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 Chicago
Duct repair and sealing in Chicago typically runs $450-$1,200 for most residential jobs, with full-system sealing in a bungalow or two-flat landing toward the higher end when asbestos assessment is needed first. We dispatch crews from our Chicago office and carry the equipment to handle everything from crushed flex runs in Portage Park bungalows to multi-system sealing in Lincoln Park greystones. Call (224) 344-8881 for a written estimate before any work starts.
Our Duct Repair & Sealing team has been inside enough Chicago ductwork to know the difference between a system that needs cleaning and one that needs actual repair. In this city, it’s often the latter.
Why CleanRun Air Duct Cleaning Elk Grove Village Is Chicago’s Preferred Duct Repair & Sealing Company
We are independently owned and operated under the Haven Standard, and we’ve served more than 52,000 homes since 2013. Every one of those jobs started with a written price and ended with a Documented Photo Record. That practice hasn’t changed.
Chicago homeowners research before they call. We built our process around that. Haven Standard Clause 1 requires a written price before any work starts, every time, with no “call for a quote” exceptions. When you schedule with us, the technician arrives with a scope and a number already in hand, not a blank invoice.
Our crews are background-checked, uniformed, and identified by name before arrival, per Haven Standard Clause 3: Verified Crews. The license number is published on this page, not buried in a footer where no one checks it. All calls are answered by a live person, 24/7.
The 365-Day Done Right Promise backs every job in writing. If the work isn’t right, we make it right. That’s a deliverable, not a slogan.
Our Duct Repair & Sealing Services in Chicago
Duct Sealing
Most Chicago homes we inspect leak 20-30% of conditioned air before it reaches the registers. In a bungalow with original gravity-furnace trunk lines converted to forced air, the problem is worse. Those oversized round ducts were never designed for the static pressure of a modern blower. Sealing with mastic and metal-backed tape, applied at every joint and seam, restores pressure and cuts the load on your furnace through a Chicago winter that runs October through April. Typical sealing in a Chicago single-family runs $650-$950.
Metal Duct Repair
Chicago’s two-flats and three-flats stack separate HVAC systems floor by floor. A rusted or separated metal trunk in the basement feeds the first-floor unit; a crushed branch in the attic starves the third. We cut out damaged sections and replace with galvanized metal, sealed at every joint. On metal jobs, we use Nikro and Abatement Technologies equipment for negative-pressure extraction (a contained vacuum system that pulls debris out without releasing it into your living space). Metal duct repair in Chicago typically ranges $400-$800 per run.
Flex Duct Repair
Postwar contractors retrofitting Chicago bungalows often used flex duct for branch runs because it was faster. Sixty years later, those flex lines are crushed by settling, chewed by rodents, or disconnected at the register boot. We replace with properly sized flex or convert to hard pipe where space allows. A flex replacement in a typical Chicago basement or attic runs $350-$600 per run.
Mastic Sealant Application
Metal tape fails. Mastic, a thick brush-applied sealant, doesn’t. In Chicago’s high-cycling heating systems, the expansion and contraction of metal ducts works tape loose within seasons. Mastic remains flexible and airtight. We apply it at every joint, seam, and register boot. Mastic application as a standalone service runs $450-$700 for a typical Chicago home, or it’s included in our full-system sealing scope.
Duct Insulation
Uninsulated or degraded ductwork in a Chicago attic or crawlspace loses heat before it reaches the room. We install foil-faced fiberglass insulation rated for the temperature swings this climate delivers. Insulation work in Chicago typically adds $300-$550 to a sealing job.
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 Chicago
We carry parts and use equipment from Honeywell, Aprilaire, and Abatement Technologies on Chicago jobs. Honeywell zone dampers and Aprilaire media air cleaners integrate directly with the ductwork we repair. Abatement Technologies HEPA filtration runs on our negative-pressure machines during every job. We stock common fittings locally, so most Chicago repairs don’t wait on shipping.
Common Duct Repair & Sealing Problems We See in Chicago Homes
- Postwar furnace-conversion retrofits with reused gravity-furnace trunk lines. Those massive round ducts create low-velocity dead zones where debris never moves. Sealing alone won’t fix airflow; the trunk often needs sectional replacement or proper balancing dampers.
