Whole-home duct cleaning
Dryer vent cleaning
Camera inspection
Sanitizing & deodorizingWhole-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.
Styles & brands we work with
- Whole-home duct cleaning
- Dryer vent cleaning
- Camera inspection
- Sanitizing & deodorizing
See the difference
Before
After
Before
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Before
AfterHow Much Does Duct Repair & Sealing Cost in Cambridge?
Duct repair and sealing in Cambridge typically costs $450 to $1,900, with most single-family homes falling in the $650 to $1,150 range for sealing and minor repair combined. Small jobs – a disconnected joint, a torn flex run, a handful of leaking seams – can land closer to $300 to $500, while replacing a large section of failed ductwork across a whole heating zone pushes toward the top of the range.
Cambridge’s housing stock makes a difference here. Triple-deckers, converted Victorians, and century-old homes around Mid-Cambridge, Riverside, and Inman Square often have original sheet-metal trunk lines wrapped in failing insulation, plus decades of poorly sealed joints behind finished ceilings. Our technicians have up to 11 years of experience diagnosing that kind of system, and we bring Rotobrush rotary brush equipment and Nikro HEPA-rated vacuums so the ducts are cleaned before any sealing work begins. Cleaner air starts with clean ducts, and ducts that actually seal.
Call (888) 393-0038 for a free written estimate. We answer 24/7. Fast dispatch, 7am-7pm, Sunday through Friday.
Duct Repair & Sealing Cost Breakdown (2026)
Every job is different, but here’s how the line items usually break down in the Cambridge market for 2026. These are typical ranges, and the written estimate you receive sets the final price.
| Work Item | Typical Cambridge Range |
|---|---|
| Whole-house duct sealing (mastic or aerosol), single heating zone | $650 – $1,150 |
| Targeted sealing of accessible joints and seams only | $300 – $500 |
| Reconnecting a single disconnected duct run | $175 – $350 |
| Replacing a torn flex duct section (per run) | $200 – $400 |
| Sheet-metal trunk line repair or section replacement | $450 – $900 |
| Full trunk-and-branch replacement, one heating zone | $1,400 – $1,900 |
| Duct cleaning before sealing (bundled with repair) | $350 – $750 |
| Dryer vent cleaning as a standalone service | $125 – $225 |
What pushes the price up? Length of the run, how accessible the ductwork is, and how much of the system has actually failed versus simply worn out. A sealed and repaired duct system in a Cambridge triple-decker might cost more than the same square footage in a newer build simply because the old system is behind plaster and lath, some of it previously sealed with duct tape that has long since dried out and lost adhesion. That old tape is why the leaks keep coming back.
What brings the price down? Accessibility. Exposed ductwork in a basement or mechanical closet is fast to seal. Ducts buried in walls or above finished ceilings take more time, and that time is the main variable in the estimate.
What Affects Duct Repair & Sealing Pricing in Cambridge
- Access to the ductwork. Unfinished basements and open joist bays in Riverside or Cambridgeport make access straightforward. Ducts concealed in finished ceilings or behind plaster walls in Mid-Cambridge take more time to reach and reseal, which is reflected in the estimate.
- Age and material of the system. Many Cambridge homes still have original galvanized sheet-metal trunk lines, some with failing insulation wrap. Older metal systems can often be repaired; flex duct that has collapsed or torn typically needs replacement rather than sealing.
- Number of heating and cooling zones. A single-zone home is one estimate. A house with two or three zones, common in converted multi-unit buildings, multiplies the scope. Each zone is priced on its own because each has its own trunk, branches, and register boots.
- Whether cleaning is needed first. Sealing over dirty ducts traps debris against the mastic and makes a poor bond. We typically clean with Rotobrush before sealing, and that’s built into the estimate as a separate line so you can see exactly what you’re paying for.
- How much ducting is compromised. A single disconnected joint in a closet is a quick fix. A trunk line that has separated at multiple fittings and has rusted through in a damp basement is a larger job. The technician’s inspection determines where your system falls.
- Containment requirements. Jobs that require certified air filtration and containment, such as work in homes with known mold or post-remediation settings, call for Abatement Technologies equipment on site. That adds to the cost but keeps the work clean and contained.
Cambridge’s climate matters too. Winters here mean the heating system runs hard for months, and every leaky joint in the ductwork is money going up the chimney. Cold snaps put more demand on the system, and poorly sealed ducts lose heat from the furnace to the rooms that need it most. Sealing is largely about getting the warm air you’re already paying for into the right rooms.
How to Save on Duct Repair & Sealing
Sealing isn’t the place to cut corners, but there are legitimate ways to keep the cost down without compromising the work.
