Whole-system duct and dryer vent check with before-and-after photos - you see exactly what came out of your vents
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.
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Before
AfterVideo Inspection in Schertz, TX
Duct video inspection is exactly what the name says: a small camera travels through your duct system and records what’s inside, so you get a documented picture of actual conditions before anyone quotes you a Air Duct Cleaning services, repair, or replacement. In Schertz, where new construction sits alongside homes built in the early 2000s and attic temperatures can push 140°F in July and August, the conditions inside a duct system often tell a very different story than what you’d guess from a register cover. CleanRun Duct Repair & Cleaning has performed video inspection on every job since we opened in 2013 – it’s not an add-on service, it’s how we start the conversation.
Before we describe a scope of work or put a price in writing, we know what’s in front of us. That’s Haven Standard Clause 1 in practice: a written price before any work starts, grounded in documented evidence rather than a technician’s verbal impression. If you’ve already received a written estimate from another company and want a second set of eyes on it, our Free Second Opinion comes with the same camera walk-through at no cost to you. Call us at (830) 402-5110 – a live person answers every call.
Video inspection is a sub-service of our Air Duct Cleaning in Schertz program, and it forms the documented foundation that every other service we provide is built on.
When You Need Video Inspection
Some situations make video inspection the obvious next step. Here are the most common ones we see in Schertz and the surrounding areas:
- You’re buying or recently bought a home built before 2010. Homes in established Schertz neighborhoods like Northcliffe and Crescent Bend were built during a period when flex duct was installed quickly and inspected loosely. A camera walk-through shows whether the duct runs are intact, properly connected at the plenum – the central distribution box your system breathes through – and free of the debris that accumulates when a home sits between owners.
- Your utility bills climbed without an obvious explanation. When conditioned air leaks through a disconnected or collapsed duct section, your system runs longer to hit the thermostat setpoint. The camera locates the gap; the bill explains why it matters.
- You’re hearing scratching, rustling, or intermittent noise from a duct run. In Schertz, we regularly find evidence of rodent intrusion in flex duct serving bonus rooms and garage-adjacent spaces. The camera confirms presence and documents the access point before we discuss remediation – no guesswork, no unnecessary tear-out.
- A previous cleaning company used a shop vacuum and called it done. Shop-vac noise doesn’t extract debris from duct bends or the first elbow off the plenum. Video inspection done after the fact frequently shows the same debris that was there before the visit – and now you have the before photo to prove it.
- You’ve had visible mold near registers or noticed a musty odor after the system cycles. Schertz sits in a humidity corridor that can surprise homeowners who moved from drier climates. The camera identifies whether what you’re seeing near a register is surface condensation residue or an active biological growth inside the liner.
- Your system is more than ten years old and has never been inspected internally. Flex duct degrades. The inner liner develops micro-tears that are invisible from the outside and undetectable without a camera. A ten-year-old system in a Schertz attic has been through roughly a hundred heat cycles above 120°F – the inside often looks different than the outside suggests.
Our Video Inspection Process
We use a Rotobrush-compatible inspection camera that captures footage and still frames as it moves through each duct run. The equipment is trade-recognized and purpose-built for this work – not a repurposed plumbing scope or a consumer-grade endoscope. Here’s how a standard inspection runs in Schertz:
- System access and pre-inspection documentation. The technician photographs the air handler, the plenum, and each accessible register before the camera enters the system. This baseline record is part of the job file you receive when we leave. Nothing is moved or disturbed before the starting condition is documented.
- Camera walk-through of every duct run. The camera travels each supply and return run from the register back toward the plenum, or from the plenum outward, depending on system layout. We note the location of any debris accumulation, liner damage, disconnected joints, or biological growth by duct run identifier so findings can be referenced against your floor plan.
- Findings review with the homeowner. Before we write anything down, we show you the footage. The technician describes what the camera showed – “the camera showed a two-inch debris accumulation at the first elbow in the master bedroom supply run” – and you see the still frame that corresponds to it. Plain language, specific location, visual evidence.
- Written scope and written price, delivered before any work starts. Based on documented findings, we produce a written scope of work and a written price. This is Haven Standard Clause 1 – no exceptions, no “we’ll let you know once we’re in there.” If the inspection reveals nothing that needs immediate attention, we tell you that in writing too.
- Scheduled service or documented referral, your choice. If inspection findings indicate cleaning, duct repair, or air quality treatment, we quote each service line separately so you can decide what to address now and what to monitor. If the inspection finds a structural issue outside our scope – a cracked heat exchanger, for example – we document it in writing and refer you to the appropriate trade. We don’t use a camera finding to manufacture a cleaning sale.
- Post-service photo record, included as standard. If you proceed with any service, every duct run is photographed after completion. The before-and-after record is delivered to you as part of the standard job file – not emailed on request, included automatically. This has been CleanRun’s practice since our first job in 2013.
BeforeAfterVideo Inspection Pricing in Schertz
If you’re wondering How Much Does Air Duct Cleaning Cost? (2026 Price Guide) - Schertz, TX, video inspection in Schertz typically runs $85 to $175 as a standalone service, depending on system size and accessibility. Here’s what moves the number:
- Number of duct runs: A three-bedroom home in Schertz usually has 10 to 16 supply and return runs. Larger homes – particularly the four and five-bedroom layouts common in Kensington Ranch and The Reserve at Schertz – can run 20 or more. Each additional run adds camera time and documentation.
- Attic accessibility: Schertz attic configurations vary significantly. A pull-down stair with a clear path to the air handler is straightforward. A low-pitch attic with knee walls and multiple HVAC zones takes longer to navigate and document safely.
- System age and liner condition: Flex duct that has partially collapsed or kinked requires slower camera movement and more still frames to document the full extent of the issue. This is more labor per linear foot, not an upcharge for finding problems.
