Full System Cleaning in San Antonio, TX

Every visit starts with

Whole-system duct and dryer vent check with before-and-after photos - you see exactly what came out of your vents

Worth knowing

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

‹

›

Before & after – our own jobs

‹

BeforeAfter

BeforeAfter

BeforeAfter

›

Full System Cleaning in San Antonio, TX

Full system cleaning is a complete cleaning of every component your HVAC air distribution system touches – supply ducts, return ducts, the main plenum (the central box that distributes conditioned air to every branch line), registers, grilles, and the air handler cabinet itself. A full system cleaning in San Antonio typically runs $350 to $650 for a standard single-story home, completed in a single visit. If your home has never been cleaned, if you’ve recently renovated, or if the last company that came through used a shop vac and called it done, this is the service that actually addresses the whole system.

CleanRun Duct Repair & Cleaning has documented the inside of San Antonio ductwork since 2013 – over 52,000 homes served, every one of them quoted with a written price before a single panel came off. You can read more about how we approach the full category on our Air Duct Cleaning in San Antonio page, but this page covers the specific process, pricing, and documentation that goes into a full system clean. To get a written price on your home, call us at (726) 600-7155 – a live person will answer.

When You Need Full System Cleaning

A single-register cleaning or a partial duct vacuuming leaves debris in the rest of the Residential Duct Cleaning system. It will migrate back. Full system cleaning makes sense in these situations:

• The home is five or more years past its last documented cleaning. San Antonio’s climate means your HVAC runs hard from April through October. That translates to a lot of air – and whatever’s in it – cycling through the ductwork every single day. Debris accumulates faster here than in cities where systems sit idle for months.
• You’ve completed a renovation or remodel. Drywall dust, insulation fibers, and construction particulates settle into duct runs during any renovation, even when the registers are taped off. The camera we put in after a kitchen remodel in Alamo Heights showed a quarter-inch of fine grit coating the supply trunk line – grit that would have circulated through the home every time the system ran.
• The system has visible mold, a persistent musty odor, or standing moisture history. San Antonio’s humidity creates conditions where any organic debris in a duct run can support mold growth. A full system clean is the necessary first step before any sanitizing treatment makes sense.
• You’ve moved into a previously owned home with no cleaning records. Homes in Helotes, Stone Oak, and the Medical Center corridor that were built in the 1990s and early 2000s frequently show original ductwork that has never been properly cleaned – not because the previous owners were neglectful, but because most duct cleaning companies have historically never made it past the first few registers.
• A family member with allergies or asthma has worsening symptoms indoors. We’re not physicians and we don’t diagnose medical conditions, but we can photograph what’s inside your ductwork and hand you that documentation. What the camera finds is worth knowing before you make any other decisions.
• Your energy bills have increased without a clear explanation. Heavy particulate buildup on the air handler coil and blower wheel – both addressed in a full system clean – reduces airflow efficiency. A restricted system works harder and costs more to run. It’s a mechanical problem with a documentable cause.

Our Full System Cleaning Process

Every full system cleaning follows the same documented sequence. Nothing is skipped based on how the job is going or how long it’s taking. Here’s what happens from the time our technician arrives to the time the truck leaves your driveway.

1. Pre-job camera inspection and written scope. Before any equipment comes off the truck, we run a camera through your accessible duct runs and photograph what’s there. This isn’t a sales pitch – it’s the baseline record. The photos taken here are the “before” half of the documented photo record you’ll receive at the end of the job. The written scope and your upfront price are both delivered at this point, before work starts. Haven Standard Clause 1: written price before any work begins, no exceptions.
2. System isolation and negative-pressure setup. We connect a collection unit – typically a Nikro or Abatement Technologies negative-pressure machine, depending on system size – at the main trunk or plenum. Negative-pressure extraction means the system is placed under suction so that when debris is dislodged in any duct run, it moves toward the collection unit rather than into the room. Every register in the home is sealed before agitation begins.
3. Mechanical agitation of every duct run. We use Rotobrush equipment to mechanically agitate the interior walls of each duct run. The rotating brush head breaks debris loose from the duct lining rather than just pushing air past it. We work through every supply run and every return run in sequence. This step is what separates a full system cleaning from a vacuum-only visit – agitation is what actually removes the debris that’s adhered to duct surfaces, not just the loose material sitting in the bottom of the run.
4. Plenum, air handler cabinet, and coil cleaning. The plenum is cleaned manually after the branch runs are complete. We clean the interior of the air handler cabinet, including the blower wheel and blower housing, which accumulate a layer of debris that directly reduces airflow. If the evaporator coil is accessible and shows buildup, we document it and address it as part of the scope – or note it in the written record if it requires separate service.
5. Register and grille cleaning. Every register cover and grille is removed, cleaned, and reinstalled. This step is skipped by a surprising number of companies because it takes time. We don’t skip it – a clean duct run feeding air through a debris-coated grille is only partially cleaned.
6. Post-job camera inspection and photo record delivery. After every duct run is complete, the camera goes back in. The after photos are placed alongside the before photos in the documented photo record we deliver to you at job completion. You don’t have to take our word for what was done. The record shows it. The 365-Day Done Right Promise is written into that record – if something isn’t right, we make it right.

