What to know
Is sealing the same as cleaning?
No. Cleaning removes what has accumulated inside the ducts. Sealing closes the places where air is escaping out of them. A system can need one, both, or neither.
They also produce different symptoms. Accumulation shows up as gradual, even decline. Leakage shows up as particular rooms falling behind while others are fine.
How do I know which one I need?
Usually you cannot tell from inside the room, which is the honest answer. Both produce weak airflow and rooms that will not hold temperature.
What separates them is what the ductwork actually looks like, and that means somebody getting eyes on the accessible runs.
Do you have to open up walls?
Not usually. Most of what matters is reachable from an attic, a crawl space, a basement or at the register boots. Where a run is genuinely inaccessible, that is part of what an assessment establishes, and you should know it before committing to anything.
How disruptive is it?
You will have people in the house and in the attic or crawl space, and there will be equipment. We cover floors, work around furniture, and put registers back where they belong.
Timing depends entirely on the size and layout of the system, which is another thing better answered after looking than before.
Will it fix my cold bedroom?
Sometimes. If that room is at the end of a leaky run, sealing can make a real difference. If the run is crushed, disconnected, or the room was never served properly to begin with, sealing is not the answer and we would rather tell you that.
What does it cost?
It depends on the size of the system, how much of it is reachable, and what condition the connections are in. Anybody giving you a figure before seeing your ductwork is quoting a price list rather than your house.
How to find out where you stand
Sealing is not a service anybody should buy from a website. It depends on how your ducts were built, what condition they are in now, and whether the runs that matter are reachable — none of which can be judged from a page.
So the next step is a look. Ours is free, we will show you what we find, and if your ductwork is sound and simply needs cleaning, that is what we will tell you.