SolvedDuct Cleaning
Does this duct system quote look high for Los Angeles?
Asked by Noah Millerin Los Angeles, California· 4/14/2026· 173 views
I'm in Los Angeles, California and dealing with a 8-year-old duct system in our small commercial unit. Over the past week, it has been pushing weak airflow to the upstairs rooms and we're now noticing the system sounds normal at startup but never quite settles into a steady cycle.
One contractor quoted $655 for repair, while another jumped straight to a $7,747 replacement because of the age. The weather here has been dealing us dry afternoon heat, 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.
ductsairflowcomfort
9 Answers
40
✓ Accepted Answer
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.
18
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We had something similar and the turning point was asking each company for the actual readings in writing instead of a verbal explanation. 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.
Harper Price·4/14/2026
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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.
James Nguyen·4/14/2026
10
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The price range alone does not tell you enough. Ask what was tested, what failed, and which assumptions are built into the quote. 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.
8
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The price range alone does not tell you enough. Ask what was tested, what failed, and which assumptions are built into the quote. 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.
7
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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.
Samuel Singh·4/14/2026
7
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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.
Claire Bennett·4/15/2026
6
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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.
Ella Diaz·4/15/2026
3
0
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.
Ruben Russell·4/15/2026