Whole-home duct cleaning
Dryer vent cleaning
Camera inspection
Sanitizing & deodorizingWhole-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.
Aprilaire Vent Sanitizing: The San Antonio Owner’s Guide
If you’re searching for Aprilaire vent sanitizing in San Antonio, this page will tell you exactly what we stock, what it costs, and how the installation works. We install Aprilaire-compatible vent sanitizing systems across San Antonio, and most jobs run between $245 and $410 installed, depending on your model and existing duct configuration. The typical Aprilaire UV or odor-control vent sanitizer fails slowly, so most San Antonio homeowners notice a musty or stale smell that returns even after a good duct cleaning, rather than a sudden breakdown.
Paul Adeyemi has walked through enough San Antonio homes to know that figuring out which Aprilaire part you have can be the most confusing part of the whole process. We’ll help you sort that out before anyone touches your system. Mortons Air Duct San Antonio is an independent service provider, not affiliated with Aprilaire, but we work with their vent sanitizing equipment regularly and keep common components on hand.
Which Aprilaire Models This Applies To
Aprilaire vent sanitizing equipment falls into two broad camps: UV germicidal lamp systems like the Model 850 and 1850, and activated-carbon or photocatalytic odor systems. They are not interchangeable, and the wrong part won’t mount correctly or deliver the same air treatment. Before ordering anything, look at the model plate on the unit housing. If the label is faded or painted over, we identify by the lamp wattage and base style. Aprilaire UV lamps for the 850 are 14-inch T5 style lamps, while the 1850 uses a larger 24-inch lamp with a different socket. Mixing those up will leave you with a dead system and a return trip.
We also see Aprilaire steam-humidifier vent sanitizers in some San Antonio homes with whole-house humidity control, and those take a different maintenance path entirely. For the UV-style systems, the lamp itself has a rated service life of 9,000 to 12,000 hours, which works out to roughly 1.5 to 2 years of continuous operation in a Texas HVAC season. San Antonio’s long cooling season means these lamps run more hours annually than they would in a cooler climate, so replacement cycles here run on the shorter end of that range.
We stock both genuine Aprilaire parts and a quality aftermarket lamp equivalent that meets the same UV output spec. The aftermarket version runs about 35% less. We’ll tell you the exact difference on the phone and let you choose before we come out.
Styles & brands we work with
Signs Your Aprilaire Vent Sanitizing Is Failing
- A stale or musty smell returns within two weeks of a duct cleaning. When the UV lamp burns out or loses intensity, it stops neutralizing the microbial film on coil surfaces and inside supply runs. The smell comes back even though the ducts are clean.
- The lamp indicator light is off or flickering. Aprilaire UV units have a small power indicator. If it’s dark, the ballast or lamp is done. A flickering light usually means the lamp is near end of life, not a loose wire.
- The lamp glass looks dark, cloudy, or blackened at the ends. UV-C lamps lose output gradually. A darkened end on the tube means it has used most of its useful output and the sanitizing effect is minimal by that point.
- Family members with allergies report symptoms creeping back in the spring and fall. San Antonio’s live oak and mountain cedar seasons are relentless, and an underperforming vent sanitizer means allergens hang around in the air stream longer.
- You hear a soft buzzing from the unit. This is usually a failing ballast trying to fire a dead lamp. Continuing to run it can overheat the ballast and turn a lamp swap into a full unit replacement.
See the difference
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After
Before
After
Before
AfterReplacement Cost & What’s Included
For Aprilaire vent sanitizing in San Antonio, here’s what families typically pay with us:
- UV lamp replacement (OEM Aprilaire): $180 – $240 installed
- UV lamp replacement (quality aftermarket): $130 – $175 installed
- Ballast replacement (OEM): $115 – $150 installed
- Complete new Aprilaire vent sanitizer install (Model 850 or similar): $390 – $510 installed
The range depends on how accessible your unit is, how many UV systems you have, and whether the ballast is going too. We write the full price down before we start, every time. There is no per-vent pricing, no surprise add-ons on the invoice. The installed price includes the part, labor, and a check of the surrounding duct area while we’re in there. All work is covered by our 365-Day Done Right Promise. If something isn’t right with the installation, we make it right. No fine print.
DIY or Call Us?
The honest answer: you can inspect the lamp yourself, but replacement has one genuine risk. Aprilaire UV-C systems run on 120-volt power, and the lamp operates at high intensity. UV-C light will damage your eyes and skin in a matter of minutes. If you decide to open the housing, we strongly recommend cutting power at the breaker first and never looking directly at the lamp while it’s energized. We’ve seen too many San Antonio homeowners open these units with the power live, and it’s not worth the risk.
What you can safely do is note the model number, check whether the indicator light is on, and take a photo of any label you can see. Then call us at (903) 354-8393. We’ll ask those three things. Most of the time, Paul Adeyemi and our crew can identify exactly what you need over the phone so we arrive with the right part on the truck.
FAQs
In San Antonio, the UV lamp inside an Aprilaire vent sanitizer typically lasts one and a half to two years of continuous run time. The Texas cooling season is long, so these units run more hours per year than they would in most parts of the country. The ballast usually lasts several lamp replacements, often five to seven years, before it gives out. Call (903) 354-8393 if your system is past the two-year mark and you’re not sure when it was last serviced.
Most of the time it’s a lamp or ballast replacement, not a full unit swap. The Aprilaire 850 and 1850 are modular, and we rarely see the housing itself fail. Replacing the lamp is fast, and replacing the ballast costs less than half what a full new unit would. We’ll tell you before any work starts which part is actually the problem and what the price difference looks like.
A lamp replacement takes around 30 to 45 minutes including safety checks. A ballast replacement is closer to an hour. If we’re installing a complete Aprilaire vent sanitizer into an existing duct run, plan for an hour and a half. We bring shoe covers and drop cloths for any attic access areas, and we’ll walk every vent location with you before work begins so there are no surprises.
We keep common Aprilaire vent sanitizing lamps and ballasts on the truck, along with parts for Lennox, Trane, and Carrier systems. If you have an unusual model we don’t stock, we can usually have it within two to three business days. A quick call to (903) 354-8393 with your model number will sort out which situation you’re in.
We’ve seen low quotes that turn out to be lamp-only with no ballast check, no duct-area inspection, and no warranty on the labor. A cheap lamp swap is still a bad deal if the ballast fails a month later. Our price is one flat number per system and it includes the full diagnostic when we’re in there. We tell you exactly what we’re doing, and exactly what it costs, before we start.
Written by Paul Adeyemi, Owner, Mortons Air Duct San Antonio at Mortons Air Duct San Antonio, serving San Antonio and nearby areas.