If your HVAC ductwork needs replacement, would you know it? The entire amount of heated or cooled air inside your home circulates multiple times each day through ducts that extend throughout your house. Lower operating costs, healthy indoor air quality, as well as optimum comfort control in every room, all depend on intact ducts. Concealed in the attic and elsewhere, however, the full length of both supply and return ducts are generally out of sight of the average homeowner. So how do you determine whether HVAC ductwork needs replacement?
What’s Going on Inside Your HVAC Ductwork?
An inspection by a qualified, professional HVAC contractor is the definitive way to discover the actual condition of the entire length of your ductwork. The contractor can utilize technology to determine the precise amount of air loss from the ducts, as well as visually inspect the inside of ducts. With that information, he can determine whether ductwork replacement is required to return the ductwork to original specifications.
However, the homeowner can also be on the lookout for the following signs of leaking, deteriorated ducts:
- Uneven cooling and heating. If certain rooms in your home maintain thermostat settings while others are too cold in winter and uncomfortably warm in summer, low airflow due to leakage in supply ductwork is a possibility. This may be due to leakage at joints between segments of ductwork or areas where the duct material itself has deteriorated due to corrosion or other factors.
- Poor indoor air quality. Leakage in supply ducts allows conditioned air to escape and insects, rodents, and other pests to contaminate ductwork. Return ducts, conversely, operate under slightly negative pressure. Leaks or deterioration can draw a variety of airborne pollutants into return ductwork from unhealthy zones such as the attic, inside wall voids, and under the house.
- Increased operation costs. If you’re heating or cooling the attic, crawl space, or other unoccupied areas due to duct leakage, you’re paying higher monthly costs but not receiving any benefit from this loss of conditioned air.
For more information about professional service to inspect HVAC ductwork, contact Ace Hardware Home Services.
