Northgate, King County
Air duct cleaning in a Northgate home starts at $525. A one-level home served by a lone furnace and about twelve registers lands close to that figure. Two stories, a second air handler, ducts buried in insulation or reached only through a low crawl space all add time and cost. No inspection fee applies to this service. We look at the system, give a firm price, and begin only if you agree.
Typical investment
From $525
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$99 plus tax, deducted when you approve the repair
Not sure where to start
Pick what you're seeing at your Northgate home — we'll point you to the right fix.
What we do
The same crew, the same written quote — for Northgate homes.
A Level 1 review of everything reachable, raised to a Level 2 camera scan when a question stays open
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The whole flue brushed, using heads picked for the liner's size and shape
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A photo assessment that distinguishes surface wear from structural damage
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Camera survey and measurements taken before any liner is chosen
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Measurement of each flue, or of the crown when a single cap will span several
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Glass removed, cleaned and checked for a sound gasket
Learn moreRanges shown for orientation — the exact figure is written up on-site, after the inspection.
The median Northgate-area home is about fifty years old: the Census Bureau's median year built for ZIP area 98125 is 1974. A duct system of that age has likely outlived a furnace, several owners and at least one remodel. Unless somebody kept a record of a cleaning, assume it has never had one.
The Census Bureau's 2020-2024 estimates for ZIP area 98125 give electricity as the main heat in 66.9% of occupied homes, utility gas in 26.0% and fuel oil in 4.7%. Oil hangs on in the mid-century parts of North Seattle more than elsewhere: that 4.7% for Northgate's ZIP area compares with 1.3% in 98103.
A gas or oil furnace moves its heat through ducts, so for roughly three homes in ten here the duct system is the heating system. Electricity is ambiguous, since the survey does not separate ducted heat pumps from baseboards. Where an oil furnace has been replaced or is about to be, two Seattle rules apply. Any furnace replacement needs a permit, one SDCI will issue subject to field inspection, to a homeowner if need be. And if the old furnace vented into a masonry chimney, Residential Code R1003.11 requires the flue lining to suit the new appliance. A duct cleaning booked right after the changeover clears out what the old system left behind.
Every air duct cleaning we do in Northgate includes:
Smoke coming back into the room, or a smell that won't go? Book the inspection first.
Book nowThree things load a duct system: construction and remodeling dust, everyday household dust and pet hair, and outdoor smoke. On the last, Public Health - Seattle & King County ties its smoke response to the Air Quality Index, with early warnings from an AQI of 101 and cleaner-air sites from 151. The summer of 2026 brought a statewide wildfire emergency, declared by the Governor on August 1 together with a burn ban running to September 30. A furnace fan left running through a stretch like that pulls smoke residue into the returns, where it stays.
Registers get tallied and the main trunk lines located, which tells us where to hook up the suction unit.
Registers are sealed off so that suction concentrates on one branch at a time.
Compressed-air whips or brushes drive dust from each branch toward the vacuum.
Blower compartment and return drop are cleaned, and the filter slot is checked for gaps that let air bypass the filter.
Camera images of the trunks, taken before and after, come with the invoice.
What this work is quoted at for Northgate homes — the exact figure comes from the $99 on-site inspection, credited toward the work.
| Service | Price in Northgate | What that covers |
|---|---|---|
| Air Duct Cleaning | From $525 | Whole HVAC system — trunks, branches and every register |
| Chimney Sweep | $209–$459 | Full flue swept, Level 1 inspection included |
| Chimney Inspection | $99 plus tax | Level 1 visual; Level 2 adds a full camera scan |
| Chimney Relining | From $1,900 | Full-length stainless liner, sized to the appliance |
| Chimney Repair | From $425 | Masonry repair — brick and mortar, scoped after diagnosis |
Ranges are what these jobs are quoted at in Northgate. The exact figure is set on site after a $99 inspection (credited toward the job if you go ahead), and you approve it before any work starts.
Northgate is a district that grew around the shopping mall opened in 1950 and joined Seattle in 1954, with postwar houses and apartments, in a ZIP area whose median build year is 1974. We work every part of it — Haller Lake, Pinehurst, Licton Springs included.
NorthgateKing County, WA · 47.707, -122.327
Before and after
Illustrations of what each repair changes on a typical chimney — not photos of a specific job.
Before
After
Before
After
Before
After
Four steps, each one on paper — so you always know what happens next.
Choose a genuine opening on the crew's calendar. Confirmation is immediate.
Liner, crown, cap, flashing and masonry examined in order — each finding photographed.
One document, plain numbers, covering only the work your chimney genuinely needs.
The repair is completed, then handed over with before-and-after photos of every item.
It starts at $525. Register count, number of systems and access set the final price, which is fixed before work begins.
Maybe. A heat pump or an electric furnace uses ducts; baseboard and wall heaters do not. Two-thirds of homes in the ZIP area heat with electricity, so we ask before booking.
Blower compartment and return plenum are part of the job. Servicing burners or a heat exchanger is furnace work for an HVAC technician.
No fixed interval exists. Sensible moments are after a remodel, after a heavy smoke season, at purchase, or when dust shows at the registers.
A $99 on-site inspection, a written quote before any work, and photos of every item we touch.
