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 Air Duct Cleaning Cost in San Antonio?
Air duct cleaning in San Antonio typically runs $350 to $700 for an average single-family home with one HVAC system, and most jobs land near $450. Larger two-story homes on the North Side with two systems usually fall between $650 and $1,100. Dryer vent cleaning, which we do on plenty of the same visits, adds $125 to $200 on its own.
Those are the real numbers for this market in 2026. Not a teaser rate that changes once a technician is standing in your hallway. At Hollis Air Duct Cleaning, the price is written down before any work starts, and it does not move at the door.
Key Takeaways
- Most San Antonio homes pay $350 – $700 for full air duct cleaning; two-system homes run $650 – $1,100.
- The biggest cost driver is the number of HVAC systems and vents, not the square footage alone.
- Cheap “$99 whole-house” specials almost always exclude the return side, the blower, or the coil – that’s where the dust actually lives.
- Every Hollis job carries a written price and the 365-Day Done Right Promise.
Air Duct Cleaning Cost Breakdown (2026)
Here’s how San Antonio pricing shakes out by line item. These ranges assume a standard suburban home – think Stone Oak, Alamo Ranch, or a mid-century ranch inside Loop 410 – with accessible flex duct or sheet metal runs.
| Service | Typical San Antonio Range | What’s Included |
|---|---|---|
| Single-system home (up to 2,000 sq ft, 8 – 12 vents) | $350 – $500 | Supply and return cleaning, negative-air containment, register wipe-down |
| Single-system home (2,000 – 3,000 sq ft, 12 – 18 vents) | $450 – $700 | Same scope, more runs and registers |
| Two-system home (3,000+ sq ft) | $650 – $1,100 | Both air handlers, both return trunks, all supply runs |
| Dryer vent cleaning (add-on) | $125 – $200 | Full line from dryer to exterior cap, lint and block removal |
| Duct sealing with mastic (per accessible run) | $45 – $90 | Sealing leaking joints to cut energy loss |
| Coil and blower compartment cleaning | $90 – $180 | Cleaning the components most duct-only outfits skip |
| Sanitizing / fogging treatment | $75 – $175 | Optional; useful after water intrusion or pest activity |
What pushes a job toward the top of these ranges? Two systems instead of one. A finished basement or a converted garage apartment running its own mini-system. Heavy pet dander, cigarette residue, or a recent remodel where drywall dust got pulled straight into the returns. What pulls it down: a small single-story home with easy attic access and short duct runs.
One thing we won’t do is quote you a number over the phone for a house we’ve never seen. Vent counts vary wildly – we’ve walked San Antonio homes with 9 vents and homes the same size with 22. If you want a firm, written figure, we schedule a look first. Free estimates, always. Call (361) 326-5060 to get on the schedule.
What Affects Air Duct Cleaning Pricing in San Antonio
Six factors move the price more than anything else in this market:
- Number of HVAC systems. San Antonio summers are brutal, so a lot of homes built after 2000 in the Stone Oak and Alamo Heights areas run two units. Each one means a separate air handler, return trunk, and set of supply runs. That’s the single biggest reason two homes with the same square footage land $300 apart.
- Vent count and duct layout. A sprawling ranch with long attic runs takes more time than a compact two-story. We count every register before we quote.
- Duct material. Sheet metal cleans fast. Flex duct – which is common in newer San Antonio subdivisions off Culebra and Potranco – needs gentler rotary work so we don’t tear the liner. If the liner is already torn, that’s a repair conversation, not a cleaning one.
- Access. Attic access in a 1970s home inside the Loop versus a 2015 build with a walk-in mechanical closet are different jobs. We map accce before we commit to a timeline.
- Condition of the system. A home that’s had a pest problem, a roof leak, or a recent remodel with drywall dust kicked into the returns needs more passes, sometimes sanitizing, and occasionally mastic sealing at the joints.
- Add-ons chosen. Dryer vent cleaning and duct sealing are separate line items. Many San Antonio homeowners bundle the dryer vent since we’re already there and it’s one trip.
If you want to understand how a proper cleaning actually works before you price it, our home page lays out the negative-air method and rotary brush system in plain terms.
Why San Antonio Homes Need This More Than You’d Think
This city has three conditions that punish ductwork harder than most markets.
First, the dust. San Antonio sits on limestone and caliche, and when the wind picks up in spring, that fine alkaline dust gets everywhere. It migrates through return grilles and settles inside the system. In neighborhoods near the quarry operations north of 1604, we routinely pull gray-white powder out of return trunks that’s clearly airborne limestone dust, not household debris.
Second, the heat. Your AC runs seven, eight months a year here. A system that runs that much moves that much more air through the ducts, which means more dust cycling and faster filter loading. Most San Antonio homeowners should be changing filters every 60 to 90 days, not every six months like the box says.
Third, the humidity swings. That’s hard on flex duct and on the mastic sealing older sheet metal joints. Leaky ducts in a brutally hot attic pull in attic air – which in San Antonio summers can hit 140°F – and your system has to work harder to compensate. That’s a duct sealing conversation.
None of this is a scare tactic. It’s just what we see, job after job, in this climate.
How to Save on Air Duct Cleaning
You have real ways to keep the price down without cutting corners on the parts that matter.
- Bundle the dryer vent. Adding it to a duct cleaning visit costs far less than booking it as a separate trip. Same crew, same containment setup, one appointment.
- Have your filter size ready. It sounds small, but if we know the return grille dimensions before arriving, we don’t burn time on discovery. We can recommend the right filter while we’re there.
- Clear access ahead of time. Move the storage bins out of the attic hatch, and make sure the mechanical closet isn’t blocked by a holiday decoration box. Access time is real time.
