Ducts are used in a forced-air system to distribute air throughout your home. As such, your HVAC system is only as efficient as your ductwork. If you have leaks in your air ducts, comfort in your home will more difficult and expensive to achieve. Leaky ducts can also cause health problems due to the accumulation of dust, molds and humidity within your home’s crawl space, basement and attic.

If you have high utility bill in the summer and winter months, your ducts may contain leaks. Learn three easy duct sealing techniques to help boost energy savings and finally achieve the comfort in your home that you deserve.

  1. Check to be sure that leaky ducts are the problem. If you are unsure how to look for leaky ducts, hire a professional HVAC technician to do the job for you.  If your air ducts are located in the garage, attic or basement, accessing them may be difficult. A professional may run a forced-air test to check for duct leaks. If you decide to check on your own, look for leaks where the ducts meet the heating and cooling systems of your home. Also check where ducts split for old tape, cracks and holes. Be sure to check duct connections at vents and registers. Ducts that are improperly supported will sag and leak as well. Once you know where the problem lies, you can now do something about it.
  2. Use mastic sealant or metal tape to repair faulty ducts. Mastic is a thick paste that comes in a tube. Seal off all leaky collars and joints of the duct work. For unsupported flex ducts, use metal hanging straps every five feet for added support.
  3. Don’t use duct tape when repairing leaky ducts.  Although duct tape will seem like an obvious solution, it doesn’t last very long in duct repair.

If you are in the Los Angeles area, contact Around The Clock Air Conditioning and Heating to talk to a licensed HVAC technician about duct sealing or any of your other HVAC needs.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about duct sealing and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Around the Clock Air Conditioning & Heating services Los Angeles, North Hollywood and the surrounding areas in California. Visit our website to see our current specials and get started today!