Duct Cleaning & Duct Repair in Ocala, FL

Leaky attic ducts pull hot, wet air into the house and dust into the lungs. We test, seal, repair and clean, in that order.

The ductwork in an Ocala house is a run of insulated flex duct or old metal trunk line through an attic that hits 130 degrees in July. When it leaks, and most older duct systems in Marion County leak badly, it pulls that hot, humid, dusty attic air into the return and pushes conditioned air out into the insulation. The system runs longer, the house never feels dry, and the dust on the furniture is attic dust, not house dust. That is why duct work here starts with a leakage test and sealing, not with a vacuum truck.

We do clean ducts, and we do it properly when it is warranted: visible mold, a pest or rodent problem, a renovation that filled the system with drywall dust, or ducts that have never been cleaned in a home with someone who reacts to it. What we do not do is sell a cleaning to every caller. The EPA's own guidance is that routine duct cleaning has not been shown to improve health or performance, and we would rather be the company that told you that.

Test, seal, repair, then clean

In this order, because cleaning a leaking duct system just gives the attic a clean path into your house.

  1. Inspect the whole run In the attic, with a camera where we cannot fit: crushed flex, disconnected boots, sagging runs, torn outer jacket, ducts lying on the ceiling drywall and sweating onto it, return plenums open to the attic.
  2. Measure the leakage Duct blaster test that puts a number on it. The Florida energy code sets a leakage limit for replaced duct systems, and we use the same standard to tell you how far off an existing one is.
  3. Seal and repair Mastic and mesh at every joint and boot, not tape; reconnect and re-support what has fallen; replace runs that are crushed or rotted. Add returns where a house has one return in the hall and a closed bedroom door starves the system.
  4. Clean when warranted Negative-air machine on the trunk, agitation at each register, coil and blower cleaned as part of it, sanitizing only where there is a reason. New filter, and the system run and verified.
  5. Re-test and report Leakage after sealing, static pressure, and the photos, so you can see what changed.

When a duct system should be replaced

Flex duct from the 1980s and 90s has an outer jacket that goes brittle and an inner liner that tears; older metal trunk lines have interior insulation that sheds fiberglass into the airstream. When the inspection finds either, sealing is throwing good money after bad. A replaced duct system is designed to the load calculation, sized so each room gets what it needs, leak-tested to the code limit, and usually the reason a house that "never cooled right" finally does. It pairs naturally with a system replacement, and we quote it either way.

Questions we get asked

Duct Cleaning & Repair questions

Does duct cleaning improve air quality?
Sometimes, in specific situations: mold in the ducts, a rodent problem, heavy construction dust, or a home that has never had it done and has someone sensitive to dust. As routine maintenance the evidence is thin, which is what the EPA says too. Sealing a leaking duct system does more for the air in the house than cleaning a tight one, so that is where we start.
How do I know if my ducts are leaking?
Rooms that never cool, a system that runs constantly, a house that feels clammy, a musty smell when the system starts, a lot of dust, or a power bill out of proportion to the house. The definitive answer is a duct leakage test, which takes about an hour and gives you a number.
Can you add a return or a vent to a room?
Yes. A bedroom that gets hot with the door shut usually needs a return path, a jumper duct or transfer grille, not a bigger supply. Room additions in the older neighborhoods often got a supply and no return, and a lanai enclosure got nothing at all.
Is duct sealing the same as duct tape?
No. Cloth duct tape fails within a couple of years in a Florida attic. Sealing means mastic, a paint-on sealant with mesh at the joints, and mechanically fastened connections. It is slower and it lasts.

Free quotes

Tell us what the system is doing

We call you back to set a time, come look at it with you, and you get the price before any work starts. Free, and no obligation either way.

Free, no obligation. We call you back to set a time, and you get the price before any work starts.

Free quote