Duct leaks can cause the average home to lose around 20 percent of its heated and cooled air. Leaky ducts end up making your energy bills high, and they also make it difficult for you to heat or cool your home to the desired temperatures. You might have leaky ducts if you:
- Have very high energy bills, especially during hot Metro-East summers or cold winters when you use your air conditioning or heating.
- Cannot seem to get your home, or parts of your home, warm or cool enough with your HVAC system.
- Have stuffy rooms.
- Can see cracks or holes in any of your visible air ducts.
- Notice that the duct connections at registers and vents have come unattached.
Although you might be able to find and seal some leaky ducts on your own, many air ducts are concealed within walls and other difficult-to-reach places. The best way to completely remedy leaky ducts is to hire a professional contractor to come find and seal the leaks. Professional duct sealing will cost you a little money up front, but a more efficient HVAC system will make up for the cost in the long run.
Choosing a Contractor
When choosing a contractor to help remedy leaky ducts in your home, it’s important to select one with a good reputation and honest pricing strategy. You should also make sure that the company performs the following types of maintenance when they remedy leaky ducts:
- Repairs damaged ducts
- Fixes kinked or twisted ducts
- Seals air leaks with metal tape, mastic or an aerosol sealant
- Checks ducts throughout your home, including the attic, basement and crawl spaces
- Makes sure all vent grills are properly sealed to the ducts
- Adds insulation to ducts, especially those running through areas that aren’t being heated or cooled
- Evaluates HVAC system airflow before and after repairs, including supply and return balance
- Conducts a combustion safety test after ducts are sealed and makes sure no gas from gas appliances flows into the ducts
For help sealing your leaky ducts and assessing the safety and design of the ductwork in your Metro-East home, contact the experts at Ernst Heating & Cooling.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about how to remedy leaky ducts and other HVAC topics, visit our blog.
Ernst Heating & Cooling services Hamel, Illinois and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!