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 Alum Rock
Air duct cleaning in Alum Rock typically runs $350 – $650 for a full residential system, and most jobs are scheduled within a week of your call. If you live in one of the post-WWII ranch tracts off Alum Rock Avenue or near the park, your ducts are likely original galvanized steel that has never been properly sealed, which means cleaning alone won’t solve the dust problem.
We’re Hollis Air Duct Cleaning, part of the Garrison Partners family, and our crews work Alum Rock regularly. Dispatch and scheduling are coordinated from our San Francisco Bay Area office, but the technicians who arrive at your door know this neighborhood: the 1950s-60s ranches with uninsulated attic trunks, the summer heat that cracks flexible connectors at the air handler, the fine dust that blows in off the Diablo Range hillsides. We don’t quote over the phone and then rewrite the number at your door. We inspect, we photograph, we write the price down, and we stick to it. Call (361) 326-5060 to book a free estimate.
Why Hollis Air Duct Cleaning Is Alum Rock’s Preferred Air Duct Cleaning Company
We’ve been in business since 2004, and our reputation in Alum Rock is built on showing up inside the window, pricing in writing, and leaving the site clean. The Garrison Standard applies to every job: background-checked, uniformed technicians; live phone answerers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; and a 365-Day Done Right Promise that covers every repair in writing. If the work fails within a year, we come back and make it right at no charge, including a free second visit.
Our Alum Rock customers aren’t looking for the cheapest coupon in the mail. They’re looking for a crew that won’t track dust through the living room, won’t claim eight vents and then charge for twelve, and won’t disappear when the job goes sideways. We use professional-grade equipment from Rotobrush, Nikro, and Abatement Technologies, and we explain what we’re doing while we do it. The price is written down before any work starts, and it does not move at the door.
Air Duct Cleaning Services in Alum Rock
Air Duct Cleaning Services in Alum Rock start with understanding what kind of house you have. Most of this neighborhood was built fast in the 1950s and 1960s for returning veterans and factory workers, and the ductwork reflects that: rigid galvanized steel trunks, often uninsulated, run through attics that hit 95°F or higher from June through September. Decades of seismic movement, thermal expansion, and vibration from the blower motor have loosened joints and separated seams. A proper cleaning here isn’t just a vacuum job. It’s a camera inspection, a negative-pressure extraction with rotary brush agitation, and usually duct sealing with mastic to close the gaps that draw in hillside dust.
A typical residential Air Duct Cleaning in Alum Rock runs $350 – $650 depending on system size and accessibility. Homes with crawl space returns or attic-mounted air handlers take longer. We don’t price per vent because that’s how the bait-and-switch works. We price per system, agreed in writing before we start.
Residential Duct Cleaning
Our residential work covers single-family ranches, duplexes, and the small apartment buildings common near Alum Rock Expressway. We clean supply ducts, return ducts, and the trunk lines that connect them, using Rotobrush rotary systems to knock debris loose and Nikro negative-air machines to pull it out without blowing it into your rooms. Afterward, we show you before-and-after photos from our camera inspection. If we find separated joints or crushed runs, we explain the sealing work and price it separately, in writing.

Commercial Duct Cleaning
Alum Rock’s commercial buildings, the small retail strips along White Road and the older office spaces near King Road, need scheduled cleaning that doesn’t shut down business hours. We work evenings and weekends, use contained negative-air methods to protect occupied spaces, and provide written documentation for property managers and insurance carriers.