- Get the cleaning and repair bundled. When we clean and seal in one visit, you’re not paying two setup costs. It’s one appointment, one containment setup, one trip. Ask for a combined estimate when you call.
- Combine the dryer vent service. Dryer vent cleaning is offered as a standalone service, but if we’re already on site cleaning and sealing the HVAC ducts, adding the dryer vent is efficient. It’s also a documented residential fire risk worth addressing – not an upsell.
- Address leaks early. Small leaks grow. A joint that’s separating now can fully disconnect by next heating season, and a full run replacement costs more than sealing the seams before they fail.
- Ask for the written estimate and review the line items. The estimate should show cleaning, sealing, and any repair separately. You should be able to see exactly where the money goes and decide what to prioritize.
- Fix the duct system before upgrading air quality equipment. If you’re considering a Honeywell or Aprilaire filter or humidity control system, seal the ducts first. Air quality hardware works better on a tight system than on a leaky one, and you won’t want to pay for installation twice.
Call (888) 393-0038 for a free estimate. We work with Honeywell and Aprilaire systems and can talk through long-term air quality options once the ductwork is sound.
FAQs – Duct Repair & Sealing Cost
How much does duct repair cost in Cambridge?
Most duct repair in Cambridge runs $175 to $900, depending on whether it’s a single reconnected joint or a sheet-metal trunk line replacement. Whole-zone replacement pushes higher, to $1,400 to $1,900. The written estimate sets the final price. Call (888) 393-0038 for a free quote.
Is duct sealing worth the cost?
For most Cambridge homes with older ductwork, yes. Leaky ducts lose heated air before it reaches the rooms, and in a city with this much century-old housing stock, that loss is often significant. Sealing brings measurable improvement in how evenly the house heats. It’s not a guarantee of a specific savings figure, but a tight system is how a furnace delivers the air you’re already paying for.
Can you repair ducts and clean them in the same visit?
Yes, and we usually recommend it. We clean with Rotobrush rotary brush equipment and a Nikro HEPA-rated vacuum, then inspect for damage, then seal or repair what we find. Doing both in one visit means one setup and one trip, and the mastic bonds to clean metal instead of dirty metal. Call (888) 393-0038 to schedule a combined estimate.
How do I know if my ducts need sealing or replacing?
A technician inspection is the only reliable way to tell. As a general rule: flex duct that’s torn, collapsed, or crushed usually needs replacement, while sheet-metal duct with loose joints or failing seams can be sealed. We look at accessibility, material condition, and how many sections have failed before recommending one path over the other. Estimates are free.
Does a dryer vent cleaning cost extra?
Dryer vent cleaning is a separate service priced at $125 to $225. It’s not part of HVAC duct sealing, but if you’re already scheduling duct work, ask for it in the same estimate and we can usually handle both in one visit. It’s a straightforward safety service worth doing on its own schedule. Call (888) 393-0038 to book.
Why the Right Equipment Matters for the Price You Pay
The cost of duct repair and sealing isn’t just labor and materials. It’s also the equipment on site. We run Rotobrush rotary brush systems, Nikro HEPA-rated vacuums, and Abatement Technologies air-filtration units for jobs that require containment. These are the same professional-grade systems used in remediation work, not consumer vacuums. When you’re quoted a price, you’re paying for a job done with proper equipment and containment, plus a technician who can diagnose the problem rather than just seal over it. We clean it, and if it’s broken, we fix it.
Full-system service under one contact means you’re not coordinating a cleaning company and a separate repair contractor. Air duct cleaning, air duct repair, and dryer vent cleaning all come from the same team, so a compromised duct found during cleaning is fixed on the same visit rather than becoming a second appointment. That saves time and money.
If you’re researching the wider service area or want a full picture of what we do, start with duct cleaning Cambridge to see how cleaning, repair, and dryer vent service fit together. And if you’re weighing whether to repair or move forward with a full replacement, call us to talk through the options before you commit.
Call (888) 393-0038 for a free written estimate on duct repair and sealing in Cambridge. We answer 24/7. Fast dispatch, 7am-7pm, Sunday through Friday.
Pricing reflects the Cambridge market as of 2026. Duct Cleaning Cambridge offers free estimates – call (888) 393-0038.
Written by the team at Duct Cleaning Cambridge.
What Our Customers Say
"My wife's allergies had been bad in this house since we moved in. It's been two months since they did the ducts and it's noticeably better. Not a miracle, but real."
- Matt Novak"Ran a negative air machine on the whole system rather than the shop vac on a stick that the cheap outfit down the road uses. Showed me the before and after photos from inside the trunk line and it was genuinely disgusting."
- Adam Doyle"Found a disconnected run in the crawlspace while they were in there and told me about it rather than cleaning around it."
- Bethany Schaefer