Signs You May Need An HVAC Ductwork Replacement
The ductwork in any residential or commercial building is part of an airtight, closed system that draws and conditions air from various rooms. It then circulates this air back into the living space. As such, the ductwork should never have leaks.
When air goes into ducts, it must come out on the other side, rather than seeping through cracks along the way. This aspect makes it important to take all leaks and signs of leakage very seriously. If a leak exists, you’re going to be losing cooled or heated air. Leaks also allow impurities to get sucked into the ducts where they’ll invariably contaminate the conditioned air. HVAC system performance will decline as well, due to the constant loss of conditioned air via system leaks.
Signs You May Need An HVAC Ductwork Replacement In Your Home
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Many things cause leaky ductwork. To start, damaged vent seals can leak air. Wear and tear on the duct connections caused by ongoing contraction and expansion throughout the cooling and heating cycles can also result in leaks. Following are five common signs that you have leaky ductwork in your home.
1. A Dusty Living Environment
If your living environment always appears to be dusty, it may be that you’re simply not dusting your home. You would know if this is accurate. However, this can also be the result of collapsed, broken or leaky ductwork.
When your air ducts are damaged, dust from various parts of the building such as the attic can get sucked right in and can then get disbursed throughout the entire home. This problem will cause your home to accumulate dust at a rate much faster than usual. If your home is perpetually dusty, think about hiring a reputable HVAC service to inspect all aspects of your ductwork. They can resolve any problems that they identify during this inspection.
2. Leaky Ducts Can Create Higher Than Average Energy Bills
An unreasonably high home energy bill can have many possible causes. For one thing, you might be using HVAC equipment that’s either obsolete or old, which means that it’s using more energy to make up for overall inefficiency. Second, you might have an HVAC system that’s leaking cooled or heated air. If air is leaking into crawlspaces or the attic from your air ducts, then your HVAC system is having to work a lot longer and harder to create the comfortable environment you want. To reduce your spending, you’ll need to have a licensed HVAC company repair all leaking ducts.
3. A Lower Than Average Indoor Air Quality (IAQ)
If you have a low or poor indoor air quality, but you know that your HVAC equipment is working as it should, the air ducts in your home are likely the problem. If the temperature inside of your home is nowhere near the thermostat setting and lots of impurities beyond mere dust are circulated throughout the building, then you have a significant ductwork leak. For example, a leaky duct that travels through a storage area in your basement can draw in cleaning products, pesticides, and many other harmful chemicals. These contaminants will significantly diminish the IAQ of your home.
4. Diminished Home Comfort
When it becomes too hard for your HVAC system to heat or cool your home correctly, the air will start to feel stuffy, and the likely cause is a leaking duct. If your conditioned air is leaking out of your ducts and into the great outdoors, you won’t have a consistently optimum level of all-around home comfort. To take care of this problem, you’ll need to have all leaking ducts plugged. The good news is that an experienced HVAC contractor can quickly identify all leaking ducts and fix them.
5. Hazardous Backdrafting Caused By Leaking Ducts
There are several appliances in your home that must be vented. For instance, your furnace needs a vent. Your clothes dryer and water heater also have vents that are used to move toxic fumes outside. Unfortunately, however, a leaking duct will be able to suck these fumes back into the home and can contaminate the indoor air. If you notice pungent or otherwise unusual odors inside of the house, you might have a leaking duct. To make sure that both your family and your property remain safe, have a seasoned HVAC technician conduct an inspection for leaks and perform any needed repairs.
Final Thoughts
All of our technicians at Hart Home Comfort are NATE-certified and ready to offer you superior-quality HVAC services.
We provide genuinely exceptional cooling and heating services that include HVAC replacements, repairs, installations, and tune-ups. Our team of qualified technicians has the experience and expertise for keeping your home HVAC system in top condition.
If you should happen to notice any of the signs mentioned above, get in touch with us to have your ductwork inspected. Hart Home Comfort provides competitive pricing on all our HVAC services and solutions. Contact us now to set up an appointment. As ever, our in-home estimates are free.
For any questions about what Hart Home Comfort can do for you, give us a call today. Click here to contact us now or call us at (631) 667-3200 to find out more!