Air Duct Replacement in Irvine, CA

When does duct replacement make more sense than cleaning?

Cleaning only works if the duct is intact. Flex with a torn inner liner leaks no matter how clean it gets. Same with crushed runs and compressed insulation. Collars that pulled off the boot leak too. A spinning brush can shred brittle attic flex outright. Rodent-soiled runs in foothill and canyon-adjacent tracts are usually replacement, not source removal.

Replacement is mostly attic work. Old flex comes out, takeoff collars get re-cut or re-sealed. New flex is stretched tight and strapped so it does not sag between joists. Mastic goes on every collar, not tape alone. The sheet metal trunk or plenum often stays if it is sound. Ductboard plenums that crumble at the corners rarely are.

In California, replacing ductwork generally triggers a permit and third-party HERS duct leakage verification. Plan for that before the old duct hits the dumpster. In 1950s-60s homes with rigid metal, the joint wrap and tape can contain asbestos. It gets tested, not ripped.

What moves the job: register count and attic headroom over the far bedrooms. Whether returns are undersized matters too. Undersized returns make a new system whistle. Count your return grilles before anyone quotes a redesign.