If you’re active about preparing your home for the summer, you’ve probably already scheduled your air conditioning maintenance, which is the most important thing you can do for your system. However, you might not have considered services for your ducts to prepare for the summer. Ducts are easy to forget about, since you can’t see most of them because they’re hidden. Professional duct sealing is a useful service you can have done before the summer weather arrives.
Leaky Ducts Cause Many Problems
Most homes use a network of metal, plastic and duct board ducts to carry air from the AC to the different rooms. These ducts are designed to be airtight so the air pressure inside won’t drop. Unfortunately, if the seal on the ducts is damaged by leaks and gaps—even small ones—it can have larger consequences for comfort, energy savings and AC longevity.
Air Loss Through Leaks = Money Lost
When you turn on your AC, it draws on electrical power to run the compressor that allows for it to move heat out of your house and cool down the air. This is the air that’s then sent via blower into the ductwork. If this air escapes through duct leaks, it doesn’t end up reaching the rooms, which means that the electrical power you paid for has gone to waste.
How much of this cooled air can go to waste? A lot more than you may believe. Duct leaks can allow around 30% of the cooled air moving through the ducts to seep away, and that means paying 30% more to run the AC to make up the difference.
Air Leaks Reduce Comfort
Air pressure inside the ductwork plummets because of leaks, and this will have a large effect on how well your house is cooled. Weak airflow from the vents will result in rooms that won’t cool down no matter how much you run the AC, which is why one of the first warning signs of leaky air ducts is hot spots around the house.
Damaged Ducts Shorten AC Lifespan
All the extra strain put on an air conditioning system as it tries to make up for the loss of cooled air and the decline in pressure means the AC’s components will wear down faster. This not only means additional repair needs; it also means the AC will age quicker and need to be replaced years ahead of time.
If you need duct sealing or have any questions, give us a call at 1-800-989-0299. We’re available 24/7 for all your plumbing and HVAC needs!