Are My Ducts Leaking?

Have you ever tried to use a garden hose with holes punched up and down the tube? Or tried to water a plant when the hose is kinked in half? Not much comes out the end.

Your ducts in your heating and cooling system work in much the same way. If they were installed correctly when your home was built, airflows perfectly to each room in your home. But over time, things start to happen. Joints wiggle loose. Kinks can form in flexible ductwork. Leaks and seals form and allow air to flow where it isn’t supposed to go.

What does this mean for you? A host of problems can occur if your HVAC system isn’t working right, and your ducts are leaking throughout your home.

Yet your ductwork isn’t something you can evaluate on your own. If you head down to an unfinished basement, you might be able to see if there’s a problem. But what about the ductwork behind the walls? How do you know if you have leaky ductwork?

Higher heat bills

Your heat bills often rise each year due to adjustments in natural gas charges. That’s natural and can be explained. However, if you have a sudden spike in your utility bills that can’t be explained, it might be from leaky air ducts. When your ducts leak air where it shouldn’t be, it causes your HVAC system to work harder than it needs to. And that means a rise in your utility bills.

Cold or hot spots throughout your home

Is there a room that never seems warm, and another spot you can never cool down? Has this been changing over time? It could be because of leaky ducts. When a portion of your ventilation system suddenly releases an abundance of conditioned air to one spot in your home, you’ll feel that spot warm or cool.

Difficulty heating or cooling a room

Do you have one room in your home that no matter what you do, you can never get it properly warmed or cooled? It could be leaky ducts. If the air isn’t flowing properly throughout the system, certain rooms might not receive a proper amount of air flow.

Dust, dust, everywhere

One of the byproducts of central heating and cooling is dust. That’s what your air filter is for. When dust gets into the ductwork and it doesn’t run through the system properly, it will blow it to every room in your home every time it turns on. If you’ve noticed one section of your home dustier than others, it might be because it’s getting more unfiltered airflow.

Poor indoor air quality

According to the US Department of Energy, up to 40 percent of all households are impacted by leaky ducts. Depending on where the leak is affects how healthy indoor air quality is. If you’re pulling dusty air from a crawlspace or basement, those pollutants will be a part of the air you and your family breathe. If you notice an increase in allergies or flu-like symptoms, it could by your ducts impacting your health.

Having leaky ducts in your home can be a big deal. It can impact your wallet, the way your home operates, and your health. Give us a call today if you suspect your ducts might have a problem.