Are Your Ducts in a Row?
When is the last time that your air conditioning ducts have been checked for leaky connections, rodent damage, or kinks restricting proper air flow?
Unfortunately, your air ducts are often out of sight either in the attic or under the house and don’t get the proper attention. We recommend a duct inspection at least once every year (so does NADCA).
Here are some quick facts about A/C and Heating Duct Leaks:
- Typical duct systems lose from 25%, up to 40% of their heating or cooling capacity.
- Leaky ducts make your HVAC system (Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning) have to work much harder
- Leaks in your ducts equals higher utility bills
- Duct leakage can potentially cause dust, mold, and health issues. Major leaks can be found around joints at ductwork connections, around the air handler, and near vents. Look for holes, tears, and loose joints.
Every unsealed joint is likely a small leak—even if a gap is not visible. If your home has a mechanical closet (for the Air Handler Unit or Furnace), it should also be properly sealed to prevent negative return side air leakage. The return chamber should be kept clean & free of debris.
Since most ductwork is located in attics or crawl spaces, the conditioned air that you paid for never gets into the house. Leaking supply ducts (where the A/C system blows air) can lose large amounts of cooled/heated air to these unconditioned areas. Leaking return ducts (where the A/C system sucks air in) can suck hot, cold, or dusty air into the conditioned space. Duct leakage significantly increases cooling and heating loads, sometimes beyond what the HVAC system can handle.
Your A/C duct system should be visually inspected at least once every year according to NADCA ACR-2006. Here at Gulf Coast Air Care we have the tools to pressure check your duct system. We can tell you exactly how much air and money is leaking out of your duct system. Give us a call today if you would like a trained professional to either visually inspect or pressure test your A/C air duct system!
The Secret to a long life for your A/C System!
Hey, let’s face it, A/C equipment is not cheap. If you’ve purchased a system in the last couple of years you know what I’m talkin’ about.
You probably want to know what it takes to get the full benefit from your system. Things like total comfort, low power bills, and a healthy home without mold or minimal dust. The home works like a system, several things are involved but the Lungs & Heart of the home is the HVAC system.
We can tell you this; the duct system has a very critical part in the proper operation of your “home as a system” even though your duct system is “outta sight & outta mind.” When you purchase a new A/C system you want it to last as long as possible & you want to get maximum performance out of the system as well. Nobody likes to see the A/C man for any reason other than seasonal check-up & even then, all we want to hear is “everything checked out GREAT!!” Many people operate on the old adage “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” and to a point, I agree. Inspections are important. This is the Key!
Would you fly on an airplane if they lived by the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” rule? The point is “Stuff Happens.”
So the common question is -“How do I get 15 -18 years of service out of my A/C system”? In addition to that ~ wouldn’t you expect the overall comfort and energy picture to improve when you buy one of these high efficiency units from these so called “comfort companies?” The problem is – nobody is looking at the duct-work, much less, testing it for leaks or checking to see if it can handle the performance criteria of the new A/C equipment. The condition of the duct system is extremely critical when you start to go up in efficiency ratings’ of A/C equipment; the DUCT needs to be sealed tight, sized correctly, and free from mold, dust & debris. The secret is to have a Sealed Duct System with documented test numbers – not a guess or a quick peek. Test the ducts & make sure that you are going the get all the performance you expect out of your new A/C equipment. The test is called a “Blower Door” test or “Duct Leakage” test; some people use the term “Duct Blaster“ test. Most companies that do this type of testing will also inspect or test the other critical whole house parts such as, the attic insulation, attic venting, air-balance valves or dampers, and weatherization features, like caulking of windows or doors. These all figure into the formula of operating the “House as a System”. All of this Data should be looked at or verified to be within specifications or code.
