Sealing Your Air Ducts Properly Increases The Air Quality In Your Home
The air duct system is an important component that distributes the heating and cooling throughout the house and helps with the home’s ventilation. Sometimes the air duct system may have leaks, holes, or poor connections in it that could cause a loss of air within the system and lower its energy efficiency. By inspecting your air duct system for leaks, you can find and address these problems to keep the system running at full efficiency. There are several advantages to making sure your air ducts are properly sealed.
- Lower Energy Bills: If there is a leak in the duct system, it will lower the efficiency of the heating and cooling which will result in higher energy bills. Making sure that your air ducts are properly sealed will reduce air loss from leaks and result in a noticeable reduction in your energy bills. You can also downsize to a smaller and more efficient furnace or air conditioner if your air ducts are well-sealed.
- Improved Air Quality: Over time, dust, dirt, and other debris gather within the air ducts and are periodically redistributed into the breathing air. If there is a leak somewhere in the ducts, then even more debris can leak out and get into the air. Keeping the ducts sealed will help reduce the amount of debris leaking into the air which will result in better indoor air quality.
- Better Exhaust: The combustion gas appliances in the home such as the furnace, dryer, and water heater need to exhaust outside and the air duct system is responsible for exhausting these gases. If the air duct system has leaks or loose connections, these gases could leak out into the breathing air of the home. Properly sealed air ducts will help ensure that they exhaust outside without contaminating the air.
- Protect the Environment: The energy that homes use for heating and cooling comes from burning fossil fuels which is a major contributor to air pollution. Making sure that your air ducts are properly sealed will reduce the amount of energy needed for the system to function and in turn lower the number of fossil fuels burned which contributes to pollution.
According to Energy Star, up to 20 percent of the air that moves through the air duct system is lost through leaks or loose connections, and making sure your air ducts are well sealed can reduce this loss to improve energy efficiency. The air duct system will also have less of a chance of malfunctioning if it is running efficiently which will save money spent on repairs. If your air ducts need to be sealed but you would rather not do it yourself, contact a reliable air duct cleaning professional to inspect the system and repair any leaks or loose connections for a more efficient system.