Before

After

Full System Cleaning Pricing in San Antonio

Full system cleaning in San Antonio is priced by home size, system complexity, and condition found at inspection. The ranges below are what we actually charge in this market – not starting prices designed to anchor low before the upsell conversation.

What moves the number: total duct run count, accessibility of the plenum and air handler, the presence of flex duct versus sheet metal (flex duct requires a different agitation approach and typically takes longer), and whether construction debris or heavy biological buildup is present. If the camera inspection shows conditions that change the scope, the written price is updated before any additional work starts. That’s not a policy subject to interpretation – it’s Haven Standard Clause 1.

If you’ve received a written estimate from another company, we’ll put our number next to theirs in writing before you commit to either. That’s the Free Second Opinion, and there’s no charge for it. Call (726) 600-7155 to schedule.

What’s Included at Every Price Point

• Pre-job and post-job camera inspection of every accessible duct run
• Documented photo record delivered at job completion – before and after, every run
• Negative-pressure extraction throughout the job
• Mechanical agitation of every supply and return run
• Plenum and air handler cabinet cleaning
• Register and grille removal and cleaning
• 365-Day Done Right Promise in writing on the job record
• Background-checked, uniformed technician identified by name before arrival – Haven Standard Clause 3

The documented photo record is not an add-on. It is a standard deliverable on every CleanRun job, at every price point. We’ve included it since our first job in 2013 because a cleaning you can’t verify isn’t worth much.

FAQs – Full System Cleaning

How is a full system cleaning different from a standard duct cleaning?

A full system cleaning covers every component in the air distribution system: all supply runs, all return runs, the main plenum, the air handler cabinet, the blower wheel, and every register and grille in the home. A standard duct cleaning – particularly the type offered at a low flat rate – frequently covers only a portion of the supply runs, skips the return side entirely, and does not address the air handler or plenum at all. The difference is documented: the camera record from a full system clean shows every run before and after, so there’s no ambiguity about what was addressed. If a company cannot show you before-and-after photos of every duct run, you don’t know what was actually cleaned.

How much does full system cleaning cost in San Antonio?

Full system cleaning in San Antonio typically costs between $350 and $700 for most single-family homes, with larger homes or two-system properties running $700 to $950 or more. The written price is based on your actual duct count, system layout, and the condition found at camera inspection – not a per-vent formula applied without looking at the system. Call (726) 600-7155 and we’ll give you a written price after a short conversation about your home’s layout. No ambiguity about what the number covers.

How long does a full system cleaning take?

Most single-story San Antonio homes take three to four hours. A larger two-story home with two systems typically runs five to six hours. Homes with heavy post-construction debris or significant biological buildup may take longer, and if the scope changes at inspection, you’ll know before the job clock extends. We don’t rush the camera inspection to make the job fit a schedule – the photo record has to be accurate to be worth anything.

Does CleanRun clean the air handler and blower wheel, or just the ducts?

Both. The air handler cabinet and blower wheel are included in every full system cleaning. The blower wheel is the component that actually moves air through your home, and it accumulates a layer of particulate buildup that reduces airflow and makes the system work harder than it should. Cleaning the duct runs without addressing the blower wheel is like cleaning the pipes and leaving a clog at the pump. If the evaporator coil requires cleaning beyond what’s accessible during the standard service, we document it in the written scope and discuss it with you before doing any additional work. Call (726) 600-7155 if you have specific questions about your system configuration.

What the Documentation Actually Looks Like

At the end of every full system cleaning in San Antonio, you receive a job record that includes the before-and-after camera photos of every duct run we accessed, the written scope of what was done, the written price you agreed to before work started, and the 365-Day Done Right Promise. That record is yours. You can use it to verify the work, share it with a home inspector, reference it when scheduling the next cleaning, or use it as documentation if you ever need to make a claim under the Done Right Promise.

We’ve kept this documentation standard since 2013 because it’s the only way to hold ourselves accountable for work that happens inside walls. Anyone can say a job was done right. A photo record of every run is something different.

If you’d like to understand the broader context of how full system cleaning fits into San Antonio home maintenance, the CleanRun home page covers the full range of services we provide and how they connect.

Key Takeaways

• Full system cleaning addresses every part of the air distribution system – supply, return, plenum, air handler, blower wheel, and registers – not just the accessible duct runs.
• Pricing in San Antonio runs $350 to $950+ depending on home size, system count, and condition; written price is delivered before work starts, every time.
• Every job includes a documented photo record – before and after, every run – delivered as a standard deliverable, not an upgrade.
• The 365-Day Done Right Promise is written into the job record. If something isn’t right, we make it right.
• CleanRun has served San Antonio homes since 2013 with the same documentation standard on every job.

Schedule Your Full System Cleaning in San Antonio

If your home is due for a full system cleaning – or if you want to know what’s actually inside your ductwork before deciding anything – call CleanRun at (726) 600-7155. A live person answers every call. We’ll talk through your home’s layout, give you a written price before scheduling, and send a background-checked, uniformed technician who will show you the camera footage before saying a word about what needs to happen next. Estimates are free. The photo record comes with every job. The 365-Day Done Right Promise is in writing.

Written by Tomas Reyes, Owner at CleanRun Air Duct Cleaning San Antonio, serving San Antonio since 2013.