Save Money on Cooling by Sealing Leaky Air Ducts
Learn how to tell if you need professional help fixing air duct leaks.
How much are you spending to cool your unfinished attic or crawl space? You may hope the answer is nothing, but if you have leaks in your air ducts, you could be losing 20 to 30 percent of your cooled air to parts of your home you will never visit. Fortunately, you can locate and seal your duct leaks with help from the HVAC pros at General Heating & Air Conditioning.
Signs of Leaky Air Ducts
Some possible signs of a leak in your ductwork include:
- Uneven cooling: If some rooms feel hot no matter where you set the thermostat, the problem may be that air is not reaching those rooms due to gaps or holes in the ductwork.
- Dusty rooms: In addition to losing cooled air, duct leaks can also draw in hot air from your attic or crawl space. This air is likely to be dusty and as it travels into other parts of your home it will deposit this dust at faster rate. If you notice rooms become dusty after running your AC, this is likely what is happening.
- High energy bills: If you’ve noticed your energy consumption creeping up more than normal, it’s possible a newly developed duct leak is to blame.
- Visible damage: If you are able to get into your attic or crawlspace and take a look at your ducts, you may be able to actually see the damage that is causing air leaks. For example, maybe you can see peeling mastic around the duct joints or even patches of tape on the ducts. If you have flexible ducts, watch out for tangles, kinks, and flattened ducts that could indicate a leak has been created.
3 Steps to a Solution
If you suspect you have an air duct leakage problem, the best thing to do is contact the professionals at General Heating & Air Conditioning. We can guide you through the 3 important steps to solving the problem.
- Home Performance Inspection: Using the latest diagnostic equipment, we can measure the amount of air leakage in your home. If a problem is confirmed, we can then pinpoint the location of the leak.
- Joint Sealing & Repair: Once we have located the leaks, we can seal them up with duct mastic or metal duct tape. Either of these options will provide a better seal and a longer life than traditional duct tape, which really should not be used on ducts at all.
- Add Insulation: If your ductwork is not already insulated, we may suggest adding insulation. This will serve as an extra layer of protection against future air leaks that may develop, as well as help keep air cool even while passing through hot areas like the attic.
Ready to get started? Please call us at (626) 531-0022 now.