The actual start of fall is only a few weeks away, and it’s already time to start making preparations for the change of seasons—a bit of “fall cleaning.” One job you might consider for this time of year is to look after your home’s air ducts.
Wait… you’ve never thought the air ducts needed looking after? Don’t worry, many people think that. Because the ducts are mostly removed from sight, it’s easy to just forget about them and assume they’ll work because, well, they’ve always worked. But this is far from the truth!
What Can Go Wrong with Your Air Ducts
Air ducts can suffer from wear and tear over time due to the pressure inside them. This is bigger problem if (as is unfortunately often the case) the ducts were poorly installed in the first place. Humidity can also lead to issues such as corrosion creating holes in metal ducts. Insects and vermin can also create duct damage.
Even the smallest air leaks in ductwork can contribute to a drop in pressure throughout the ventilation system, which will affect both comfort and energy efficiency. In fact, the ventilation system can lose up to 30% of the air moving through it because of these duct leaks—and that’s a huge amount of heated and cooled air going to waste! Damaged ducts can also create a decline in indoor air quality.
What Duct Testing Does
If you’ve never before arranged for professional duct testing, it’s definitely something to have done as soon as possible, even if you don’t suspect your ductwork has any issues. The testers will seal off the ventilation system and increase its pressure with a power vacuum, then measure with manometers how fast the pressure drops. This will tell them the integrity level of the ducts and if repairs and sealing are needed to restore the ducts to peak condition.
To schedule duct testing for your home this fall, call on Air Creations, Inc. in Westfield, NJ. “We Do It Right!”
