In this blog entry, the professional Denver air duct sealing service team here at Air Improvement Denver will detail the main 5 signs that your air ducts need resealing service.
Sudden Increase in Energy Bills
One of the main signs of air duct leakage is a sudden increase in your monthly energy bills. In most homes, almost 40% of air that comes out of the furnace or air conditioning doesn’t even make it all the way to your air vents, instead escaping through small holes or cracks in air ducts. This can add up to hundreds and hundreds of dollars of lost costs in energy waste annually.
Inconsistent Temperatures
If you notice that some rooms of your home are much colder or hotter than others despite being attached to your HVAC system, this is a sign that your air ducts are leaking. Leaky air ducts make your HVAC system work much harder to maintain the same levels of indoor temperatures, causing it to strain harder (wearing it out faster and increasing energy bills.) However, despite this, some rooms of your house might have air leaking into it in an unintended way through holes, causing inconsistent heating or cooling in rooms with air vents.
Bad Air Quality
Leaking ductwork additionally allows contaminants to get inside ductwork. Dust inside crawl spaces or basements can enter your ductwork, adding microbes and germs, or even mold and vermin droppings, that can then get circulated throughout your home. If warm air leaks into ductwork when it shouldn’t, it can easily condense into moisture and quickly become an ideal breeding environment for mold growth that in turn can cause respiratory disease.
Poor Vent Airflow
Leaking air ducts can reduce the volume of air that comes out of your vents. If you notice that the breeze from your vents is weaker than usual or totally diminished, it’s a large sign that your air ducts are leaking. When air ducts develop leaks or even tiny cracks, much of the air circulating through the system escapes before it even gets to the vents.
Dust Around Vents
If you notice a ton of dust in your home after your heating or cooling systems are turned on, or notice lots of dust or dirt accumulating around your air vents, your air ducts likely need to be sealed. Cracks or holes in air ducts allow dust to enter the duct system, which will then be circulated out of your vents throughout your home, and likely become caked on to your vents, rapidly accumulating. After getting your air ducts cleaned and sealed, you will notice much less dust on the surfaces of your home.