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
After
Before
AfterHow Much Does Duct Repair & Sealing Cost in Columbia?
Duct repair and sealing in Columbia typically runs $250 to $900 for most homes, with a single leaky joint sealed at the low end and a full run of failing ducts repaired at the high end. Sealing work alone often lands between $180 and $450, while reconnecting or replacing damaged flex and sheet metal sections pushes the total toward $600 to $900. We look at the whole pathway, give you a written number, and that estimate is the price you pay.
Air that never reaches the register is money you already spent. In a city where summer humidity sits heavy in the air and attic ducts run hot from May through September, a loose joint or a crushed section leaks conditioned air before it ever reaches a bedroom or a kitchen. Repair and sealing close those gaps so the system you own stops working against you. Whether you’re in a 1950s bungalow off Devine Street or a newer build out in Blythewood, the diagnosis comes first and the price follows.
Duct Repair & Sealing Cost Breakdown (2026)
Here’s what the work generally costs across the Columbia market. These are typical ranges, not quotes; every home is different, and your written estimate sets the final price.
| Work item | Typical range | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Full system duct cleaning | $350 – $750 | Rotobrush contact cleaning and Nikro negative-pressure setup across supply and return |
| Sealing a handful of accessible joints | $180 – $300 | Tightening loose connections at registers and trunk line junctures |
| Targeted air duct repair (single section) | $250 – $450 | Reconnecting or patching one damaged flex or sheet metal run |
| Multiple section repair | $450 – $700 | Several failing runs, crushed sections, or disconnected joints |
| Full duct repair & sealing package | $600 – $900 | Repair plus sealing across a full pathway, cleaned and verified |
| Dryer vent cleaning (standalone) | $120 – $250 | Dedicated vent clearing and inspection of lint buildup |
The biggest driver of price is access. Ducts running through an open attic or crawlspace are easier to reach than runs buried above a finished ceiling. The number of leaks matters too: a single joint versus a dozen across an older Columbia home changes the labor. Material choice plays a role, since flex duct is faster to replace than rigid sheet metal that has to be cut and fit. And the size of the system itself, from a compact unit in a downtown condo to a larger setup in a Lexington County house, moves the total. We clean it and we fix it, so the estimate covers both when both are needed.
What Affects Duct Repair & Sealing Pricing in Columbia
- Home age and duct material. Columbia has a wide spread of housing stock. Older homes near the University of South Carolina campus often carry original sheet metal with joints that have loosened over time, while homes built in the last few decades in neighborhoods like Forest Acres tend toward flex duct that can crush or tear. Both need repair, but the method and time differ.
- Attic heat and humidity. Central South Carolina summers push attic temperatures high, and that heat puts real stress on duct connections and sealant. Ducts that run through a hot attic are more likely to have pulled-apart joints, and sealing them properly means using material rated for the heat.
- Number of leaks and their location. One accessible joint is quick work; leaks buried behind drywall or in tight chase spaces take longer and cost more. We map the system before quoting so nothing surprises you.
- Scope: cleaning alone versus cleaning plus repair. Dirty ducts and damaged ducts are different problems. Where most companies stop at the vacuum, we handle both under one estimate. A system that’s leaking and dirty costs more to restore than one that’s only dirty.
- Return-side complexity. The return pathway is often tighter and harder to access than the supply side, and a damaged return can pull air from crawlspaces or garages. Fixing that takes more time and materials.
- Whether the dryer vent is included. Dryer vent cleaning is a distinct service, and it’s a genuine safety matter, not a tack-on. If you want the full indoor air pathway serviced in one visit, that adds to the estimate but keeps one call covering both.
Why We Use Rotobrush and Nikro for Every Repair Job
The equipment matters as much as the estimate. A cheap vacuum and a coupon won’t tell you where the leaks are or whether a repair held. We run Rotobrush contact-cleaning systems and Nikro negative-pressure equipment, the same professional-grade tools found in commercial and restoration work. That setup lets us clean the interior of the pathway and confirm the repair actually sealed before we call the job done.
We also work within the ecosystems of leading air-quality brands. Being familiar with Honeywell and Aprilaire systems means we understand what the ductwork feeds and how it should perform, and our familiarity with Abatement Technologies and Guardsman filtration signals a source-removal approach rather than surface cleaning. Cleaning what those systems depend on is part of the job. If you want to see the full picture of what we do, start with Hartwell Air Duct Cleaning, then look at our Columbia service page for the local detail.
