SolvedDuct Cleaning
Does this duct system quote look high for Los Angeles?
Asked by Jack Russellin Los Angeles, California· 4/3/2026· 1092 views
I'm in Los Angeles, California and dealing with a 16-year-old duct system in our townhouse. Over the last month, it has been pushing weak airflow to the upstairs rooms and we're now noticing the technician who came out last time did not leave any actual readings behind.
One contractor quoted $1,356 for repair, while another jumped straight to a $18,403 replacement because of the age. The weather here has been dealing us humid summer load, so I do not want to wait too long, but I also do not want to approve the wrong scope.
If you were comparing bids on this, what would you want checked first? I especially want to know how much weight you would give to duct leakage, balancing, blower performance, and filter pressure drop.
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8 Answers
21
✓ Accepted Answer
We used the directory reviews to filter out firms that were vague about what they had actually tested. That saved us a lot of time. We had a related issue with our duct system in Los Angeles. Once we forced every quote into the same format, the decision got much easier because the weak recommendations stood out immediately.
Ruby Patel·4/3/2026
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If this landed on my schedule, I would want to document the core readings first and then explain exactly why the repair does or does not make economic sense. For a duct system that is pushing weak airflow to the upstairs rooms, the first things I would ask for are duct leakage, balancing, blower performance, and filter pressure drop. If the contractor is recommending bigger work, ask them to explain which measurement supports that recommendation and whether they ruled out airflow or controls first. In Los Angeles, California, pricing can move around, but the diagnostic process should still be clear.
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From a contractor side, I would not approve a major repair or replacement without test results that line up with the symptoms. For a duct system that is pushing weak airflow to the upstairs rooms, the first things I would ask for are duct leakage, balancing, blower performance, and filter pressure drop. If the contractor is recommending bigger work, ask them to explain which measurement supports that recommendation and whether they ruled out airflow or controls first. In Los Angeles, California, pricing can move around, but the diagnostic process should still be clear.
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The recommendation should be tied to measurements, not just the age of the equipment. Age matters, but it is not a diagnosis on its own. For a duct system that is pushing weak airflow to the upstairs rooms, the first things I would ask for are duct leakage, balancing, blower performance, and filter pressure drop. If the contractor is recommending bigger work, ask them to explain which measurement supports that recommendation and whether they ruled out airflow or controls first. In Los Angeles, California, pricing can move around, but the diagnostic process should still be clear.
6
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I would compare how clearly each contractor explains the diagnosis, not just the price. The clearer company ended up being the better hire for us. We had a related issue with our duct system in Los Angeles. Once we forced every quote into the same format, the decision got much easier because the weak recommendations stood out immediately.
Liam Kelly·4/3/2026
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If you can, ask whether they checked airflow before recommending equipment. We nearly replaced a system when the bigger issue was elsewhere. We had a related issue with our duct system in Los Angeles. Once we forced every quote into the same format, the decision got much easier because the weak recommendations stood out immediately.
Nadia Miller·4/4/2026
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I would compare how clearly each contractor explains the diagnosis, not just the price. The clearer company ended up being the better hire for us. We had a related issue with our duct system in Los Angeles. Once we forced every quote into the same format, the decision got much easier because the weak recommendations stood out immediately.
Ethan Brooks·4/5/2026
1
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What helped us most was breaking the quote into labour, parts, warranty, and optional upgrades. The expensive bid looked very different once it was itemized. We had a related issue with our duct system in Los Angeles. Once we forced every quote into the same format, the decision got much easier because the weak recommendations stood out immediately.
Samantha Mitchell·4/4/2026