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.
HVAC Duct Cleaning in Alum Rock
HVAC Duct Cleaning in Alum Rock means dealing with systems that were never designed for modern cooling loads. The 1950s-60s ranches here have undersized returns, original galvanized trunks that have never been sealed, and flexible connectors at the air handler that crack under summer attic heat. We see this pattern every June after the first serious heat wave: calls from homeowners near Alum Rock Park who notice weak airflow, dust buildup, or a blower motor that sounds like it’s working too hard.
The cost for HVAC Duct Cleaning on a typical Alum Rock ranch runs $400 – $750 if sealing work is needed, $350 – $550 for cleaning alone. We don’t know which you need until we inspect. That’s why estimates are free.
Video Inspection and Diagnosis
Every HVAC Duct Cleaning job starts with a camera run. We feed a scope through the supply and return trunks and show you what we see: separated joints, crushed runs from someone stepping on the duct in the attic, cracks in the flexible connector, or accumulation that has built up because the system was never properly sealed. The video drives the estimate. No video, no guesswork, no price that changes after we start.
Full System Cleaning with Sealing
On most Alum Rock homes, cleaning without sealing is a temporary fix. We apply mastic sealant to accessible joints and recommend metal-backed tape or duct sealing mastic for larger gaps. The goal is to drop the static pressure, stop the infiltration of attic dust and hillside particulate, and let the blower motor work the way it was designed to. We explain every step before we do it, and we photograph the sealed joints for your records.
Trusted Brands We Service in Alum Rock
Our equipment roster includes Rotobrush rotary brush systems for agitation cleaning, Nikro negative-air machines for contained extraction, and filtration products from Aprilaire and Guardsman. We don’t use hardware-store shop vacs or consumer-grade duct cleaning attachments. The Rotobrush system we run in Alum Rock attics is the same tool commercial crews use in hospitals and schools, and the Aprilaire media filters we can install after cleaning are rated for the fine particulate that blows in off the Diablo Range. We stock common parts and filter sizes locally, so if your air handler needs a new flexible connector or a return plenum modification, we’re not ordering parts and making you wait.
Common Air Duct Cleaning Problems We See in Alum Rock Homes
- Separated galvanized trunk joints. The original steel ductwork in 1950s-60s Alum Rock ranches was assembled with slip joints and drive cleats, not sealed seams. Decades of seismic movement and thermal cycling have opened gaps that draw in hot, dusty attic air. We find these with a camera, clean behind them, and seal them with mastic so they stay closed.
- Cracked flexible connectors at the air handler. The rubberized connector between your furnace or air handler and the rigid trunk line sits in the hottest part of the attic. After a 95°F week in June, the material hardens and splits. We replace these during cleaning jobs when we find them, and we show you the crack on camera before we quote the repair.
- Undersized returns starving the system. A 1,200-square-foot ranch built in 1960 might have a single 14-inch return duct. Modern equipment needs more airflow. Homeowners blame “dirty ducts” when the real problem is a return that was never sized for the current system. We measure static pressure and airflow before we clean, and we tell you if the duct is the wrong size.
- Moisture and mold after winter rains. Alum Rock’s winter rains can leak into attics through old vent flashing or rotted fascia, and uninsulated galvanized ducts collect condensation when cold attic air meets warm supply air. We check for water staining and microbial growth during inspection, and we recommend remediation before cleaning if we find active mold.
Pricing for Air Duct Cleaning in Alum Rock, CA
Here’s what honest pricing looks like for this market. A full residential Air Duct Cleaning on a typical single-story Alum Rock ranch runs $350 – $550. If we find separated joints, crushed runs, or a cracked flexible connector that needs sealing or replacement, the total with repair work runs $400 – $750. Commercial systems and larger homes with multiple zones run higher, and we price those after inspection.
We do not quote per vent. That pricing model invites games: a low teaser rate for “up to ten vents,” then surcharges for the returns, the trunk line, the air handler, the “deep clean” upgrade. Our price is per system, agreed in writing, and it covers everything we find during the camera inspection. No add-ons at the door. No “we found a problem” upsells after we’ve started.
Estimates are free. Call (361) 326-5060 to schedule.
We Also Serve Cities Near Alum Rock
Our crews work throughout the Bay Area and beyond. If you’re outside Alum Rock, we also provide Air Duct Cleaning in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco. Dispatch is coordinated from our San Francisco Bay Area office, with local technicians serving each market under The Garrison Standard. For homeowners right here in the neighborhood, our Air Duct Cleaning in Alum Rock page has area-specific details.
Serving Alum Rock, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Alum Rock 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 Alum Rock
Because the original galvanized steel ductwork in 1950s-60s Alum Rock ranches was never sealed at the joints, and decades of seismic movement have opened gaps that draw in dusty attic air. Cleaning removes the buildup, but without sealing, the same hillside dust pulls back into the airstream within a season. We seal with mastic during the cleaning job when we find open joints, and we photograph the work so you can see the difference.
Call (361) 326-5060 for a free inspection and written estimate.
Book before the first major heat wave in June, when attic temperatures spike and cracked flexible connectors start failing. We also see a second rush after the first winter rains, when homeowners notice musty airflow from moisture that got into uninsulated trunks. If you’ve never had your ducts cleaned and you live in a 1950s-60s ranch, you’re past due. Call (361) 326-5060 to get on the schedule.
It does if it’s cracked, hardened, or pulling away from the rigid duct. We find this most often in Alum Rock homes after the first 95°F week of summer, when attic heat has cooked the rubberized material until it splits. Our camera inspection catches it before the blower motor starts straining or the duct starts leaking conditioned air into the attic. We quote replacement in writing if we find damage.
Call (361) 326-5060 to schedule an inspection.
We start with a video camera inspection of the supply and return trunks. Then we connect a Nikro negative-air machine to create suction, run Rotobrush agitation tools through each branch to knock debris loose, and extract it without blowing dust into your home. If we find separated joints or a cracked connector, we seal or repair them with mastic and metal-backed tape. We finish with before-and-after photos and a written report. The whole job takes 3 – 5 hours on a typical single-story home.
For an exact quote on your system, call (361) 326-5060.
Yes, if water is getting into your attic through old flashing, clogged gutters, or rotted fascia boards. Alum Rock’s winter rains are brief but intense, and uninsulated galvanized ducts collect condensation when warm supply air meets cold metal. We check for water staining and active microbial growth during our camera inspection. If we find mold, we recommend remediation before cleaning, and we refer you to certified specialists if the growth is extensive. Call (361) 326-5060 to schedule an inspection.
Written by Roy Castellanos, Owner at Hollis Air Duct Cleaning, serving Alum Rock since 2004.




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