Air Duct Cleaning
Camera inspection first, then negative-pressure HEPA cleaning of supply, return, blower and coil when your ducts actually need it.
Learn moreAltadena, CA
Duct cleaning after the fire and HVAC for rebuilt homes in Altadena 91001
Altadena sits on the slope between Pasadena and the San Gabriel Mountains, an unincorporated community where many families have lived for generations.
Altadena at a glance
- ZIP
- 91001
- County
- Los Angeles County
- Served from
- Old Pasadena office
- Phone
- (626) 879-0711
- Hours
- Open 24/7
Quick answer
If your Altadena home came through the Eaton Fire, smoke and fine ash can still sit in the ducts, filters, attic and indoor coil. Marco's technicians inspect the whole air path, clean or replace what is contaminated, and tell you plainly what can stay. If you are rebuilding, we size and install heating and cooling from your new plans. Call (626) 879-0711 any hour.
Overview
Heating and cooling help in Altadena
Altadena sits on the slope between Pasadena and the San Gabriel Mountains, an unincorporated community where many families have lived for generations. Since the January 2025 Eaton Fire, the work we do here falls into two groups. Some households are living in homes that came through the fire but took in smoke and ash. Others are clearing lots, working with architects and planning a new house. Both need heating and cooling that is done carefully, explained clearly and priced before the work starts.
Our Old Pasadena office on Colorado Boulevard is a short drive up Lake Avenue or Fair Oaks Avenue, so a technician can reach most Altadena streets quickly, from the west side near Lincoln Avenue to the east side toward Eaton Canyon. We take our time on these visits. We listen first, look at the system with you, and write down what we find. If you are working with an insurance adjuster, the notes and photos from the inspection can be useful to share.
Altadena homes, before and after the fire
Altadena's older housing is a mix of Craftsman bungalows, Spanish Revival houses from the 1920s and ranch homes built after the war, many on generous lots with mature oaks and deodar cedars. Plenty of these homes still have a gas wall furnace or a floor furnace, or a forced-air furnace in the attic or under the house feeding ductwork that was added decades later. Houses higher up the slope toward the mountains catch stronger wind and cooler nights than homes near the Pasadena line, so the right setup can change from one end of a street to the other.
The new homes going up follow current California energy rules, which means tighter construction, better insulation and sealed, tested ductwork. Many rebuilding owners are weighing heat pumps, ductless units or a mix of both. Because a rebuilt house loses far less heat than the one it replaced, the right system is often smaller than the old one was, and sizing it from the new plans matters.
Common problems
What we find most often in Altadena
Ash packed in return filters
Filters in homes near the burn area loaded up quickly during and after the fire. A clogged filter starves the system of air, so the coil runs too cold, airflow drops and the blower works harder than it should.
Smoke residue inside ductwork
Flexible ducts and older metal runs in the attic can hold fine soot along their inner walls. The smell returns each time the system starts, which is often the first sign residents notice after moving back in.
Contaminated attic insulation
Ash and smoke can settle into loose attic insulation around leaky duct joints and ceiling openings. When the insulation is contaminated, cleaning the ducts alone does not clear the odor, so we check the attic as well.
Outdoor units with ash in the coil
Condensers and heat pumps that sat outside during the fire can carry ash and debris deep in the fins. We rinse them carefully and check fan motors, wiring and electrical parts for heat or debris damage.
Wind-driven dust on clear days
Strong downslope winds hit Altadena hard several times a year. They push dust from cleared lots through gaps in older homes, so filtration and duct sealing help more here than in many places.
Most requested
The services that matter most in Altadena right now
For homes that survived, the order matters: inspect first, then clean or replace the ducts, clean the indoor coil and blower, deal with the attic insulation, and finish with better filtration so the house stays clean. Some ductwork is old and fragile enough that replacing it is the better choice, and we will say so when it is. For rebuilds, we work from your plans to size a heat pump or ducted system, lay out ducts inside conditioned space where the design allows, and handle the duct leakage testing that California energy rules can require on new systems.
Ductwork Replacement
New attic ductwork sized for your rooms and equipment, sealed with mastic and leak tested before we call the job done.
Learn moreIndoor Air Quality Testing
We measure particles, humidity, CO2, VOCs and carbon monoxide in your home, find the sources and explain what would actually help.
Learn moreAttic Insulation
Air sealing first, then blown-in insulation to the right depth, so your ceilings stop radiating attic heat into the rooms.
Learn moreHeat Pump Installation
New ducted and inverter heat pumps sized to your Pasadena home, with permits, line sets, electrical and duct checks included in the quote.
Learn moreWhole-Home Air Purifiers
Media filter cabinets and electronic air cleaners built into your HVAC system, sized so they clean the air without choking airflow.
Learn morePractical notes for Altadena homeowners
Altadena is unincorporated, so building permits come from Los Angeles County rather than the City of Pasadena. We handle the permit where one is required and schedule the inspection. Electricity here comes from Southern California Edison and gas from SoCalGas, so ask about current SCE or SoCalGas rebates and state heat pump incentives when funding is open. If your gas service was shut off and has not been restored yet, tell us when you call so we can plan around it.
On red flag and high wind days, we may move rooftop or attic work to a calmer day for safety. In summer, Altadena's inland heat regularly pushes into the high 90s, and a filter or coil still holding ash will struggle on those afternoons. Scheduling an inspection before the hottest stretch of the year, or before the first cold nights of late fall, gives you time to fix what we find without rushing.
Questions
Altadena heating and cooling questions
The usual signs are a smoky or chemical smell when the system starts, gray dust around the supply vents, and filters that darken quickly. A technician removes a few registers, looks inside the duct runs with a camera, checks the indoor coil and blower, and looks at the attic insulation near the ducts. You get a clear account of what is contaminated and what is fine.
It depends on the duct material and its age. Sound metal ducts usually clean well. Older flexible duct with torn inner liners, or ducts lying in ash-soaked insulation, are often better replaced, since cleaning cannot reach residue trapped in the layers. We show you what we see and quote both options when both make sense, so the decision stays with you.
Many Altadena rebuilds are a good fit for a heat pump, ducted or ductless, because new construction holds heat and cool air far better than the original house did. We size the system from your plans and room by room loads, not from the old furnace size, and coordinate with your builder on duct routes, equipment location and the duct testing California rules can require.
Altadena is an unincorporated part of Los Angeles County, so permits for new equipment and replacements go through the county rather than the City of Pasadena. When a permit is required, we pull it, schedule the inspection and meet the inspector. For full rebuilds, the mechanical permit usually runs alongside your builder's main permit, and we work within that timeline.
Heating or cooling trouble in Altadena?
Call our Pasadena line any hour. A person answers, asks a few questions about the system, and gives you an arrival window.
(626) 879-0711Answering 24 hours, 7 days