What does an air duct inspection include?
A visual and camera inspection of the accessible duct system and HVAC equipment, covering duct material and its condition, contamination levels, insulation condition, connections and disconnections, the air handler interior, coil and blower condition, drain pan status, and exhaust terminations. The result is photographic documentation of what was found and a plain explanation of which findings need action and which do not. It is the step that tells you whether you need cleaning, sealing, restoration or nothing at all.
Why we lead with this
You will get a real price on the phone. Square footage, how many HVAC systems the home runs and roughly when it was built is enough for us to quote whole-home cleaning, and we do it that way because making people wait for a number is its own kind of runaround.
What we will not do is let that number quietly change once we are standing in your house. That is the bait-and-switch pattern this trade is known for: a low phone price, then a technician who finds reasons it should cost three times as much. So the inspection comes first on arrival, before any equipment comes off the truck. We photograph what is actually there, walk you through it, and confirm the scope against the price you were quoted.
If what we find genuinely changes the job, you see the photographs and the reason before you approve anything, and you are free to say no. Most of the time nothing changes. Either way you are deciding from evidence rather than from a sales pitch.
Our five-point inspection
On residential systems we work through the five areas that determine what a system actually needs.
- Duct interior and material — what the ductwork is made of and what condition its interior surface is in
- Air handler and blower — cabinet interior, blower wheel loading, cleanliness of accessible surfaces
- Coil and drain pan — coil face restriction, standing water, condensate drainage
- Insulation and connections — wet or missing insulation, disconnected runs, crushed flex, boot condition
- Terminations and exhaust — dryer and bathroom exhaust routing, dampers, and where they actually discharge
What you get
Photographs of what we found, an explanation of what each finding means, and a recommendation that may well be that your system does not need the work you called about. That last outcome happens, and we would rather deliver it than sell around it.
At a glance
- Method
- Visual and camera inspection with photographic documentation
- Covers
- Duct interior, material and condition, air handler, coil, blower, drain pan, insulation, terminations
- Residential structure
- Five-point inspection process
- Deliverable
- Photo documentation and a written recommendation
- Purpose
- Establish actual need before any work is quoted
What the service covers
- Camera inspection of accessible duct runs
- Duct material and condition assessment
- Air handler interior inspection
- Coil, blower and drain pan condition
- Insulation and connection check
- Dryer and bathroom exhaust termination check
- Photographic documentation
Common questions
Do you charge for the inspection?
Inspection terms are confirmed when you book, so you know before we arrive. The inspection is what turns a phone quote into a confirmed scope: we look at the system, show you the photographs, and check the job against the price you were given.
Do you quote over the phone or only after inspecting?
Both, in that order. We quote on the phone from square footage, system count and rough build year, then inspect on arrival and confirm that scope before work starts. If the inspection changes the job, we show you why and you approve it or decline it. What you will not get is a price that moves without an explanation you can see.
What if the inspection shows I do not need cleaning?
Then that is what the report says. Systems in newer homes, or systems cleaned within the last few years, often do not need it. Telling you so is the point of inspecting.
Can you inspect a system before I buy a house?
Yes, and it is a sensible thing to do. A pre-purchase inspection of the ductwork and HVAC can surface duct condition problems that a general home inspection does not cover in detail.
