody or Danvers might not expect.
Why Hollis Air Duct Cleaning Is Swampscott’s Preferred Duct Sealing Company
We’ve built our reputation in Swampscott on showing up when we said we would and leaving the price where we wrote it down. Our Duct Sealing in Swampscott work is backed by the 365-Day Done Right Promise: if a seal fails or a repair doesn’t hold, we come back and make it right at no charge, including a free second visit. That’s written on every job, not implied.
Our technicians are background-checked and uniformed, and they arrive with professional-grade equipment from Rotobrush, Nikro, and Abatement Technologies. When you call (361) 326-5060, a live person answers the phone, 24 hours a day. No voicemail loops. No callback queues. We dispatch to Swampscott regularly, and our crews understand the local conditions that affect ductwork here: the salt-laden humidity off the Atlantic, the older unlined metal ducts common in pre-war homes, and the specific failure modes that result from combining the two.
Roy Castellanos leads our operation, and The Garrison Standard he operates under means your technician arrives inside the quoted window, prices the work in writing before touching anything, completes the job by the book, and leaves the site clean. That’s the discipline we bring to every Swampscott home.
HVAC Duct Sealing in Swampscott
HVAC Duct Sealing in Swampscott addresses the conditioned air that leaks from your duct system before it reaches your rooms. In a typical Swampscott home, we find 20 – 30% air loss through gaps at joints, disconnected runs, and corroded seams, especially in basements and crawlspaces where salt air has done its work. You’re paying to heat or cool your foundation instead of your bedrooms. A full-system seal in Swampscott typically costs $450 – $850, with partial sealing of problem runs starting around $250.
When Sealing Beats Replacement
Many Swampscott homeowners assume corroded ducts need full replacement. Often they don’t. If the metal is structurally sound, we clean the salt residue, neutralize active corrosion, and seal with mastic rated for coastal humidity. The sealant we use is from Rotobrush’s approved product line, formulated to bond with prepared metal even in damp crawlspaces. Replacement runs $1,500 – $3,500; sealing is a fraction of that when the ducts themselves are still viable.
What the Job Actually Involves
We pressurize the system to locate leaks, then access each joint and seam. In Swampscott’s older homes, this often means working around floor joists and basement bulkheads that weren’t designed for modern HVAC. We seal supply and return ducts with mastic, reinforce with mesh where needed, and test again to confirm the pressure holds. Before-and-after photos go to the homeowner. The price is agreed in writing before we start.
Duct Repair in Swampscott
Duct Repair in Swampscott fixes the physical damage that sealing alone won’t address: crushed flexible runs, disconnected joints, corroded sections that have rusted through, and salt-damaged metal that needs patching or replacement. A homeowner in Phillips Beach called us about a mysterious water stain on their basement ceiling; our tech traced it to a corroded return duct near the crawlspace, where salt crystals had absorbed summer humidity and dripped onto the metal. We performed source removal with negative pressure and HEPA filtration, then sealed the duct with Rotobrush-approved mastic and replaced a crushed flexible run to the air handler. The homeowner was relieved it wasn’t a plumbing leak, and their system’s airflow improved noticeably. Duct repair in Swampscott ranges from $200 for a simple reconnection to $1,200 for multiple section replacements.
Common Repairs in Coastal Basements
The combination of salt air and summer humidity in Swampscott creates a specific failure mode we don’t see in Peabody or Danvers. Salt crystals accumulate on duct surfaces, deliquesce in July and August humidity, and the resulting brine accelerates rust. We find pinholes in metal ducts, separated foil tape at joints, and flexible ducting that has collapsed from the weight of accumulated debris and moisture. Each repair starts with cleaning and neutralizing the salt residue, or the fix fails within a season.
Hidden Disconnections Behind Finished Walls
Swampscott’s finished basements often conceal duct runs that were modified during renovation. We use camera inspection to locate disconnections without tearing out drywall. When we find a separated joint, we access it through the smallest possible opening, repair and seal, and restore the finish. The homeowner sees the camera footage and the repair. No guesswork.
Trusted Brands We Service in Swampscott
We stock parts and sealing materials from Aprilaire, Abatement Technologies, and Guardsman for Swampscott jobs, which means faster turnaround and no waiting for special orders on standard repairs. Our Rotobrush rotary brush systems and Nikro negative-air machines handle the cleaning prep that proper sealing requires. For filtration upgrades after sealing, we carry Honeywell and Aprilaire media filters sized to the systems common in Swampscott’s older homes. When a duct repair needs a specific fitting for a vintage furnace or a modern air handler, we typically have it on the van.
