Ducts Work Behind the Scenes to Keep your Home Comfy

Are your ducts sealed and ready for winter? You might think so, but sometimes it’s hard to know. Ducts are often concealed in walls, ceilings, attics, and basements or crawlspaces, and can be tricky to access. A duct system that is well-designed and properly sealed can make your home more comfortable, energy efficient, and safer.

What Do Ducts Do? Ducts are used to distribute conditioned air—warm or cool—throughout the house. In a typical house, 20 to 30 percent of the air that moves through the duct system is lost due to leaks. Leakage is the result of poorly sealed ducts, crushed lines, or holes. If the ductwork is not properly sealed, when your heating and air system operates, it pulls air from your attic through the ducts and into your home, carrying along attic dust and odors. You are also heating or cooling your attic! Leaking ductwork may cause “backdrafting” where fumes from gas appliances are drawn back into the home.

Why Do I Need Healthy Ducts?

● Comfort: Sealing and insulating ducts can help with common comfort problems, such as rooms that are too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter.

● Savings: Leaky ducts can reduce efficiency by as much as 20 percent. Sealing and insulating ducts increases efficiency, lowers your energy bills, and can often pay for itself in energy savings.

● Safety: Sealing ducts can also help improve the indoor air quality by reducing pollutants entering ducts from dusty attics or musty crawlspaces and circulating through your home. Sealed ducts inhibit the risk of backdrafting and expel gas and fumes to the outdoors instead of inside your home.

How Do I Check for Duct Leaks? Have your utility bills increased? Do some rooms never feel comfy, either warm or cool? Can you see any tangled or kinked flexible ducts? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you need to have your ducts pressure tested.

Scott Systems Heating and Air offers residential duct pressure testing services—it’s important to check this part of your heating and cooling system this time of year.

Our technicians pressurize the ductwork, which allows them to determine amounts (if any) of leakage in the system. Once the testing is complete, our technician will offer solutions if leaks are found. Many repairs to solve ductwork issues are inexpensive and well worth the money you’ll save on lower utility bills. Note: In case ductwork repairs total over $1,000, we offer special financing for our customers. Our duct pressure testing is free to Comfy Club members and only $59 for customers in our service area. Give us a call today to schedule a duct check-up!