In the world of HVAC, air is money. You might as well imagine that every time your heater or air conditioner comes on, your dollar bills and quarters are shooting through the air ducts.
And if you keep on imagining that, add in the idea that your ducts could have holes and leaks in it. Your money would go flying out of those holes!
The reality isn’t so different. It’s estimated that up to 30% of your air can be lost through the presence of leaks and disconnects in your ductwork. That’s nearly one-third of your entire heating bill!
The ducts are out of place and hard to see, so we understand that you won’t be able to see the ducts. Instead, we’ll give you some signs to look out for when determining if you need duct sealing.
Gradually Increased Heating Bills
The first sign you would notice is the increase in the heating bill. If there are leaks in the ducts, the heater will have to work harder and longer to warm your home up. That translates into a pricier energy bill, and leaky ducts could be to blame.
The Air Feels Dirtier
Leaky ducts don’t just waste energy—they lower your Hammond, LA indoor air quality, too. For every leak or disconnect in your ductwork, the air around that leak will get sucked into it. Whether your ducts are located in the attic or in the crawlspace, both places have dirty air that you’d rather not recirculate into the rest of the home.
Uneven Heating and Cooling
If your house has some rooms that resist changing temperature, we refer to those rooms as hot or cold spots. There are many causes for this phenomena, and one potential reason is a duct leak.
The duct leak will prevent air from being transported across the entire length of the ductwork. The air may be getting sucked out just before it can reach that room. Based on where the leak is located, it could allow other rooms in the home to heat and cool perfectly fine.
If you suspect this is the case, you can even try feeling the air vent to see if the air flow feels weaker than usual.
Duct Repairs Performed by an Amateur
Have you allowed an amateur HVAC tech or a handyman into your attic to perform duct repairs and services? This could explain why your ducts suddenly aren’t working like they used to.
For one, they may have knocked a duct loose on accident. There are plenty of times where homeowners have done this unintentionally while moving things in the attic.
And second, they may have used less-than-professional methods to seal the ducts. Duct tape—despite its name—is actually one of the worst things you could ever use to try and seal a duct with. Likewise, any duct services performed by an amateur may have left your ducts in worse shape.