Whole-system duct and dryer vent check with before-and-after photos - you see exactly what came out of your vents
That "$99 whole-house special" is a bait ad - the real number appears once they are in your hallway, or the "clean" is a shop-vac at the register. We photograph the inside of your ducts before and after instead.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
AfterFast, Reliable Air Duct Repair Across Altadena
Air duct repair in Altadena most often comes down to finding and sealing what decades of foothill living has worked loose. Homes here, especially the 1920s through 1950s Craftsman bungalows and Spanish Colonials, carry original or early-generation ductwork that simply wasn’t built for the Santa Ana wind cycles this part of the San Gabriel foothills delivers every year. We inspect, locate the failed sections, and repair or replace them so your system moves air the way it should. If you’re smelling smoke, dust, or just uneven airflow through rooms, ask us about Dryer Vent Cleaning - Altadena or call Linden Air Duct Cleaning at (980) 447-2498 for a straight answer and an exact price before any work begins.
Why Linden Air Duct Cleaning Is Altadena’s Preferred Air Duct Repair Company
Linden Air Duct Cleaning has spent years walking crawlspaces and attics in Altadena homes, from the tree-lined streets off Lake Avenue up into the hills above Altadena Drive. We know what this housing stock hides: galvanized trunk lines with joints that have been pulling apart since long before the Eaton Fire, and flex-duct patches that sag and crush where no one looks. When an Altadena homeowner calls us, they’re not describing a textbook HVAC problem. They’re describing a smell that won’t quit or a bedroom that never heats. We know where to look first in a 1930s bungalow near Farnsworth Park versus a mid-century ranch off Lincoln Avenue, and that local pattern recognition is what gets the repair right the first time.
Every technician who arrives at an Altadena door is background-checked, identity-verified, and sent to you by name and photo before the visit. Marcus Veale, who leads our repair work, makes sure the crew follows the Threshold Standard on every job: photo ID badge shown at the door, marked uniform, and a written price in your hand before a single tool comes out. That matters to homeowners here who are already dealing with enough after the fire. No one should have to wonder who’s under the house.
Our Air Duct Repair work in Altadena carries a written guarantee on every repair. If a covered repair fails within 365 days, we come back at no charge. That’s the 365-Day Done Right Promise, and it’s on paper, every time. Not a slogan. A commitment with our name on it.
Duct Replacement in Altadena
Duct Replacement in Altadena is the job that stops smoke-embedded, crushed, or disconnected runs from circulating air you don’t want in your home. The January 2025 Eaton Fire left thousands of structurally intact homes with ductwork saturated in ash, char, and fire-retardant residue. In many cases, the liner and insulation are beyond any cleaning method, and the only honest fix is pulling the failed sections and installing new material. A typical duct replacement job in Altadena runs $2,800 to $7,400 depending on how much of the system is reachable and how far the damage extends. Homes with original 1930s trunk lines and multiple failed branches fall at the higher end; a single crushed run in a crawlspace with good access sits at the lower end.
Original Systems Replaced Under the House
Many Altadena homes built before 1960 have rigid galvanized ductwork running through crawlspaces that flood in wet years and bake in dry ones. Joints separate. Sections corrode. After the Eaton Fire, we’re finding smoke-charged air entering at those same loose joints and bypassing the filter entirely. Replacement here means cutting out the failed trunk or branch, sizing new galvanized or properly insulated flex to the load, and sealing every connection under negative pressure.
When Cleaning Isn’t Enough
If a camera inspection shows crushed branches, disconnected collars, or insulation that’s soaked through with combustion byproducts, cleaning tools can’t reach the problem. The duct liner itself is holding the odor. Replacing that section is the only way to stop the off-gassing. We show you the camera footage before we quote, so you see exactly what we see.
Ductwork Installation in Altadena
Ductwork Installation in Altadena usually means one of two things: either we’re adding a new run to a room that never got proper supply air, or we’re replacing a system that’s been patched so many times over the decades that building it back makes more sense than repairing it again. A new duct run for a converted garage or added bedroom typically lands between $1,400 and $3,200 in Altadena. A full system install, where every trunk and branch goes in new, runs $5,500 to $12,000. The number depends on access, how many registers you have, and whether we’re working in a tight crawlspace up in The Meadows or a more open attic near Altadena Country Club.
Sealing and Rebuilding What the Fire Exposed
We were called to a 1928 Spanish Colonial Revival on Santa Rosa Avenue where the homeowners couldn’t stop smelling the Eaton Fire every time the air handler kicked on. Camera inspection through the registers showed the original galvanized trunk line had two crushed branches under the foundation and a flex-duct patch that had slipped off a collar, so smoke-charged air from the return was re-entering the supply side before it ever reached the filter. We cut in new collars, sealed the old joints under negative pressure, and replaced the failed flex runs with insulated hard duct. The acrid smell was gone the same afternoon.
Correct Sizing for Foothill Homes
Older Altadena homes weren’t designed for modern HVAC loads. Adding a heat pump or zoning system without correcting the duct sizing means noisy registers, weak airflow, and a system that fights itself. We measure static pressure and airflow before recommending any installation. The fix is built around your house, not a generic template.
