Duct Sealing: 5 Warning Signs Your Air Ducts Need Attention
There’s no doubt that for Houston homeowners, summer cooling costs can be the highest contributor to your cost of living. Power bills always go up in the summer, but you could be paying more for your AC than you need to if your air ducts have been damaged or are no longer properly sealed. Sealed air ducts ensure that all the cold air your AC pumps into the ducts actually reaches each room to provide whole-home cooling and even air distribution.
If you have damaged ducts, you could be losing both comfort and money with every cooling gust. With a little observation and air duct testing, we can help you determine if your air ducts need repairs that could save you thousands this summer on cooling costs.
What is Air Duct Testing
- Air vents are sealed off
- Air pressure is added to your duct system
- Damage is located based on where air pressure is lost
Air duct testing is the process of identifying where air pressure is being lost inside your duct system. Duct technicians will seal off all but one of the vents and use the final vent to create a pressure system inside your air ducts. From there, progressive testing can identify where air pressure is being lost and locate areas where there may be gaps in your air ducts into which AC is escaping.
Signs That Your Air Ducts Need Repairs
Of course, many homeowners can identify that there is a problem with their ductwork even before they schedule professional duct testing. Here are some of the most common signs that your air ducts are damaged and losing valuable energy.
1. Power Bills are Unusually High
The biggest and most alarming sign that there’s a problem with your ducts will be in the power bill. If your AC is chugging away but some ( or a lot) of your cold air is escaping the ducts, you’ll see the result in your power bill – but not in your home’s comfort. If there’s a big difference in how much you’re paying compared to the same time last year, it’s likely an HVAC issue and it could be your ductwork.
2. Hot or Cold Spots in the House
When air escapes damage or gaps in your ducts, it doesn’t pressurize properly. This can lead to uneven cooling or heating, resulting in hot or cold spots around the house.
3. Some Rooms are Stuffy or Stale
Uneven airflow can also lead your house to have breezy rooms and stale rooms. The stale rooms with stuffy are occur after the leak in your ducts, wher air is escaping instead of circulating into those rooms getting not enough AC.
4. Unusual Dust Levels
Another sign that your ducts are open behind the walls is unusual dust levels. In addition to AC escaping, Dust can get into your ducts and then blow around your house. If your house has become usually dusty and cleaning just doesn’t fix it, it’s probably between-the-walls dust creeping blowing out your vents.
5. Bad Smells From Your Air Vents
Bad smells can also indicate that unpleasant odors are getting into your vents from unconditioned spaces of your home like the attic or between the walls. The nature of the bad smell will tell you if it’s mold spores in the air ducts, old sawdust, pests, or other possible issues.
Benefits of Sealed Air Ducts
Once your ducts have been tested, a professional duct team can go in and get them resealed. Damaged sections of ducts can be replaced and gaps can be closed up. With a follow-up cleaning, your ductwork can return to efficiency and significantly increase the air quality of your home.
Sealed air ducts will help to lower your power bill and keep your home’s air much cleaner because your air is not mingling with the air in the unfinished areas of your house. You will notice a cleaner smell, good air circulation, less dust, and lower bills as a result of getting your ducts resealed.
Air Duct Testing and Sealing in Houston, TX
If your Houston area home is experiencing one or more signs of damaged air ducts, don’t hesitate to call Hage Energy. Our expert teams can quickly conduct air duct testing to tell you if and where there are leaks in your ductwork and take care of repairs quickly so you can enjoy better air quality, even cooling, and much lower power bills when the work is done.
Contact us today to test and seal your home’s air ducts.