How to Save on Duct Repair & Sealing
A lower total usually comes from catching problems before they spread. Here’s where the savings live:
- Fix the leak, don’t just clean around it. Cleaning a leaking system leaves the leak in place, and you’ll pay for the same conditioned air to escape again. Sealing at the same visit costs less than two separate jobs.
- Bundle cleaning and repair in one estimate. When duct cleaning and air duct repair happen together, you pay one mobilization and one written estimate instead of two. One call covers it.
- Address small joint failures early. A single loose connection is a $180 to $300 fix. Left alone, that same joint lets moisture and heat work on the surrounding ductwork until multiple sections need replacing.
- Ask for the written estimate before any work starts. The estimate is free, and the price it states is the price we hold to. No surprises once a technician is in your attic.
- Keep the dryer vent on the same visit. Dryer vent cleaning is a fire-risk and efficiency service on its own, and folding it into a duct visit means fewer appointments across the year.
If you’re not sure whether your ducts need repair or just cleaning, the free estimate settles it. Call (866) 942-9804 and we’ll walk you through what we find and what it costs.
What Happens When You Call
You call, we answer, and we book a time that works. A technician arrives during fast dispatch from 7am to 7pm, Sunday through Friday, and inspects the pathway from the register back to the equipment. You get a written estimate that separates cleaning, repair, and sealing so you can see exactly where the money goes. If a job needs structural fixes, we do them in-house. You aren’t coordinating a second contractor. That’s the whole point: the company that cleans your ducts is the company that fixes them.
Our technicians have up to 11 years of experience, and they’ve seen the variants of duct failure that show up across Columbia neighborhoods from Rosewood to Irmo. We answer 24/7. Fast dispatch from 7am to 7pm, Sunday through Friday. Same-day service is available when the schedule allows.
FAQs – Duct Repair & Sealing Cost
How much does duct repair and sealing cost in Columbia?
Duct repair and sealing in Columbia typically costs $250 to $900 depending on how many sections fail and how hard they are to reach. Sealing a few joints runs $180 to $300, while a full repair-and-seal package lands near $600 to $900. Call (866) 942-9804 for an exact quote. Estimates are free.
Is it cheaper to repair ducts or replace them?
For most homes, repairing and sealing the existing pathway costs far less than a full replacement, often under $900 versus a replacement that runs into the thousands. Replacement makes sense only when the ductwork is broadly failing beyond repair. We’ll tell you honestly which applies to your home based on the inspection.
How much does a single leaky duct cost to fix in Columbia?
Sealing or reconnecting one accessible joint typically runs $180 to $300. Multiple sections cost more, but each additional run adds less than the first since the visit and setup are already there. Call (866) 942-9804 to get the number for your system.
Can you come today?
Same-day service is possible when the schedule allows, and we dispatch from 7am to 7pm, Sunday through Friday. We’re closed Saturday, so a call that lands during our closed day gets booked into the next opening. Call (866) 942-9804 and we’ll find you a slot.
Does duct sealing really lower my energy bill?
Sealing closed leaks keeps conditioned air in the pathway, and in a hot, humid climate like Columbia’s that air otherwise escapes into the attic before it reaches your rooms. The exact savings depend on how much leakage you had to begin with. The repair price is fixed per job by the written estimate, so you know the cost before we start.
Why Columbia Homeowners Choose Hartwell for Duct Repair
Plenty of companies will clean a duct and leave. We clean, we repair, and we seal, using Rotobrush and Nikro equipment and working within the systems that leading air-quality brands like Honeywell and Aprilaire depend on. Your ducts, your dryer vent, your air, fully serviced. Three services, done completely, by technicians who know how a pathway should perform in a South Carolina summer.
Pricing is per job by the written estimate, the estimate is free, and same-day service is available when the schedule allows. Call (866) 942-9804 for a free estimate. We answer 24/7. Fast dispatch from 7am to 7pm, Sunday through Friday.
Pricing reflects the Columbia market as of 2026. Hartwell Air Duct Cleaning offers free estimates – call (866) 942-9804.
Written by the team at Hartwell Air Duct Cleaning.
What Our Customers Say
"They photographed every return and supply before starting and sent me the file afterward. No upsell to a sanitizing treatment I didn't need."
- Shanice Boyd"Found a disconnected run in the crawlspace while they were in there and told me about it rather than cleaning around it."
- Ebony Hampton"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."
- Rashad Bryant