Texas homeowner weighs DIY cleanup after 3 companies quote $600 for a working AC

A routine maintenance visit sent the owner of a 10-year-old Goodman AC in Texas searching for outside opinions after an HVAC company quoted $650 to clean the indoor blower wheel. Two additional companies then offered similar estimates above $600, turning a standard checkup into a costly comparison exercise.

Here's what to know

According to a Reddit thread, the builder-grade Goodman system was still operating when the annual service recommended cleaning. The homeowner said three local HVAC companies all quoted above $600 for the same work and added that they were told to expect roughly 10 to 12 years from the unit in Texas heat.

That left the homeowner deciding whether a functioning system at that age justified the expense.

Most of the responses treated the recommendation as an upsell rather than necessary maintenance. One wrote, "$600 to clean a blower is criminal," while another called it a "Ridiculous price."

A commenter whose company charges less still did not offer much defense of the service. "We charge $480 and I hate giving that price but it's what the company wants," the commenter wrote, before suggesting a brush and vacuum after turning off the furnace.

More background

Some replies focused on how limited the job sounded compared with the asking price. One wrote, "Usually takes about an hour." Another dismissed the proposed "chemical wash," saying it was "just going to be a standard cleaning product like Simple Green lol."

One commenter made the estimate seem even more inflated by comparing it with a much larger service. They said they used to charge $650 to clean "the entire duct system, pull the blower to clean it and then clean the evap coil too," rather than only the blower.

For a unit that is still running, doing some of the cleanup yourself or paying for a smaller service call closer to the $250 figure another commenter mentioned would be far less expensive.

What can be done?

The most repeated advice combined a basic cleaning approach with a strong safety warning. "Turn off the furnace and use a brush and a vacuum," one commenter wrote. Another echoed that caution, telling the homeowner to "make sure it's off and doesn't have power if your putting your hands in and on it."

Commenters who described a deeper cleaning process said it involved disconnecting power, labeling the motor wire leads, removing the blower and motor, and then washing the wheel outside or in a sink before allowing it to dry fully.

There were also warnings about making the job harder than it needs to be. One commenter cautioned against knocking off "the small weight balancing clips," while another said the buildup issue should be traced back to its likely cause: "Clean it and Fix the actual problem, your filter!"

The original poster appeared to warm to the lower-cost option, replying, "Thank you! I'll look up some online tutorials and will likely try vacuuming it without disassembling it." If that works, the homeowner could skip all three quotes over $600.

After reading through the replies, the homeowner responded to the large price gap, saying, "$250 sounds so much more reasonable! Hard to believe HVAC companies in my area consistently quote over $600 for this job."

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