According to furnace companies, duct leaks are a common problem in your heating and cooling system for which you should always be on the lookout. Otherwise, they could cause your monthly utility bills to skyrocket significantly. With that in mind, it’s in your best interest as the homeowner to you learn as much about them as you can.
In this post, All Seasons, Inc. discusses the telltale signs of duct leaks and how you can find them.
High Energy Bills
Depending on your usage, your monthly energy bills may already be pretty high. However, leaking ducts can wreak even more havoc on your energy bills and your monthly budget if they go undetected. This is because your ductwork is leaking air that should be used to heat or cool your home, making your HVAC system work harder than it should.
Backdrafting
If you’re concerned about your home’s indoor air quality, then a leaking duct is the last thing you need. Vented appliances like water heaters and clothes dryers are often designed with the capability to vent fumes to the outside. However, if your ducts are leaking, they could pull some of those humes back into your home, which can be hazardous and costly for you as the homeowner.
Poor Comfort
On the other hand, if your home feels stuffy or uncomfortable no matter the season, it’s likely that you have leaking ducts on the premises. Instead of distributing heated or cooled air indoors, the air could be escaping to the outdoors, greatly affecting your home’s comfort levels.
Low Air Quality
Air conditioning companies say that low air quality can also be the result of leaking ducts. This is because if you’re storing any chemicals like paint thinners or fertilizers in your basement, the compromised connections can pull them in and mix them with your indoor air, thus drastically reducing the quality of air around you.
How to Find Air Leaks
There are a few foolproof methods that you can employ around your home if you’re planning to search for leaks in your air ducts. The first is to look for obvious tears around the connections. Once you spot them, mark the affected areas with a grease pencil so your repairman can easily locate and fix them. Lighting a stick of incense is also useful for finding air duct leaks because once you light them up, you can slowly run the incense beneath the ductwork. If the smoke starts to move in an unusual pattern, this means that it’s being sucked up by the air duct–a telltale sign of a leak.
Turn to All Seasons, Inc., one of the leading electric panel companies in the country, for your home maintenance needs. We’re your leading provider of heating and duct sealing services. Give us a call at (253) 203-6200 or fill out our contact form get a free consultation. We serve homeowners in Puyallup, Tacoma, and nearby areas in WA.