- Inspection bundled with cleaning: When video inspection is performed as part of a full air duct cleaning appointment, the inspection cost is typically rolled into the cleaning price rather than billed separately. The written quote will show you both line items.
Every price is delivered in writing before any work begins – Haven Standard Clause 1, every job, no exceptions. There is no “call for a quote” at CleanRun. Call (830) 402-5110 and we’ll schedule a visit and put the number in front of you before the camera enters the first duct run.
If you have a written estimate from another company, our Free Second Opinion includes the same camera inspection and a written CleanRun price next to theirs – no cost, no obligation.
What the Camera Actually Shows in Schertz Homes
This is worth describing in specific terms, because “dirty ducts” doesn’t tell you much and neither does a general claim about air quality. Here’s what the Rotobrush camera has documented inside Schertz duct systems since 2013:
In homes built between 2000 and 2012, the most common finding is debris accumulation at the first elbow – the 90-degree bend closest to the plenum, where airflow slows and particles drop out of suspension. In Schertz, that accumulation is frequently a mix of construction dust from the original build, pet dander, and the fine particulates that come in through return registers during peak cedar and oak pollen season, which hits hard in February and March in this part of Bexar County.
In homes where a previous occupant had pets, the camera frequently shows fur matted against the inner liner at low points in the duct run. This doesn’t always affect airflow measurably – but it does provide a surface for biological growth if humidity enters the system, which in Schertz’s climate is a realistic scenario, particularly in homes where the air handler is in an unconditioned attic space.
In homes built before 2005, we regularly find disconnected flex duct at the collar – the metal ring where the flex connects to the register box or plenum boot. A disconnected collar means conditioned air is dumping into the attic instead of reaching the room. The camera documents the gap; the written scope describes the repair. We’ve found this in rooms that homeowners had simply stopped using because they “never got comfortable,” only to discover the supply run wasn’t delivering air to the room at all.
We’ve also worked on newer construction in Schertz, including Commercial Duct Cleaning projects, – homes in Fairways at Scenic Hills and Crossvine built in the last five years – where the camera shows pristine liner but installer debris: drywall dust, insulation fibers, and occasionally construction fasteners that ended up inside the duct run before the register covers went on. A clean-looking system from the outside doesn’t mean a clean system on the inside.
Why Documentation Matters More Than the Service Itself
The camera footage and still frames we deliver aren’t evidence that we did the work. They’re evidence of what was there before we touched anything, and what was there after. That distinction matters for a few reasons:
First, it protects you. If a condition inside your duct system contributes to an equipment issue or an air quality concern two years from now, you have a dated photo record of what was documented and what was done. That record belongs to you, not to us.
Second, it makes our 365-Day Done Right Promise enforceable. If the work isn’t right, we make it right – that’s the promise, backed in writing on every job. But a written promise is only meaningful if there’s a documented baseline to compare against. The photo record is what makes the guarantee real rather than decorative.
Third, it ends the guessing game that has made this industry difficult to trust. The home services category is full of companies whose process is invisible to the customer. CleanRun’s process is documented by default. You see what we saw before we started, and you see what the system looks like when we’re done.
Tomas Reyes built this documentation practice into the company from the first job in 2013. It’s not a marketing feature – it’s the operational standard every CleanRun technician operates under, regardless of job size or neighborhood.
FAQs – Video Inspection in Schertz
How long does a duct video inspection take in a typical Schertz home?
A standard video inspection in a three-to-four bedroom Schertz home takes 60 to 90 minutes from the time the technician opens the system to the time the findings review is complete. Larger homes with multiple HVAC zones – common in newer construction in areas like Crossvine – can run two hours or more. The time includes camera travel through every run, still-frame documentation at any point of interest, and a walk-through of findings with you before we write anything down. We don’t rush the camera past a debris accumulation or a collapsed liner section to stay on schedule. Call (830) 402-5110 to get a time estimate for your specific system before scheduling.
Can video inspection tell me whether I actually need duct cleaning?
Yes – and that’s precisely the point. Video inspection gives you a documented picture of what’s inside the system before anyone sells you Air Duct Cleaning Near Me in Schertz, TX. In some cases, the camera shows a system that doesn’t need cleaning yet, and we’ll tell you that in writing. In other cases, it shows a two-inch debris accumulation at the main trunk line that’s been restricting airflow for years. The inspection result determines the recommendation – the recommendation doesn’t determine what the camera finds. Call (830) 402-5110 and we’ll schedule the inspection; the written findings speak for themselves.
Is duct video inspection covered by a warranty?
The inspection itself – the camera walk-through, the documentation, the findings review – is covered under the 365-Day Done Right Promise. If we document a finding and the written record is inaccurate or incomplete, we come back and make it right. If you proceed with a cleaning or repair based on inspection findings, that service is separately warranted under the same 365-Day promise. Every warranty is in writing before work begins. There is no manager-approval process and no fine print that narrows the coverage after the fact. Call (830) 402-5110 with specific questions about coverage for your situation.
What happens if the camera finds something serious, like mold or a disconnected duct?
The technician documents the finding with still frames, shows you the footage, and describes what was found in plain terms – location, approximate extent, and what it likely means for your system. Then we put the remediation options and their prices in writing before anything is touched. Mold-related findings in Schertz duct systems typically involve either surface biological growth on the inner liner or growth at a condensate leak point near the air handler – different causes, different scopes, different prices, all documented separately. A disconnected duct is a repair we can often address the same visit if you choose to proceed. Nothing is repaired or treated without a written price and your explicit approval first. Call (830) 402-5110 and we can walk through what the process looks like for your specific concern before you schedule anything.
Written by Tomas Reyes, Owner at CleanRun Air Duct Cleaning Schertz, serving Schertz since 2013.