- Asbestos-wrapped plenum boxes and trunk lines on northwest-side bungalow jobs. When our crew pulls back insulation and finds chrysotile wrap from a 1920s installation, work stops until an asbestos assessment is completed. This is standard practice in Chicago and essentially unknown in newer Sun Belt markets.
- Crushed or disconnected flex branch runs in retrofit systems. The camera shows a 3-inch debris build-up at the first elbow because the flex was kinked during installation and never carried proper airflow.
- Multi-system complexity in two-flats and three-flats. A single property may have three separate furnaces with three separate return and supply networks. Sealing only the visible ducts in the basement unit leaves the second and third floors leaking.
Pricing for Duct Repair & Sealing in Chicago, IL
We publish ranges because Haven Standard Clause 1 requires a written price before work starts. Here is what duct repair and sealing costs in Chicago:
| Service | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Duct sealing (single-family, full system) | $650-$950 |
| Metal duct repair (per run) | $400-$800 |
| Flex duct replacement (per run) | $350-$600 |
| Mastic sealant application (standalone) | $450-$700 |
| Duct insulation (add-on) | $300-$550 |
| Asbestos assessment (when needed) | $350-$600 |
Factors that move the number: the age and material of existing ductwork, accessibility (crawlspace vs. full basement), whether asbestos wrap is present, and the number of separate systems in multi-unit buildings. Two-flats and three-flats multiply scope. We deliver one flat price per system, agreed in writing before any panel comes off. No per-vent pricing. No coupon that balloons once the truck is on your drive.
Call (224) 344-8881 for an exact quote. Estimates are free.
We Also Serve Cities Near Chicago
Our crews work throughout the metro area. We regularly schedule Duct Repair & Sealing in Chicago and in Skokie, Glenview, Des Plaines, and Lombard. Dispatch and scheduling are coordinated from our Chicago office.
Serving Chicago, IL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Chicago 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 Chicago
The postwar conversion of gravity “octopus” furnaces to forced air reused oversized, irregular trunk lines that create low-velocity dead zones where debris accumulates and airflow never reaches design volume. Cleaning those lines removes buildup but doesn’t fix the underlying pressure or geometry problem. We camera-inspect first, then recommend repair or replacement where the ductwork itself is the failure. Call (224) 344-8881 for a written scope and price.
Work stops immediately. We arrange a licensed asbestos assessment before the HEPA vacuum comes off the truck. This is required by Illinois law and is standard practice on northwest-side Chicago bungalows built between 1920 and 1940. The assessment typically adds $350-$600 and a few days to the timeline. After abatement clearance, we resume with camera inspection and repair scope. We document the condition with photos before touching anything.
Yes, and we scope each system separately. A typical Chicago two-flat has two complete furnaces with independent returns and supplies; a three-flat has three. We deliver one flat price per system, with a Documented Photo Record for each. Sealing only the basement unit and ignoring the stacked systems is incomplete work, and we don’t do incomplete work.
Lake Michigan drives high summer humidity into older, poorly sealed duct systems. By September, we’ve found active mold colonization in supply plenums that sat damp all season. Sealing before heating season starts prevents that moist air from circulating through the house once the furnace cycles at high intensity from October through April. Post-summer inspection and sealing is genuinely warranted here in ways it isn’t in drier climates.
Always. The camera shows what we can’t see from the register: crushed flex at the first elbow, separated metal seams behind finished basement ceilings, debris build-up indicating a low-velocity zone. On a Portage Park bungalow job, our tech pulled back insulation on a plenum box and found the original 1920s chrysotile asbestos wrap, so we stopped before the HEPA vacuum came off the truck and arranged an asbestos assessment; after abatement, we camera-inspected the reused octopus trunk and found two crushed flex branch runs feeding the upstairs registers. We replaced the crushed sections with sealed metal duct, applied mastic at every joint, and restored proper supply and return balance. The customer received before-and-after photos of every run.
Ready to see what’s actually inside your ductwork? Call (224) 344-8881. We’ll deliver a written price before any work starts, a Documented Photo Record when we’re done, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing.
Written by Tomas Reyes, Owner at CleanRun Duct Repair & Cleaning, serving Chicago since 2013.