Residential Air Duct Sealing

Whether you are aware of it or not, the (mostly) hidden ductwork in your home plays a critical part in your comfort. When it comes to keeping your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer, your ductwork handles it quietly.

Ductwork is the connecting gear that runs throughout your home, connecting your furnace to every room. While the installation of your ductwork may appear straightforward, it is actually a bit more complicated than you might believe.

For instance, depending on the size of the room, different sized ducts will be required to link it to the furnace. This can result in many little corners, curves, bends, and other areas where the ductwork may become leaky.

A significant majority of homes have leaks in their ductwork and are most are unaware of it. While a few little leaks here and there may not make a significant difference in your pocket when it comes to paying your monthly electricity bill, they can cause problems that you would want to address promptly if you were aware of their cause.

Sealing air ducts is the act of repairing any cracks, loose connections, or holes in your home’s ductwork using an air duct sealer. This will allow you to save money on utility and energy bills while also increasing the efficiency of your home.

How Is It Done

Occasionally, leaks are too large for the typical homeowner to repair. Your home’s ductwork is one of the most expensive and valuable components. Though you cannot see it, it has a significant part in how your home smells and feels, so don’t hesitate to get an HVAC professional to complete this task.

When your HVAC contractor arrives on the site, they will do the following for your air duct sealing systems:

1. Inspect the whole duct network for leaks and other issues.
2. Repair or replace duct sections.
3. Tighten leaking duct sections.
4. Rearrange kinked and bent ducts
5. Plug cracks, holes, and other ductwork breaches with construction-grade sealant and tape.
6. Connect duct sections with sealant, mastic, or metal tape.
7. Secure the ducts to vents and registers.
8. Find out if any carbon monoxide is leaking from your home or ducts.

However, you will instantly see savings on your energy expenditures, particularly if your ducts are seriously affected. Also, you can expect a significantly healthier home.

When ducts leak, they allow additional dust, dirt, and moisture to enter. They let unwanted pests and rodents access the ducting and deposit waste. Furthermore, they foster an atmosphere prone to mold growth.

When those substances accumulate in your ducting, you and your family inhale them. When breaches occur in the ductwork between the filter and your vents, there is no filter to prevent them. Therefore, hiring a professional to clean and seal your ducts may help you avoid future doctor visits and medical expenditures.

Here are a few critical factors that your ducts require more than just air duct sealing:

1. Noisy HVAC System Operation
   While your HVAC system is designed to generate noise while operating, the noise level should not be excessive.
   If you continually hear rattling sounds or if your HVAC ductwork vibrates excessively when heating or cooling your home, you should get the ducts inspected.Keep in mind that your home’s ductwork is connected via plastic or fiberglass joints. When these joints get injured, rattling or whistling sounds frequently occur.
   If the ductwork has holes, you will also hear loud noises as the air travels through the ducts. Avoid ignoring this noise, as it will only become worse.
2. Excessive Energy Bills
   It is natural for some air to escape through your ducts.
   However, if more than 20% of air escapes, this will eventually show up on your energy bill.
   The reason is straightforward. You set the thermostat to a given setting to maintain a comfortable temperature in your home. The inside temperature rises slightly but insufficiently. This is because a significant amount of air is escaping, rendering the HVAC system inefficient.
   This inefficiency drives up your energy bill because it forces your HVAC system to work more to heat or cool your home.If you are aware that you have not recently placed a lot of electronics in your home (devices, computers, household appliances, etc. ), the increase in your energy bill could be the result of leaking ductwork.
3. Inconsistent Heating or Cooling
   Homeowners may notice that one or more rooms are being heated or cooled inefficiently compared with the rest of the house.This might be caused by malfunctioning ducting that does not distribute enough air around your home.
   This can be easily verified with an inside thermometer. If the temperature discrepancies are plainly abnormal, you should immediately inspect your ducts. This issue could be caused by massive leaks in a duct. The air will escape through these gaps, rendering it incapable of heating or cooling a specific area of your room.
4. Your Home Is Dusty
   This may be because dust from outside the ducts is infiltrating the system via holes and leaks. The HVAC ductwork subsequently transports this dust to the vents, where it is distributed throughout the house.If you sneeze more frequently than usual, you may have an extremely dusty home, which could be the result of malfunctioning ducting. It is critical to take action immediately; otherwise, you risk getting cardiovascular diseases.
5. Very Old Ductwork
   Having old ducts can present complications in the future.
   Even if your ducting appears to be operating normally at the moment, you never know when problems will manifest.Particularly if your home was built in the 1970s and has asbestos insulation (a cancer-causing material), you should inspect your ducts immediately.

   Duct installation techniques have developed significantly during the previous few years. To install and insulate your HVAC ductwork, new, more efficient, and safer materials are employed. By failing to upgrade your pipes, you risk squandering money and jeopardizing your health.