It’s been about fifty years since newly invented central air conditioners became extremely popular. Of course, in our area, they gained popularity due to the climate. And these new systems required ductwork to distribute the cooled air throughout the home. This means that for half a century, newly-constructed homes have been built with ducts.
This system is fantastic, but nothing lasts forever, and nothing is completely indestructible. Ductwork can be damaged by anything from rodents to accidents during home renovations, and they can deteriorate simply from the forces of time. Leaks in ductwork are shockingly common and can cause a wide variety of problems, including wasted energy and high utility bills. Here’s what you should know.
Wasted Money
When air that you pay to heat or cool finds a crack or hole in your ductwork, it escapes. Often, ductwork runs through places like your attic. You don’t need heating and air conditioning there! And another consequence of having your ducts in out-of-sight places like that is being unable to see when there are cracks or holes.
In fact, damaged ducts are so common that it’s estimated that the average American home is losing 30% of its heated and cooled air this way. Can you imagine how much lower your utility bills could be if you weren’t paying for that much waste?
Other Costs
It’s not just rising utility bills that can cost you money when your ducts are damaged. Having to use your heating and AC systems so much more, to make up for all that loss, means putting extra strain on them. And those holes don’t just let your air out of the ducts. Sometimes, due to the air pressure in the system, they can pull air into the ducts from those out-of-the-way places.
The air in your attic or between your walls is not clean and fresh. It can contain all sorts of things: sawdust, mouse droppings, insulation fibers, and more. If those things get pulled into your ducts, they can cause friction and wear and tear inside your heating and AC systems. Between the contamination and the extra use, you can end up with frequent HVAC repair needs and even systems that need to be replaced much sooner than they should.
Duct Tape Doesn’t Work
There are so many things that duct tape is good at. Unfortunately, patching up holes in ductwork is not actually one of them. Ducts change temperature constantly, which causes the adhesive in duct tape to dry up and flake away. So what can be done when there are holes in your ductwork?
Qualified professionals can assess your entire system of ductwork. If damage is limited to specific areas, the cracks can be repaired with a specialized sealant that stays flexible during all those temperature fluctuations. If a certain section has severe damage, or if your ductwork is badly deteriorated throughout, they can provide air duct replacement in Tampa, FL.
When your ducts are properly enclosed, each month’s utility bill will bring relief instead of dismay. It will even improve the quality of the air you breathe, since your ducts won’t be pulling in that contaminated air! So if you have any concerns about your ductwork, we’d be happy to help you determine what condition it’s in and what repairs are needed.
Contact us today to schedule an appointment for duct inspection and repair.