← Duct cleaning bid calculator
Independent HVAC and duct-cleaning shops get shopped on a published $99 whole-house special. That price cannot see the job. One furnace and ten vents on a ranch is not the same work as a two-system colonial with extra returns, a crawl, and a coil clean. Matching the coupon is how a sold colonial becomes a loss after the first extra air handler.
A typical advertised special includes one system, about ten supply vents, one return, and one story. Everything past that is extra labor: another air handler, more boots, a second story of ladder time, crawl or tight-attic access, moving furniture in an occupied house, pulling an evaporator coil, fogging sanitizer, or fighting pet hair. Those lines do not scale with “whole house.”
The free duct cleaning bid calculator starts from that included ranch, then bills extra systems, extra vents, extra returns, extra stories, crawl access, occupancy, coil clean, sanitizer, and heavy debris as their own hours. You get the bid, the price per vent, and the walk-away number below which the job makes nothing.
On a one-system, ten-vent, one-story ranch with no coil and no crawl, a shop that loads a $32 wage at 28% burden, adds a filter and truck time, then keeps 28% margin lands near $323, with a walk-away around $233. A $99 coupon is already underwater on that ranch. A $299 “after-coupon” price still covers the ranch. The same $299 on a two-system, 18-vent colonial with crawl, occupancy, coil, and sanitizer is below walk-away — that house prices near $800.
Those figures are ballpark starting points from editable hours, not a recommended price. Replace every rate with a takeoff from your own crew.
This is not HVAC maintenance (filters and tune-ups), dryer-vent cleaning, restaurant hood / NFPA-96 work, a chimney sweep, or a mini-split install. It is not a NADCA certification, an indoor-air-quality test, a mold finding, a warranty, or legal, tax, or financial advice. Confirm system count, vent count, access, and every number before you send a bid.
No warranty. This page and the calculator are free and as-is. You are responsible for reviewing and verifying the output before relying on it.
Charge from the systems, the supply vents, the stories, and the extras — not from a published $99 whole-house special. A one-system ranch with ten vents and no coil clean is a different job from a two-system colonial with extra returns, crawl access, and an evaporator-coil clean. Price each of those lines, then add loaded labor, filters, truck time, overhead, and the margin you intend to keep.
The coupon is written for one furnace and a handful of vents on a ranch. Extra air handlers, extra vents, a second story, crawl or tight-attic access, an occupied home, a coil clean, sanitizer, and heavy pet hair do not come with that price. Matching the coupon on a two-system house is how a sold job becomes a loss after the first extra system.
No. The numbers are arithmetic on the shop's own hours and costs. They are not a NADCA certification, a mold finding, an indoor-air-quality test, a warranty, or a recommended price.