Ductwork Installation & Replacement in Lexington, SC

Ductwork replacement in Lexington is often the fix for a house where the equipment works fine but the comfort doesn't. Your ducts carry every bit of heated and cooled air from the air handler to the rooms, and in most local homes they live in the worst spots possible: a sweltering attic or a damp crawlspace. When they are crushed, torn, undersized or leaking, a new system can't make up the difference.

We install new duct systems for additions and conversions, replace worn ductwork in existing homes, and handle the smaller jobs too. When a full replacement is the right call, it can be financed. A complete replacement covers:

• Measuring the old system first: static pressure, register airflow and the condition of every run
• A new layout with trunk, branch and return sizes worked out room by room
• Removing and hauling off the old ducts, boots and any failed duct board
• New plenums, trunks, branches and supply boots hung on proper supports
• Mastic on every joint, then insulation suited to an attic or a crawlspace
• Registers matched to the new runs and an airflow check in each room

When HVAC ductwork has reached the end of its life

Some signs are easy to spot in the attic or crawlspace; others show up in the rooms:

• Flex duct that is flattened, kinked, sagging between supports, or has a split outer jacket
• Ducts dripping or wet to the touch in the crawlspace on summer days
• Duct board that has been wet, shows mold, or is falling apart
• Upstairs or end-of-hall rooms that stay several degrees off
• Rodent damage, or insulation pulled away from the duct
• Registers with weak airflow and a blower that sounds strained

Attic ducts in the newer two-story subdivisions take a beating from summer heat, and flex jackets get brittle with age. In 1950s to 1970s brick ranches, metal ducts sit in humid crawlspace air for decades. Wet or moldy fiberglass duct material can't be cleaned effectively, according to the EPA, so it is replaced.

ENERGY STAR lists ducts in an attic, crawlspace or garage among the warning signs for comfort and bill problems, and that describes nearly every system in Lexington County. Rodents chew through flex jackets on wooded lots, and crawlspaces that took on water in heavy storms such as the October 2015 flood can leave duct insulation damp and hanging.

Repair, seal, clean or replace?

Not every duct problem calls for new ductwork. We look at the whole system and tell you which of these fits:

• Duct repair for a disconnected run, a crushed section, a torn jacket or a sweating crawlspace duct.
• Duct sealing and leakage testing when the ducts are in decent shape but leak at the joints and boots.
• Air duct cleaning after renovation dust, a rodent problem, or visible debris at the registers. Cleaning won't fix leaks or bad layout.
• Full replacement when most of the system is damaged, badly sized or near the end of its life.

Our blog post on signs of leaky ductwork covers what you can check yourself.

Duct design and sizing for attics and crawlspaces

New ductwork is only as good as its design. We start with a room-by-room load estimate, then size the trunks, branches and returns to deliver that air at a pressure your blower can handle. A static pressure test on the existing system shows how restricted it is now.

Design choices we walk you through:

Undersized returns are common in builder-grade systems. Adding return capacity is often what makes a new system quiet and even.

What a duct replacement looks like, start to finish

1. Inspection and measurements. We look at every run, measure static pressure, and note what each room needs.
2. Written scope. You see the layout, materials and schedule before you decide.
3. Removal. Old ducts come out of the attic or crawlspace and are hauled away.
4. Installation. New plenums, trunks and branch runs are hung on proper supports, and every joint is sealed with mastic before insulation goes on.
5. Returns and transitions. Added return grilles are cut in where the design calls for them, and the plenum transitions are fitted and sealed to the air handler.
6. Registers and testing. Boots and registers are connected, static pressure is measured again against the first reading, airflow is checked room by room, and the work area is cleaned up.

Most single-system homes take a day or two. If your equipment is also aging, we can handle the HVAC installation in the same project so the ducts and the new system are matched.

What changes the cost of new ductwork?

Two Lexington houses with the same square footage can price very differently. A two-story home with a walkable attic floor and one system is a different job from a 1960s ranch whose crawlspace barely clears a technician on his back. Pairing duct and equipment work means one round of attic or crawlspace labor instead of two. We price each job on site because these factors vary so much from house to house:

• Square footage and number of systems
• Attic height or crawlspace clearance
• Sheet metal versus flex, and insulation level
• Number of supply runs and returns, and any new register locations
• Removal and disposal of the old ducts
• Whether the equipment is replaced at the same time
• Permit requirements from the town or county

The ductwork replacement cost post goes deeper. Ask about financing and any current discounts. Manufacturer warranties on duct materials vary, so ask which apply to what we install.

We replace ductwork throughout Lexington County, including Cayce and Irmo, and you can check any contractor's standing in SC LLR's free license search before you sign.

Permits, codes and licensing for new ducts

Duct installation is mechanical work under the residential code. Lexington County enforces the ICC codes it has adopted in unincorporated areas, while homes inside the Town of Lexington, Cayce, West Columbia or another town go through that town's building department. A full replacement, or new ducts for an addition, usually needs a permit and an inspection; ask the department if you are unsure about a smaller job.

The International Residential Code requires duct joints to be sealed with listed mastics or tapes, and ENERGY STAR warns against ordinary cloth duct tape because it does not last. Residential HVAC licenses in South Carolina come from SC LLR's Residential Builders Commission. We are fully licensed and insured, and any bidder should tell you who pulls the permit and when the inspection happens.

Why Lexington homeowners hand us the whole duct system

A full duct replacement is a big check to write, and our reviewers point to the parts that made it easier: honest advice on whether repair or sealing would do instead, financing that was simple to set up for a complete ductwork job, and a crew that cleaned up the attic dust and old duct scraps before leaving.

The design work comes from a NATE-certified, owner-operated company that technician Chong Kim set up as an LLC in April 2021; his time in HVAC runs past a decade. Estimates are free and itemized. Published discounts run from 10% for public school staff to 20% for households caring for a special-needs family member, with 15% for veterans and first responders.