Why Sealing Your HVAC Ducts is Important

Air conditioning can get pricey, particularly when your HVAC system is in disrepair. When it comes to your HVAC system, you want it to work to its maximum potential. Ensuring your air conditioning system is working to its full potential helps you cool your home more efficiently, saving you money and time. Sealing your HVAC ducts can make your system work more efficiently and lower energy bills!

Duct Leakage

When concerning an AC that is working less effectively than it used to, an HVAC technician may look for a few things. One of the important items that can obstruct your HVAC system’s efficiency is leaky ducts. Duct leakage happens when the conditioned air in your home escapes your duct system through holes, loosely connected ducts, or incorrectly sealed connections. These issues can cause the conditioned air to escape your home before it gets the chance to cool, resulting in lost energy.

It’s predicted that leaky ducts can cause the loss of up to 30% of the conditioned air in your home, according to Energy Star. In addition to lowering the efficiency of your cooling system, leaky ducts can also carry dust and debris from areas surrounding the HVAC system into the air, resulting in dirty air being circulated in your home.

Do You Have Leaky Ducts?

If your HVAC system is showing signs of inefficiency, you may wonder what’s the root cause. It could be leaky ducts – but how do you identify them?

As always, the easiest way to know for sure is to call a trusted, certified HVAC technician to do a full scan of your HVAC system and troubleshoot for issues. There are some signs that a homeowner can assess to see if their HVAC system could have leaky ducts, such as:

• Noticing some rooms are warmer or cooler than others, uneven temperature controls.
• When you turn on your HVAC system, you notice dust coming into your home.
• Your energy bills are above average or have increased.
• You can see the metal tape, peeling sealant, or duct tape where holes may have been sealed at an earlier point in time.
• Your ductwork is visibly crushed, twisted, or kinked throughout the home.

These signs point to a high possibility of leaky ducts, but it’s always best to locate a certified HVAC technician to assess your concerns.

How Do I Find Where My HVAC Ducts are Leaking From?

You may want to locate the areas that have leaky ducts before calling an HVAC technician. Although not necessary, this can help speed up the process when the technician enters your home. A good place to start is by looking for exposed ductwork in your home.

Typically, ceilings with removable tiles are the easiest. You can remove the tiles and easily look for ductwork in the ceiling cavity. You’ll want to look for poor or loose connections at the joints, any holes, or loose, crushed ductwork. If you see any of this, it’s likely you are looking at leaky ducts!

If you don’t find any of these signs, you can use a smoke test. Turn your HVAC unit to the fan setting and light a stick of incense or a candle. Then, pass the smoke from the lighted item over any exposed ductwork in your home. If the smoke is either blown away from or pulled toward your ducts, you are likely experiencing leakage.

Conclusion

If you are experiencing signs of duct leakage in your home, call a certified HVAC technician to help. Sealing ducts properly takes knowledge, and you don’t want to try to seal ducts yourself and be unhappy with the results. An HVAC expert, such as our certified technicians at Elite, knows how to identify and seal your leaky ducts for maximum comfort. If you’re experiencing the symptoms of leaky ducts, contact us!

Business Name – Elite Plumbing, Heating & Air Conditioning

Address:  3085 E Post Rd, Las Vegas, NV 89120, United States

Phone Number: 702-263-2665