Common Duct Sealing Problems We See in Swampscott Homes
- Sealing over actively corroding metal without first neutralizing salt residue. The sealant fails within a season as rust pushes it off. We see this in homes near Fisherman’s Beach and along the Atlantic coast, where salt concentration is highest. Proper prep takes longer, but the seal lasts.
- Standard foil tape on unlined metal ducts in coastal crawlspaces. Salt-laden humidity causes the adhesive to release and joints to reopen. We use mastic and reinforcing mesh rated for damp conditions, not hardware-store tape.
- Disconnected or crushed runs hidden behind finished basement walls. Sealing supply and return ducts doesn’t restore balanced airflow if a major run has separated. Our camera inspection finds these before we quote, so the price covers the actual work needed.
- Ignoring salt crystal buildup that mimics plumbing leaks. Homeowners in Swampscott’s older coastal homes regularly call plumbers for stains that are actually corroded ducts dripping brine. We identify the real source, repair the duct, and stop the cycle.
Pricing for Duct Sealing in Swampscott, MA
A typical whole-system duct sealing in Swampscott runs $450 – $850. Partial sealing of identified problem areas starts at $250. Duct repair, when sections need replacement or reconnection, ranges from $200 to $1,200 depending on material and access. These are honest ranges for this market, not teaser prices that jump once we’re inside your home.
What moves the price: how many runs need attention, whether we can access joints from the basement or need to work in a tight crawlspace, the extent of corrosion prep required, and whether hidden disconnections need repair before sealing is effective. Every variable is inspected and priced in writing before work begins. No per-vent pricing. No add-ons at the door. The number you agree to is the number you pay.
Estimates are free. Call (361) 326-5060 to schedule.
We Also Serve Cities Near Swampscott
Our crews regularly work in Swampscott and the surrounding communities: Lynn to the west, Marblehead to the south, Salem to the north, and Peabody inland. Each shares some of the North Shore’s coastal conditions, though Swampscott’s direct Atlantic exposure creates the most aggressive salt-air duct corrosion we see in the area. Wherever you are on the North Shore, the same Garrison Standard applies: written price, written guarantee, work done by the book.
Serving Swampscott, MA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Swampscott 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 Duct Sealing in Swampscott
Salt crystals that have accumulated on your duct surfaces absorb summer humidity and liquefy, then drip as brine onto your basement floor or ceiling below. This is common in Swampscott’s coastal homes, especially near Phillips Beach and Fisherman’s Beach, and it doesn’t occur in inland towns like Danvers or Peabody. The fix is cleaning and neutralizing the salt residue, then sealing with mastic rated for coastal conditions. Call (361) 326-5060 for an inspection.
Yes, if the metal is structurally sound. We clean and neutralize corrosion, then seal with Rotobrush-approved mastic that bonds to prepared metal in damp environments. Many Swampscott homes on Clifton Avenue and Humphrey Street have original ducts that seal successfully. Replacement is only needed when rust has eaten through the metal. We’ll show you camera footage and give you a written price for either option.
Swampscott’s direct Atlantic exposure means salt-laden humidity penetrates basements and crawlspaces year-round, accelerating corrosion and causing sealant failures that don’t occur five miles inland. Standard foil tape releases its adhesive. Uncured mastic can blush with moisture. We use prep and materials specifically selected for this environment. Inland crews using inland methods often see their Swampscott callbacks spike.
Our technician arrives in a marked van, uniformed and background-checked, inspects your system with camera and pressure testing, and shows you what we find. We price the work in writing before starting. The seal itself takes 2 – 4 hours for a typical Swampscott home. You receive before-and-after photos and documentation of the 365-Day Done Right Promise. The site is left clean. Call (361) 326-5060 to book.
Yes. Both sides leak, and both affect your system’s efficiency and your indoor air quality. In Swampscott’s older homes, we often find return ducts in worse condition than supplies because they run through unconditioned basement and crawlspace areas where salt air concentrates. Sealing only one side leaves significant leakage and can create pressure imbalances that draw more contaminants into the system. We inspect and price both, and we seal what needs sealing.
Written by Roy Castellanos, Owner at Hollis Air Duct Cleaning, serving Swampscott and the North Shore.