Fast, Reliable Duct Repair & Sealing Across Irving Park
Duct repair and sealing in Irving Park typically costs between $250 and $650 for most jobs, with same-day service available when you call before noon. We’re Bellows Air Duct & Vent Co., and we’ve been driving to Irving Park from our Chicago office for over 42 years. If you live in a bungalow near Pulaski Road or a two-flat off Irving Park Road, you know the basements are tight and the ductwork is old. That’s exactly the work we do.
Our technicians carry mastic sealant, rigid metal duct, and replacement flex duct on every truck, so most Irving Park repairs are finished in a single visit. Call (877) 502-3903 and you’ll reach a live person, 24 hours a day. We answer our own phones. No app. No voicemail tree.
Why Bellows Air Duct & Vent Co. of Chicago Is Irving Park’s Preferred Duct Repair & Sealing Company
We’ve worked on enough Irving Park bungalows to know the pattern. The 1920s brick home you bought, or the two-flat you inherited, wasn’t built for forced air. Some contractor in 1983 ran flex duct through your basement joists, wrapped the joints in foil tape, and called it done. Forty years later, that tape is dust and your furnace is pulling air from the same basement corner where the washer drains. We see it weekly.
Our Duct Repair & Sealing team has rebuilt duct systems in homes from Belle Plaine to Montrose, from the Kennedy corridor to the Blue Line tracks. Irving Park residents call us back because we show the problem on camera before we quote a price, and we show the fix after we’re done. The 90-Day Done Right Promise is stamped on every job. If it’s not right, we return at no charge. No paperwork, no arguing.
Ray Dempsey, who leads Bellows, started this company in 1984 on the principle that a homeowner should know the full price before a single tool is lifted. That hasn’t changed. Our standing offer for Irving Park: $50 off any repair over $250, and a free second opinion on any written estimate you’ve already received.
Our Duct Repair & Sealing Services in Irving Park
Duct Sealing
Sealing is the most common repair we perform in Irving Park, and it’s usually the most urgent. Those 1970s-1990s heat conversions used foil tape at every joint, and that tape has a lifespan of about 15-20 years in a humid Chicago basement. Once it fails, your furnace draws unconditioned basement air into the supply system. We remove the old tape, clean the joint surfaces, and seal with professional-grade mastic. The result is measured: we run a pressure test to confirm the seal holds before we leave.
Flex Duct Repair
Flex duct is the weak link in most Irving Park bungalow systems. The plastic liner cracks, the insulation sags, and the wire coil collapses where it bends around basement obstructions. In an Irving Park bungalow just off the Kennedy Expressway, our crew found that a 1970s flex duct conversion had completely separated at the basement plenum, allowing rodent droppings and old insulation to cycle through the home for years. We re-sealed all joints with mastic and installed a new rigid metal connection from the furnace, restoring clean airflow for the homeowner. We carry replacement flex duct and the fittings to convert to rigid metal where it makes sense.
Metal Duct Repair
Some Irving Park homes have original galvanized steel branch runs from mid-century conversions, or newer rigid metal installed in the 1990s. Metal lasts longer than flex, but the joints still leak if the mastic wasn’t applied properly. Tight basement utility spaces in Irving Park two-flats make these joints hard to reach. Our technicians work with Rotobrush inspection cameras to locate the leak without tearing out finished ceilings, then seal or replace the affected section.
Duct Insulation & Mastic Sealant
Irving Park’s heating season runs October through April, six months of continuous furnace cycling. Uninsulated or poorly sealed ducts in an unfinished basement waste energy and allow condensation that feeds mold growth. We apply fresh mastic sealant to all joints and add insulation where the original has deteriorated. The mastic we use is rated for the temperature swings of Chicago’s shoulder seasons, when furnaces cycle on and off rapidly and duct expansion stresses every joint.
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.
Trusted Brands We Service in Irving Park
We stock parts from Rotobrush, Nikro, and Honeywell on every service truck, which means most Irving Park repairs don’t wait for a parts run. Rotobrush inspection systems let us document your duct condition before and after work. Nikro equipment handles the debris removal when we find collapsed flex duct full of forty years of dust. Honeywell air quality components integrate with sealed duct systems for homeowners who want filtration upgrade. We don’t chase the lowest bid by using off-brand materials. The brands we carry are the same ones serious HVAC contractors specify for their own homes.
