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.
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AfterFast, Reliable Duct Repair & Sealing Across Arlington
Most duct repair and sealing jobs in Arlington run $340-$890 for a full system, with single-register leak repairs starting around $180. We dispatch crews to Arlington from our Washington, DC office, and we schedule most Arlington homeowners within three to five business days. Call (571) 520-6317 for a written estimate before any work starts.
Arlington’s housing stock splits into two worlds that rarely overlap: the Rosslyn-Ballston Metro corridor, where high-rise and mixed-use buildings run centralized HVAC through building-managed risers, and the postwar neighborhoods west of Glebe Road, where 1950s ramblers still carry original galvanized sheet-metal trunks through crawl spaces. Our Duct Repair & Sealing team handles both, but the tools, access methods, and pricing are entirely different. Knowing which Arlington you live in determines what we bring to the job.
Why CleanRun Air Duct Cleaning Herndon Is Arlington’s Preferred Duct Repair & Sealing Company
We’ve worked Arlington since 2013. That’s 52,000+ homes across the metro area, every one with a written price delivered before a panel came off and a Documented Photo Record delivered after. Arlington homeowners specifically account for a significant share of our annual work, split roughly evenly between Metro-corridor condos and the older detached neighborhoods.
Our reviews from Arlington customers consistently cite two things: the photo record showing what was actually found, and the written price that didn’t change. We’re not guessing at your duct condition. We run a camera first.
Scheduling to Arlington is straightforward. Our DC office coordinates dispatch, and most Arlington addresses fall within our standard service radius. Crews are background-checked, uniformed, and identified by name before arrival - Haven Standard Clause 3: Verified Crews.
The local knowledge matters. A technician who treats a Bluemont crawl space like a McLean new build will miss the failed cloth-backed tape entirely. We train for Arlington’s specific housing eras.
Our Duct Repair & Sealing Services in Arlington
Duct Sealing
Arlington’s older homes lose 20-30% of conditioned air through leaks before it reaches the registers. In Westover and Lyon Park, we regularly find supply trunks pulling crawl-space air through gaps you can’t see from the living room. Our sealing process starts with a pressure-pan test to locate leaks, then mastic-seals accessible seams and registers. For Arlington’s high-rise units along Wilson Boulevard, sealing scope must be coordinated with building management first - we handle the COI and engineer communication as part of the job.
Mastic Sealant Application
Standard duct tape fails. In Arlington’s humidity, it fails faster. We use water-based mastic sealant, brushed or sprayed onto seams and joints, that remains flexible and airtight for the life of the duct. On 1950s galvanized trunks in Bluemont and Penrose, mastic is the only ethical repair - cloth-backed tape was never designed for this application, and its complete failure is why your registers blow grit. Haven Standard Clause 1: written price before work starts, including mastic labor and material.
Air Leak Repair
Leak repair in Arlington means different access challenges depending on your building type. In a Ballston high-rise, we’re working within your unit’s duct drops and PTAC connections, scheduling around freight elevator windows. In a Lyon Park rambler, we’re in the crawl space with a headlamp, finding transverse seams that have been open since the Johnson administration. Both get photographed before and after. Both get a written scope.
Flex Duct Repair
Flex duct, common in Arlington additions and basement finish-outs from the 1980s onward, collapses, kinks, or separates at collars. We replace damaged runs with new insulated flex, properly supported and sealed. In Arlington’s humid crawl spaces, unsupported flex sags and collects condensation - we see this in Fairlington and Shirlington townhomes where basement conversions added runs that weren’t properly strapped.
Metal Duct Repair
Original galvanized trunks in Arlington’s postwar stock don’t fail catastrophically. They corrode at joints, separate at seams, and leak steadily for decades. We repair with metal patches, mastic, and mechanical fasteners where the trunk remains structurally sound. When corrosion is too advanced, we section in new galvanized or switch to lined duct board. The camera shows the difference - we photograph the corrosion depth before quoting replacement.
Duct Insulation
Uninsulated metal trunks in Arlington crawl spaces sweat all summer. That condensation re-wets dust and debris, supports mold growth, and undoes cleaning work within months. We wrap accessible trunks with formaldehyde-free fiberglass insulation, sealed with vapor-barrier jacketing. In Arlington’s climate, insulation and sealing are often the same conversation - one without the other is incomplete.
What happens when you call
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A real person answersNo phone trees - you reach a local pro.
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You get an upfront price rangeHonest numbers before anyone is dispatched.
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A background-checked tech heads outLicensed & insured, dispatched right away.
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You approve before work beginsNothing starts until you say go.
