Take a deep breath. How confident are you that your indoor air is clean and safe to inhale? Unless you’re sure that your ductwork is sealed and intact, you and your family could be breathing air pollution on a daily basis. Leaky ducts have been known to lead to poor indoor air quality that can significantly reduce your quality of life and lead to health problems.
Unhealthy Particles
In most homes, ductwork runs through attics, crawl spaces and above basements. These areas are prone to excessive dirt and dust buildup, and can promote the growth of mold. Rodents and other critters often find their way into these spaces and may even die there. If there’s a leak in your ducts, this poor air quality can find it’s way into your HVAC system and be distributed throughout your entire home.
Unfiltered Air
Duct leakage on the supply side can lead to poor indoor air quality as well. Air is taken to the supply via return ducts, but if there’s a supply leak, some of the air will be lost during the transfer. This results in negative pressure. In order to make up for the loss, your house will pull unfiltered air in from other sources, whether it be from the attic, crawl spaces or through cracks and gaps around windows.
Carbon Monoxide
Problems with your ductwork can lead to negative pressure on the return side. When this happens, exhaust gases from combustion appliances aren’t able to go up the flue, and the end result is a backdraft. This increases the likelihood of carbon monoxide buildup indoors and potential poisoning.
Don’t let leaky ducts result in poor indoor air quality throughout your home. Call the pros at Ace Hardware Home Services to have your ducts evaluated and sealed today. We’re proud to serve the greater Dayton area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Dayton, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
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