Maintaining Your Ducts for Improved Performance

Your home’s ducts transport heated and cooled air from your HVAC system to the rest of your home. Although they sit out of sight—and thus often out of mind—your ducts play an extremely important role in your indoor comfort every day. Ducts that are in poor shape may have blockages or leaks that prevent air from circulating properly, putting excess strain on your furnace and air conditioner and lowering their ability to perform efficiently. Maintaining your ducts will greatly improve the energy efficiency of your HVAC system and help you maintain a comfortable temperature in your home all year long.

Insulate Exposed Ductwork

Exposed ductwork in your basement, crawlspace, garage, or attic can radiate heat in the winter and soak up heat in the summer, costing you more to heat and cool your home. Insulating these exposed ducts is a fast, easy, and very effective way to improve your heating and cooling efficiency for greater comfort and lower bills. Adding insulation to ducts is a simple home improvement project you can undertake on your own. However, if you don’t feel comfortable insulating your ducts yourself, an HVAC specialist will be happy to perform this task for you.

Repair Leaks

Leaky ducts allow heated or cooled air to escape rather than funneling it all to the registers that distribute air throughout your home. As heated or cooled air is lost, the indoor comfort of your home drops and you are forced to turn the thermostat higher or lower. This results in extra strain on your HVAC system and higher energy bills at the end of the month. You can choose to repair leaky ducts on your own or hire an HVAC expert to handle the job for you. Sealing any leaks will restore the efficiency of your HVAC system and improve indoor comfort without the need to crank the thermostat higher or lower.

Have Your Ducts Cleaned

Over time, airborne pollutants build up inside your home’s ductwork. These pollutants include animal hair, dust mites, dirt, pollen, and other debris brought inside when you open your doors or windows. While it can be easy for these pollutants to enter your home, it is difficult for them to leave again. Instead, they circulate through your home and build up inside your ducts, narrowing the space available for air to flow. Dirt and dust inside your ducts may also eventually end up inside your furnace or air conditioner, where it limits performance and can even be a fire hazard. Having your ducts professionally cleaned will remove this buildup of pollutants for clear, more efficient ducts.

You can find more tips for improving the energy efficiency of your Columbus home when you click on our blog. If you need to reach an HVAC service professional about an inspection, repairs, or duct cleaning service using our Total Source Removal Cleaning Process, visit our website to contact us today.