Professional Heating & Air Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Duct Sealing’

How to Tell It’s Time for Duct Sealing

Monday, January 7th, 2019

duct-sealingIn the world of HVAC, air is money. You might as well imagine that every time your heater or air conditioner comes on, your dollar bills and quarters are shooting through the air ducts.

And if you keep on imagining that, add in the idea that your ducts could have holes and leaks in it. Your money would go flying out of those holes!

The reality isn’t so different. It’s estimated that up to 30% of your air can be lost through the presence of leaks and disconnects in your ductwork. That’s nearly one-third of your entire heating bill!

The ducts are out of place and hard to see, so we understand that you won’t be able to see the ducts. Instead, we’ll give you some signs to look out for when determining if you need duct sealing.

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Ways to Lower Your Heating Costs

Monday, December 24th, 2018

dollar-signs-chimneyHaving a heater in the middle of winter sure is nice, but looking at huge heating bill isn’t! After installing your heater, it’s all about getting the most out of it with the lowest possible cost. But unfortunately, many people are running their heaters at less-than-amazing efficiency. But luckily they can change that by adopting some new habits or with the help of a few HVAC services.

Here’s what you can do to start lowering your monthly operational heating costs:

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Signs of a Breach in Your Ducts

Monday, April 17th, 2017

Air-DuctsMost homes in the area use centralized heating and air conditioning systems: generating warm or cool air in a single spot and then distributing it through your home using a system of ducts. The ducts themselves thus become an important part of your HVAC system, and when they run into trouble, they need to be treated with the same seriousness that any other issue is. Duct breaches and leaks rank among the most common problems with duct systems. The good news is that a qualified HVAC repair technician can usually correct the problem, provided you can spot the signs and give them a call.

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Beware of Beaches in Your Duct Work

Monday, December 21st, 2015

We live in Hammond, LA, which means our winters are very mild and our heaters see intermittent use at best. This actually makes an ideal time to look at problems that may be affecting your HVAC system’s efficiency, including breaches or breaks in your ducts. The duct work in your home exists to spread conditioned air from your system into your various rooms, nooks and crannies. When a breach opens up – due to damage in your ducts or perhaps the fittings between two sections of ductwork becoming loose – it can cause a great deal of trouble for your heating and air. Beware of breaches in your ductwork and be ready to get the issue addressed as quickly as possible.

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3 Signs That You Need Duct Sealing

Monday, August 17th, 2015

The duct system in your home is vital to ensuring that cool air from your air conditioner and warm air from your heater gets where it needs to go. Normally, they don’t encounter any problems, since they’re tucked safely away in your attic or in the crawlspace between your walls. But breaches can occur, either because the ducts suffer damage, or because the bolts and fittings become loose.

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Ways to Tell You Need Duct Sealing

Wednesday, March 11th, 2015

Is a small break along the ductwork in a home’s ventilation system really that major a problem? How much of an issue can a small hole be?

You’d be surprised. Any loss of the airtight integrity in the ductwork attached to a residential air conditioning and heating system can have significant consequences: it will lower comfort, place extra strain on the AC and heater leading to higher bills, and create indoor air quality issues. Studies have shown that leaky air ducts can result in an increase of 30% on heating and cooling costs for a home. If your house has damaged air ducts, you need to call on professionals to seal the air leaks. (No, you can’t do the job with duct tape. Don’t even think about it.)

For excellent duct sealing service in Covington, LA and throughout Southeast Louisiana, get in touch with A-Professional Heating and Air Conditioning. We offer a number of quality services to take care of your ventilation system—so that it takes care of you.

Because you can’t see most of the ductwork in your home, you will need to watch for warning signs that will tell you the ducts have air leaks:

  • Low airflow from the vents: Leaks in ducts will cause the air pressure inside the ventilation system to drop, which will cause a reduction in the airflow from the vents. If you notice that a room feels too cold or too hot, check on the vent register in the room. If the airflow from it feels sluggish, the issue may be damaged ductwork.
  • Elevated heating and cooling bills: It’s difficult to miss a 30% increase in how much it costs to heat or cool your home. When your monthly bills take an unpleasant upswing, there is something wrong with the HVAC system, and one of the likely culprits is a loss of integrity in the ventilation system. Call for professionals to find the cause and take care of it.
  • Musty smells from the vents: Since the ductwork runs through enclosed parts of your home that have musty air and dust inside them, gaps in the ducts will cause this air to enter the ventilation system. If you notice musty and moldy odors coming from the vents, you may have trouble with ductwork damage.

