A job in San Jose
A garage full of old ductwork, on its way out.
The phone's photos from a San Jose garage: the old ducts pulled out and stood on end, then the driveway as they went into the van.
The tear-out, photo by photo
What an old duct system looks like once it's out
Round metal runs wrapped in an insulation jacket that had gone yellow and brittle, coming off in sheets as the ducts came down.
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MiddayThe old runs pulled out and stood up across the garage floor, their insulation wrap peeling away. -
Under an hour laterOn the driveway: the van's back doors open with old duct inside, and torn wrap piled by the garage door.
What we can tell you from these photos
These are round sheet-metal ducts, each run wrapped in an insulation jacket. On these runs the jacket had yellowed and was tearing away, which is the pile you can see on the driveway.
The photos stop at the tear-out, so this page does too. What went back in isn't in these pictures, and we'd rather show you nothing than describe it from a guess.
If your ducts are part of a change-out today
These photos don't show a system replacement, but if yours includes one, the state now holds your ducts to a test.
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New equipment means a duct test
Under California's current Energy Code, replacing an air handler, an outdoor AC or heat pump unit, a packaged system or a coil means the ducts connected to it must be sealed by the installer and checked by an independent ECC-Rater.
Source: California Energy Commission, 2025 Single-Family Residential Compliance Manual (June 2025). Rules and programs change: last checked 2026-10-22.
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The leakage the ducts must meet
After the change-out the ducts must leak no more than 10 percent of the system's airflow, or 7 percent to the outside. If neither can be met, every leak that can be reached is sealed and checked with a smoke test.
Source: California Energy Commission, 2025 Single-Family Residential Compliance Manual (June 2025). Rules and programs change: last checked 2026-10-22.
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San Jose's permits come in one application
San Jose's online permit for a heat pump covers both the mechanical and the electrical permit.
Source: City of San Jose, Air Conditioning, Heating and Fireplaces. Rules and programs change: last checked 2026-10-17.
Tell us what it's doing. We'll take it from there.
Call and describe the problem: the noise, the smell, the room that never warms up. Or book a visit online.
