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ThermAll Heating, Cooling & Electric Blog

The Troubles With Leaky Ducts

duct-sealing-with-caulking

You may have a thief lurking in your attic or between the walls. No, you’re not in a horror film. This is an everyday type of thief who quietly steals money from your energy budget. It’s still a thief however, one you want to put a stop to—leaky air ducts.

Most of the ductwork in a residential HVAC system is hidden from sight. It’s in the attic and disguised behind walls. That makes it easy not to think about it, which is how air leaks can be so sneaky and avoid detection. But make no mistake, these leaks can create plenty of problems. We’ll look at why air leaks are trouble and how you can detect them and get them repaired.

How Air Duct Leaks Cause Problems

The ductwork in a ventilation system is supposed to be airtight along its length so the ducts can maintain air pressure. Any holes or gaps will cause air to escape and pressure to drop. Here’s why this is trouble:

  • It’s expensive. The air escaping from the ducts is air you’ve already paid to heat or cool, and it’s going to waste and taking your money with it. When you consider that up to 30% of the air inside ductwork can get out this way, you’ll understand just how expensive it will be to run your AC or heater.
  • It wears down the HVAC system. When cooling and heating end up going nowhere (except between walls or the attic where they do no good), the HVAC system must work to make up the difference, putting extra strain on it. This not only raises costs, it wears parts down faster. You can expect more repairs and a shorter lifespan for the HVAC system because of unrepaired duct leaks.
  • It reduces comfort. As the air pressure drops in ductwork, the airflow from the vents also drops. A house will have less cooled or heated air reaching the living spaces.
  • It lowers indoor air quality. Air can enter duct leaks as well as leave it—and you don’t want air from the attic or between the walls to get into the ventilation system and your rooms. This air can be dusty and even contain mold spores. It can also be too humid or too dry, harming your indoor comfort. 

Noticing Duct Leaks

Based on the problems listed above, here are some signs to watch for that will warn you have duct leaks:

  • An unexplained rise in heating and cooling bills
  • A dusty or moldy odor coming from the vents
  • Sluggish airflow from the vents
  • A change in indoor humidity
  • Rattling and clanging noises from the ducts

When you notice several of these warnings, call our team!

Repairing Duct Leaks

Our team offers duct sealing in Yakima, WA to restore ductwork to airtight condition. We’ll first test the ducts to determine the extent of the leaks and locate them, then use special equipment to seal the holes. (No, you can’t use duct tape for this job!) We’ll see that your HVAC system works its best once more.

Call on ThermAll Heating & Cooling, Inc: “Your Home Comfort Hero!”

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