BeforeAfterTrusted Brands We Service in Arlington
Our equipment roster includes Rotobrush rotary brush systems for source removal in residential duct runs, Nikro negative-air machines for containment during repair work, and Honeywell media filters and whole-house air cleaners we install when sealing reveals the system can’t maintain pressure with standard filtration. We stock common Arlington repair materials - mastic, foil tape, mechanical fasteners, insulated flex in standard diameters - so most jobs don’t wait on parts. For high-rise PTAC and riser work, we coordinate with building engineers who often specify Guardsman or equivalent fire-rated access panels; we carry these for Arlington’s newer code-compliant buildings.
Common Duct Repair & Sealing Problems We See in Arlington Homes
- Failed cloth-backed tape on 1950s galvanized trunks. In Bluemont and Penrose crawl spaces, the original tape has dried and separated completely. The system pulls damp crawl-space air, mold spores, and whatever pests reside below straight into supply ducts. Cleaning without mastic re-sealing is wasted money - we see this several times a month.
- Condensation damage in uninsulated crawl-space runs. Arlington’s humid summers, intensified by the Potomac lowlands, produce heavy sweating on metal trunks. Dust-laden interior surfaces stay wet for weeks, supporting microbial growth that cleaning alone won’t stop. Insulation and sealing together solve it.
- High-rise scheduling bottlenecks. Rosslyn-Ballston corridor buildings require COIs, engineer coordination, and freight elevator windows. Jobs stall when the duct company doesn’t understand this workflow. We handle the building communication as standard practice.
- Shared dryer-vent stack contamination. Arlington’s older apartment buildings and some townhome clusters run dryer exhaust through common vertical stacks. Lint accumulation restricts airflow, backs moisture into adjacent ductwork, and creates fire risk. We clean and seal these stacks where building management approves access.
Pricing for Duct Repair & Sealing in Arlington, VA
Single-register air leak repair in Arlington: $180-$280. Partial system mastic sealing (typical 1950s rambler, crawl-space accessible): $450-$680. Full system sealing with insulation wrap on accessible trunks: $720-$1,200. High-rise PTAC or unit-specific sealing, including COI coordination: $340-$890 depending on building requirements and access complexity.
What moves the price: accessibility (crawl space vs. finished basement vs. high-rise freight elevator), extent of tape failure or corrosion, whether insulation is included, and whether we find disconnected runs that need reconnection or replacement. Every scope is photographed, every price is written before work starts, and every job includes the Documented Photo Record as a standard deliverable.
We also provide free second opinions on any written competitor estimate. Bring the quote; we’ll put our number next to it in writing.
We Also Serve Cities Near Arlington
Our crews work Arlington regularly and also serve Falls Church, Alexandria, Springfield, and Fairfax. Each jurisdiction has different housing stock and access realities - Falls Church’s 1940s bungalows share Arlington’s postwar duct problems, while Fairfax’s newer subdivisions present different failure modes entirely.
Serving Arlington, VA - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Arlington 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 - Duct Repair & Sealing in Arlington
It depends on your building’s HVAC design. Most high-rises in the corridor run centralized systems with building-managed risers; your unit may only have duct drops or PTAC connections that fall under your responsibility. We coordinate with your building engineer to define the scope, handle the COI, and schedule around freight access. Call (571) 520-6317 and we’ll review your building’s specifics before quoting.
The cleaning removed interior debris but left the leaks that pull damp crawl-space air continuously. Original cloth-backed tape on galvanized trunks fails completely after 60+ years in Arlington’s humidity. Until the seams are mastic-sealed, the system re-contaminates itself. We see this exact pattern on N. Lexington St and similar Bluemont streets - sealing first, then cleaning, is the only order that lasts.
Yes, and building management must approve access. Shared stacks accumulate lint that restricts airflow, backs moisture into adjacent spaces, and creates fire risk. We inspect and clean these where permitted, and we seal stack joints that have separated. The work is documented with the same photo record as duct jobs. Coordinate with your building engineer first - we handle the technical conversation.
In most Rosslyn-Ballston high-rises, the unit owner is responsible for duct drops from the riser to registers, plus PTAC connections if present. The building owns and maintains risers and central equipment. We inspect with a camera to locate leaks; if they’re in your drops, we seal them. If they’re in the riser, we document and refer you to building management with specific findings. Call (571) 520-6317 for unit-scope inspection.
Arlington’s oak, cherry, and elm canopy produces intense pollen loads that enter leaky systems through crawl-space and attic gaps, not just return grilles. Sealed ducts filter air through your HVAC’s designed path; leaky ducts pull unfiltered outdoor and crawl-space air directly into supply. For allergy-sensitive households in Lyon Park, Westover, and Bluemont, the difference is measurable in symptom reduction and filter loading. The camera shows the entry points - we photograph them.
Written by Tomas Reyes, Owner at CleanRun Duct Repair & Cleaning, serving Arlington since 2013.