Common Duct Repair & Sealing Problems We See in Irving Park Homes
- Collapsed flex duct at basement plenums. The weight of decades of dust and the vibration of furnace cycling cause flex duct to separate from the main trunk. Your furnace then draws unfiltered basement air directly into the supply system. We find this in roughly half the Irving Park bungalows we inspect.
- Foil tape failures at retrofitted connections. The original tape turns brittle and falls off, creating air leaks that waste energy and pull in debris from attics or crawlspaces. In Irving Park’s tight utility spaces, these leaks are often hidden behind water heaters or laundry equipment.
- Improperly sealed mastic on old metal branch runs. Previous repair work, often done by handymen without duct-specific training, left gaps that allow particulates from deteriorated insulation to enter supply ducts. We remove the old work and reseal properly.
- Particulate infiltration from the Kennedy Expressway and Blue Line corridor. Irving Park’s proximity to major transit routes means above-average dust and exhaust particulate loads. Leaky duct systems don’t just waste money. They actively draw that outdoor contamination into your living spaces.
Pricing for Duct Repair & Sealing in Irving Park, IL
A typical duct sealing job in Irving Park runs $250-$450 for a standard bungalow with accessible basement joints. Flex duct repair or replacement in a single branch line costs $180-$340. Full metal duct repair with mastic resealing on multiple branch runs ranges from $400-$650, depending on how many joints need attention and how tight the workspace is.
What moves the price: the age and condition of existing materials, whether we can access joints from the basement or need to cut into finished spaces, and whether the repair reveals additional leaks once pressure-tested. We disclose the full price before work begins. The number we quote on the phone, after you’ve described the problem, is the number on the invoice. Our $89 Seasonal Tune-Up includes a basic duct inspection that often catches these issues before they become expensive repairs.
Call (877) 502-3903 for a free estimate. Estimates are free. There’s no obligation and no pressure.
We Also Serve Cities Near Irving Park
Our technicians live in and around the northwest side, so we’re never far from Irving Park or the surrounding neighborhoods. We also work regularly in Belmont Cragin, Portage Park, Avondale, and Logan Square. Same trucks, same pricing, same 90-Day Done Right Promise. If you’re near the border and not sure which page to call, just dial the number. We’ll tell you straight if it’s a trip we make.
Serving Irving Park, IL - Our Local Coverage Area
We’re based in the Irving Park 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 Irving Park
Irving Park’s 1920s-1940s bungalows were built for steam radiators, then converted to forced air in the 1970s-1990s using improvised flex duct and foil tape routed through tight basement spaces. These retrofitted systems accumulate far more debris than purpose-built forced-air homes, and the original materials have now exceeded their useful life. Call (877) 502-3903 for a camera inspection - estimates are free.
Yes. Our technicians carry compact inspection cameras and flexible sealing tools specifically for the narrow utility spaces common in Irving Park two-flats and three-flats. We’ve worked in basements where the ductwork is squeezed between foundation walls and century-old drain lines. Call (877) 502-3903 to describe your access and we’ll confirm we can handle it.
Sealing your ducts prevents the system from drawing in unfiltered basement air, but it also reduces the negative pressure that pulls outdoor particulates through every crack in your home’s envelope. In Irving Park’s transit-dense environment, a sealed duct system means your furnace filter actually has a chance to catch what enters, rather than bypassing it through leaks. Call (877) 502-3903 for a pressure test that measures exactly how much air your system is leaking.
Signs include weak airflow from certain vents, musty or basement-like odors when the furnace runs, and uneven heating between rooms. The only way to confirm is a camera inspection of the duct interior, which we perform before every repair quote. Call (877) 502-3903 to schedule - estimates are free, and we’ll show you exactly what we find.
Yes. We repair and seal existing galvanized metal runs where they’re structurally sound, and we replace sections where rust or damage has compromised the duct. We match new rigid metal to old where connections are needed, using mastic rather than tape for a permanent seal. Call (877) 502-3903 to discuss your specific system.
Ready to fix the ductwork in your Irving Park home? Call Bellows Air Duct & Vent Co. at (877) 502-3903. We’ll answer live, schedule a free estimate at your convenience, and show up when we say we will. The price we quote is the price you pay. And we stand behind it for 90 days, in writing, with no paperwork required if something needs adjustment.
Written by Ray Dempsey, Owner at Bellows Air Duct & Vent Co., serving Irving Park and Chicago since 2012.