As we mentioned before, don’t think about using duct tape to fix the problem yourself. Not only is duct tape ineffective on ducts (yes, duct tape is a misnomer), but you will have trouble even locating or accessing the duct leaks. Take the easy route: call A-Professional Heating and Air Conditioning and let our experts handle duct sealing in Covington, LA to restore your ventilation system.

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Why Is Professional Duct Sealing Important?

Friday, December 5th, 2014

Ducts are one of several parts of your home’s infrastructure that you probably never think about. They’re largely invisible, serve a fairly simple purpose with no moving parts to malfunction, and are just generally unobtrusive. It may come as a shock, then, when we tell you that ducts are actually responsible for some of the biggest wastes of energy and money regarding your heating system. Let’s dive into the evidence supporting this claim, and why you should employ professional duct cleaning to solve for it.

Heat Loss

The US Department of Energy estimates that forced air systems lose between 20 and 30% of their heat on average to duct leaks. That means that almost a third of the energy that your heating system spends on heating goes completely wasted. You’re still paying for that energy, however, which means that your heating bill is often substantially higher than it should be. This is the primary reason for professional duct sealing. A lot of these leaks are not noticeable without close inspection, which drastically lowers the chances of a homeowner spotting and sealing one on his or her own.

Uneven Heating

In addition to wasting a great deal of money, duct leaks hinder the ability of your heating system to evenly distribute heat throughout the house. This creates uncomfortable cold spots in your home, some encompassing multiple rooms, depending on the size of the leak. Professional duct sealing can return equilibrium to your heating system, ensuring that you are comfortable and warm no matter where you are in your home.

Contaminants

The dark ductwork in your home can be a prime habitat for all sorts of harmful organisms. Viruses, bacteria, and mold are among the most common contaminants found in a home’s ducts. Many of these organisms are prevented from gaining a foothold in your ducts by a lack of easy entry. It only takes a small duct leak, however, for these contaminants to begin thriving and multiplying. They can then be circulated throughout your house by your forced air system. Professional duct sealing makes it harder for contaminants to enter your ducts, making it a good way to improve your air quality.

If you haven’t had your ducts sealed in a while, call A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning. Our heating professionals cover the entire Covington area.

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How Does Duct Sealing Help Air Conditioning?

Friday, September 19th, 2014

Have you ever considered how important the ductwork in your home is for effective air conditioning? The ducts serve as the channel that transport the cooled air from in the indoor AC cabinet and distributes it through vents into the rooms. Problems with the integrity of the ducts, such as gaps and leaks, will have a negative impact on you air conditioning in multiple ways.

Because most of the ventilation system in your home is hidden behind walls and in ceilings, it’s difficult to tell if the ducts have developed air leaks that require sealing. Any time you notice a drop in air pressure, odd smells coming from the vents, hot spots in rooms, or an increase in your utility bills that you cannot account for, contact A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning in Hammond, LA to investigate. If you have leaky air ducts, we will handle the sealing that will solve the problem.

How Duct Sealing Benefits Your Air Conditioner

The manufacturers of ductwork design them to keep an airtight seal from the air conditioner cabinet all the way to the vents. This maintains air pressure and maximizes airflow. Even a small leak will cause a significant drop in air pressure that will lead to reduced airflow from the vents. The lower the airflow, the poorer the AC will work at cooling down rooms. Effective sealing will keep your air conditioner providing the comfortable temperatures you want.

Leaks in ducts also cause an AC to work harder, since it must strain to reach its set temperature. Even a small set of breaches in ducts can cause an air conditioner to lose up to 30% of its efficiency. Keeping the ductwork airtight thanks to professional duct sealing will prevent your air conditioning bills from rising.

Finally, duct sealing helps to protect an air conditioner from damage and repair needs. Holes in ductwork usually open onto closed-in and dusty areas, such as the space between walls, and dust and dirt will start to enter the ventilation system through the gaps. This debris can easily enter the air conditioner’s cabinet, leading to dirty motors that will burn out and other expensive damages. When you call for professionals to seal up breaks in your ducts, you are helping to keep your air conditioner free from unnecessary repairs.

How Can I Take Care of Duct Sealing?

The best way to have your ducts sealed is to call for professionals. Trained technicians use special equipment to locate the air leaks, and then seal them using mastic and metallic tape. Do not attempt to seal the ducts on your own using “duct tape”: despite the name, duct tape is not for use on ducts and is ineffective at sealing them.

For the skilled services you need to keep your air conditioning working its best, call the team at A–Professional Heating and Air Conditioning. We offer duct sealing services in Hammond, LA.

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