Is Aging Ductwork Altering the HVAC Efficiency of Your Staunton Home?

Is Aging Ductwork Altering the HVAC Efficiency of Your Staunton Home?

Alton, Bethalto, Collinsville, duct blower test., ductwork, Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Greenville, Highland, hvac contractor, hvac system, Illinois, Maryville, Troy

How long ago was the ductwork in your home installed? Unless you built the home yourself, you may not know. The fact is that many homes contain the original ductwork that was installed when the house was built. That means that if your home was built in 1960, your ductwork might be over 50 years old. Aging ductwork can lower the efficiency of your HVAC system if it’s not in good repair.

How Can You Tell?

Is your old ductwork affecting the efficiency of your HVAC system?

  • Determine the age of the ductwork. If you’re lucky, you may find a label on the ductwork that will give you a hint to its manufacture date. You may find a combination of old and new ductwork.
  • Inspect the ductwork where you can. Look for split edges or gaps between sections. Make sure the connection to vents is solid. Use a flashlight to look into wall cavities and attic corners.
  • Check airflow into all rooms. Each room has it own duct run. Make sure each room is getting enough airflow. If one room is not, you may have a major duct leak or a collapsed section.
  • Get a HVAC contractor to do a duct blower test. This test uses a blower fan along with pressure sensors to measure how much air is actually flowing through the ducts. A final calculation determines how much air is being lost versus how much the system is sending through.

What do you do if you find that your aging ductwork is reducing your HVAC system efficiency? You can either make major repairs or replace the ductwork altogether. Either action will make your home more comfortable and may even lower your energy bills.

If you need help evaluating, repairing or replacing your HVAC ductwork, please contact us here at Ernst Heating & Cooling. We have proudly served our neighbors in Alton, Bethalto, Edwardsville, Glen Carbon, Highland, Greenville, Troy, Collinsville, Maryville, Hamel and Staunton, as well as other communities in the Metro-East, since 1954. Give us a call today.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Hamel, Alton, Glen Carbon, Highland, Greenville, and Troy, Illinois 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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