Trusted Brands We Service in Altadena
Altadena homes run on a mix of equipment generations, and we work on all of it. We install and repair systems that pair with Honeywell, Aprilaire, and Abatement Technologies components, and our duct fabrication and cleaning tools come from Rotobrush and Nikro. Because we keep common fittings, collars, and sealing materials stocked for the housing stock up here, most repair visits need no second trip for parts. For a 1940s bungalow off Mariposa Street or a 1950s ranch near Loma Alta Drive, that means the work gets done in one visit, with the right material on hand.
Common Air Duct Repair Problems We See in Altadena Homes
- Smoke and ash saturated into duct liner and insulation. The Eaton Fire pushed char and fire-retardant residue deep past the filter into return and supply plenums. Affected liner keeps off-gassing acrid smoke odor months after the fire, and no amount of surface wiping fixes it.
- Original 1920s – 1950s trunk lines pulling loose at the seams. These old galvanized systems were never sealed well, and decades of Santa Ana wind cycles haven’t helped. Air leaks at every joint, and the return side pulls unfiltered crawlspace or attic air straight into your supply flow.
- Sagging and crushed flex-duct patches in crawlspaces. Decades of ad-hoc repairs leave disconnected runs pushing supply air into the framing, not the rooms. We find runs that have slipped off collars entirely, often since before the fire, which is why some rooms never seem to get air.
- Pre-1980s asbestos-wrapped insulation that gets disturbed by careless work. Altadena homes built before 1980 often have duct insulation wrapped in asbestos-containing material. We identify it before any agitation tools, negative pressure, or replacement work goes near it, because disturbing it improperly is a hazard to everyone in the house.
Pricing for Air Duct Repair in Altadena, CA
Straight numbers, because you should know before you call. Small duct repairs in Altadena, things like collar replacements, sealing a single separated joint, or patching one short flex run, usually run $450 to $1,100. Mid-size jobs, including resealing a trunk line under negative pressure or replacing two or three failed flex branches, land between $1,500 and $3,400. Full duct replacement or new ductwork installation prices are covered above. No per-vent pricing, no teaser coupons that balloon once the van arrives. We put one flat price for the work on paper before anything starts. Call (980) 447-2498 for a free estimate and an exact number, not a range.
We Also Serve Cities Near Altadena
Linden Air Duct Cleaning works throughout the San Gabriel foothills and the flats below. Beyond Altadena, we regularly serve homeowners in Pasadena, San Marino, Sierra Madre, and South Pasadena. If you’re on the edge of Altadena or have family nearby, the same Air Duct Repair team and the same written guarantees apply.
Serving Altadena, CA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Altadena area and know this community well. Use the map below to see our service coverage - if you’re nearby, we can almost certainly help.
FAQs About Air Duct Repair in Altadena
Because the smoke and char aren’t sitting on the surface of the duct; they’re embedded in the duct liner and the insulation wrap. Routine duct cleaning uses negative-pressure extraction and agitation tools that remove loose debris, but they can’t pull combustion byproducts out of porous liner material. That liner keeps off-gassing into your supply air every time the blower runs. The fix is replacing the saturated sections, not cleaning them again. Call (980) 447-2498 and we’ll camera-inspect the system to show you exactly what’s holding the odor.
It depends on what the camera shows. In many of these homes, the original galvanized trunk is still structurally sound but leaking badly at the seams. Those joints can be sealed properly under negative pressure, which stops the unfiltered return air from entering your supply side. If the liner is soaked with residue or the branches have crushed, replacing those sections is the honest answer. We’ll show you the footage and quote the repair or replacement separately, so you decide with the evidence in front of you.
First, we identify it. Pre-1980s homes in Altadena frequently have duct insulation wrapped in asbestos-containing material, and it looks nothing like modern fiberglass or foil wrap. We mark those sections, avoid disturbing them with cleaning or repair tools, and coordinate with a licensed asbestos abatement contractor if the material has to be removed for the repair to proceed. We never cut into it blind. If your home was built before 1980, tell us when you call and we’ll plan the inspection accordingly.
No. A HEPA purifier cleans the air that passes through the room it’s sitting in. It does nothing for the smoke residue coating the inside of your duct liner, which is releasing odor into every room touched by the HVAC system. Many Altadena homeowners bought purifiers after the fire and are still smelling it months later. The purifier is a good addition, but if the odor returns whenever the air handler cycles, the source is in the ducts. That’s a repair or replacement job, and no filter on a shelf changes it.
We schedule the visit, and before anyone shows up, you get the technician’s name and photo. At the door, they show a photo ID badge and arrive in a marked uniform. We walk the system with you, check registers, and run a camera through the accessible ductwork. You see what we see. Then you get a written price for the repair work, not an estimate that changes later. If you approve, the work is done that visit when parts allow, tested for airflow, and left with a written 365-day guarantee. Call (980) 447-2498 to set it up.
If you’re in Altadena and your ducts are still holding onto the Eaton Fire months later, or if your rooms simply don’t heat and cool like they should, we’ll find out why and put the fix in writing before we start. Call Linden Air Duct Cleaning at (980) 447-2498. You’ll speak to a person, not a menu.
Written by Marcus Veale, Owner at Linden Air Duct Cleaning, serving Altadena and the San Gabriel foothills since 2004.