- Book during the shoulder months. Late fall and early spring are slower for HVAC work in San Antonio. Scheduling then often means faster service windows and more flexibility.
- Ask for the written scope, not just the price. The cheapest bid and the most expensive bid can quote the same dollar figure and mean completely different work. Read what’s actually included – return side, blower, coil, containment.
Every Hollis estimate is free and in writing. Call (361) 326-5060 and we’ll get you a number you can hold us to.
Why Cheap Duct Cleaning Quotes in San Antonio Often Cost More
You’ll see $99 and $149 whole-house specials advertised around San Antonio nearly every week. Here’s the honest math on why those numbers don’t survive contact with a real house.
A genuine cleaning requires a negative-air machine running the whole time to keep dislodged debris from spreading through the home. That machine alone represents real equipment cost. Then there’s the rotary brush system, the containment, the register removal and reinstallation, and the labor of a properly trained two-person crew. None of that fits inside $99.
What usually happens: the low quote covers a surface pass on the supply vents only. The return side – where the actual dust load lives – is excluded. The blower and coil compartment are excluded. And often the technician “finds” a problem at the door and the price climbs to $600 or $800 anyway, except now you’re making the decision under pressure with equipment already unloaded. That’s the exact scenario the Garrison Standard was written to prevent.
Our approach is simple: written price before any work starts, no moving numbers, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise on every job. If something we did fails within a year, we come back and fix it at no charge.
What Equipment Actually Gets Used (And Why It Matters to Your Price)
Equipment is the quiet driver of both price and result. We use professional-grade tools: Rotobrush rotary brush systems for the duct interiors, Nikro negative-air machines to hold containment, and filtration products from Honeywell, Aprilaire, Abatement Technologies, and Guardsman.
Plain English on what each does for you:
- Rotobrush rotary brush system – a spinning brush on a flexible shaft that scrubs duct walls rather than just blowing air through them. It removes stuck-on buildup a vacuum alone can’t touch.
- Nikro negative-air machine – creates suction at the duct opening so everything loosened stays captured instead of settling into your living room. This is the difference between cleaning and making a mess.
- Honeywell, Aprilaire, and Guardsman filtration – high-quality filters and media that keep the system cleaner between service visits. Aprilaire in particular makes whole-home media cabinets that hold far more dust than a 1-inch filter.
- Abatement Technologies containment – commercial-grade equipment that keeps the work zone sealed. This is what commercial crews use, scaled down to a residential job.
The tools cost what they cost, and they’re part of why a real San Antonio duct cleaning isn’t a $99 line item. They’re also why the job, done right, lasts.
FAQs – Air Duct Cleaning Cost
How much does air duct cleaning cost in San Antonio?
Most San Antonio homes pay between $350 and $700 for a single-system home, with two-system homes running $650 to $1,100. Dryer vent cleaning adds $125 – $200, and duct sealing runs $45 – $90 per accessible run. Call (361) 326-5060 for a free written estimate.
Is duct cleaning really worth the money?
It’s worth it if you have a specific reason: visible dust blowing from registers, allergy symptoms that track with system runtime, a recent remodel, pest activity, or a system that hasn’t been touched in years. For those cases, a $350 – $700 cleaning typically pays back in cleaner air and better system efficiency. If the ducts are clean and there’s no trigger, we’ll tell you that too. Call (361) 326-5060 and we’ll give you a straight answer.
How long does air duct cleaning take in San Antonio?
A single-system home usually takes 2 to 3 hours; a two-system home runs 3 to 5 hours. Add roughly 45 minutes if you include dryer vent cleaning. The crew stays until the containment is broken down and the site is left clean – it’s part of The Garrison Code.
Why is a $99 duct cleaning quote so much lower?
Because it almost never includes the return side, the blower compartment, or the coil, which is where most of the dust actually sits. A real cleaning uses a negative-air machine and a rotary brush system on every run. A $99 quote usually becomes a $600 bill at the door. Every Hollis price is written down before we start and doesn’t move. Call (361) 326-5060 for a number you can actually plan around.
Do you charge more for two-story homes or homes with two AC systems?
Yes, and it’s the single biggest driver. A two-system home runs $650 to $1,100 versus $350 to $700 for one system, because there’s twice the equipment, twice the return trunk, and roughly twice the labor. Square footage matters less than how many air handlers you’re running. Call (361) 326-5060 for an exact quote on your home.
What’s included in the 365-Day Done Right Promise?
Every job is covered in writing for a full year. If the work fails within that window, we come back and make it right at no charge, including a free second visit. It’s not a soft “satisfaction guaranteed” line – it’s a specific commitment with a defined term and defined remedy.
Ready for a Real Number?
If you want to know exactly what air duct cleaning will cost for your San Antonio home, check our San Francisco pricing guide for comparison, or call (361) 326-5060 for a free estimate. Phones are answered by a live person 24/7. A background-checked, uniformed technician arrives inside the quoted window, the price is written down before anything starts, and the site is left clean when we’re done. That’s how Hollis Air Duct Cleaning has operated since 2004 under The Garrison Standard, and it’s why San Antonio homeowners keep calling back.
Written by Roy Castellanos, Owner at Hollis Air Duct Cleaning, serving San Antonio and the surrounding communities.
Pricing reflects the San Antonio market as of 2026. Hollis Air Duct Cleaning offers free estimates – call (361) 326-5060.
What Our Customers Say
"They checked each section with a camera and showed me the dust before and after. Thorough and honest."
- Nicole H."Duct sealing along with the cleaning cut our summer bill. Straight talk and fair price."
- Gwen O."Sealed some leaking duct joints in the crawl space with mastic. Rooms that were always cold now get air."
- Ronald W.