A building’s ductwork is part of the closed system intended to suck air from various parts of the building. It heats or cools it and then pumps it back into the rooms. Ductwork should not have any leaks.
When your HVAC system pulls the air into the ducts, it should not come out until it reaches the other end of the ductwork. For this reason, you should take all leaks seriously. Leaks in ductwork allow heated or cooled air to escape which, in turn, reduces efficiency. Also, impurities can get sucked into the ducts to contaminate indoor air. Because leaky ductwork loses conditioned air, the system’s performance is poor.
HVAC Repair Cranbury NJ: Signs To Look For With Leaking Ductwork
Contents
There are various causes of leaks. Sometimes, damaged seals at the vents are to blame for air leaking out. Wear and tear on the system due to constant expansion and contraction of the duct connections in cold or hot weather is another cause. Following are five of the most common signs that your ducts might be leaking:
1. Dusty Home In Cranbury
If you irregularly clean your home, you may see dust everywhere. However, that is not the only reason dust may be accumulating. Broken, leaky or collapsed ductwork can also cause this type of issue. When air ducts are damaged, attic dust and dust from other areas of the building can get sucked into the air ducts. It then distributes these pollutants throughout the building. The result of this is that your home accumulates dust faster than it usually would. If you see dust collecting faster than usual, think about hiring an HVAC contractor. They will inspect the ducts and repair any leaks they might find.
2. Leaking Ductwork Adds Up To High Energy Bills
There are numerous possibilities for why your energy bills can be unreasonably high. To begin, your HVAC equipment could be obsolete and consumes more energy than it should. As systems age, they lose their efficiency and yours may not be as efficient as you’d like. Then again, it could just be leaking treated air. Your HVAC equipment must work harder and longer to maintain the comfort levels you desire if there are air leaks in the ducts. This situation is not only hard on the equipment, but it cost more in energy usage and wear and tear. A reliable, licensed HVAC contractor should plug leaks.
3. Poor Indoor Air Quality & Ductwork
If you notice the indoor air quality of your home is poor, but the HVAC system is operating correctly, you could have leaks in the air ducts. If the indoor temperatures are not getting near what the setting on your thermostat is and there are impurities in the air that are not just dust, there may be a serious leak in ductwork. An example of this would be the noticeable scent of chemicals such as pesticides and cleaners being sucked into the home from your basement storage area. Such impurities contaminate the air your breathe and lower the quality of your indoor air.
4. Reduced Home Comfort In Cranbury
If it is hard to cool or heat your home, or it feels stuffy, the problem could be leaking air ducts. Leaky ducts prevent you from enjoying optimal home comfort because conditioned air is being pumped into the outdoors instead of your home. To fix this, you’ll need to have a competent HVAC contractor take a look and repair all the leaky ducts.
5. Dangerous Backdrafting
Some of your home appliances require venting. The furnace is one of those. Your clothes dryer and water heater also use vents to dispense toxic fumes to the great outdoors. It’s unfortunate, but leaky ducts suck those fumes and contaminated air right into your home. If you are noticing pungent odors or unusual smells inside your home, you might have air duct leaks. This situation is not safe, and you should hire an HVAC contractor to inspect and repair any leaks they find.
Conclusion
PFO Heating & Air Conditioning has NATE certified technicians on staff to provide high-quality HVAC services.
Our excellent cooling and heating services include tune-ups, installations, replacements, and repairs. Our team of professional contractors has the experience to provide the highest quality service to keep your HVAC system operating the way it was intended.
If you observe any of the signs listed above, call us, and we can schedule a time to inspect your ductwork.
PFO Heating & Air Conditioning offers competitive prices on all our HVAC services. You can call us today to schedule an appointment. We provide free in-home estimates.
Some of the areas that we service include Cranbury, Helmetta, Plainsboro, Windsor and these zip codes 08512, 08828, 08536, 08561 as well as all surrounding areas in Middlesex County, New Jersey.
Click here to contact us now or call at (800) 253-9001 to find out more!