Most homeowners initially suspect the large HVAC equipment like furnaces or heat exchangers as the problem when effectiveness starts to drop, but what isn’t usually considered are the ducts. Problems with ductwork can cause a significant drop in performance and efficiency, which will cost you both comfort and money.
How Ducts Degrade
Over time there are many problems that can arise in your ducts. Ducts often become looser at the joints and can leak air. This is a fairly common occurrence, but the process is sped up if the initial installation was poor.
There are four main things you should do to determine if you have any problems with your ducts:
1. Check the age of your ducts
If your ductwork is relatively new, you probably don’t have any major issues. However, if it was installed poorly, with cheap equipment and sealing, there can be significant deterioration after only 10 years.
2. Examine duct joints
It’s hard to examine most of your ducts, but when it is in the open, usually attics or crawl spaces, you can inspect it. Check the joints specifically for any gaps or loose sealant. Sometimes air leaks will be obvious from visible streams of dust coming from the ducts.
3. Check airflow around home
Your ducts deliver air to almost all parts of your home. If there is a leak somewhere, it is usually evident from a room or two having reduced airflow. If your system is in use you can easily check this by measuring the temperature in each room.
4. Conduct duct blower test
By far the most conclusive option is to have an HVAC contractor come in and perform a duct blower test. He will use a blower fan to pressurize the ducts and then measure how much airflow is needed to maintain the pressure. If one section needs a higher airflow, it has a leak.
Finding problems with your ducts can be tricky, so if you need any assistance finding or fixing problems in your Los Angeles home, contact Around the Clock Heating & Air Conditioning.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Los Angeles, North Hollywood and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about ductwork and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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