Air ducts are an important part of your heating and cooling system, but they are often overlooked. Many times, homeowners have no idea that a problem exists. If you feel like your HVAC system is inefficient or you have consistently high energy bills, check out these five common problems.
Bad Connections
Check all of the duct connections. They can often become loose or even disconnected, which causes the air to leak into open space. According to a Pippin Brothers article, “The average home loses about 20-40% of the air that circulates through its ducts, causing major inefficiency in your heating or cooling system.” Making sure all of your ducts are tightly sealed will prevent air from escaping and pollutants from getting in.
Improper Insulation
If your ducts are not properly insulated, or not insulated at all, you’re wasting a lot of money. A significant amount of heat and air can escape this way, so it’s important to keep all ductwork well insulated. Solutions to this problem include: purchasing insulation to wrap around your ducts and replacing your current ducts with fully insulated ductwork.
Dirty Ducts
Dust, germs, and pollutants recirculate through your ducts, which actually makes the air in your home much dirtier than the air outside. If you haven’t had your air ducts cleaned, do so. Cleaning them will greatly improve your home’s air quality and help your system run more efficiently.
Inadequate Airflow (Kinks/Twists)
If you have flexible ductwork, make sure there aren’t any kinks, twists or other obstructions restricting airflow. These types of ducts can even get crushed, causing major issues with air circulation.
Poor Design
The single greatest issue for duct systems is poor design. Laying out your ducts in a way that’s efficient and effective is extremely important. You want a duct system that gets the air from one point to another with the least amount of distance, twists and turns. Otherwise, heating and cooling your home will be inefficient and cause your energy bill to skyrocket.
If you’re tired of dealing with your air ducts, one option to consider is investing in a ductless HVAC unit.
Read more about the benefits of installing these units in one of our recent blog articles. Or give Gagne a call for professional emergency HVAC service in the greater Atlanta area.