You may have the finest in energy-efficient equipment installed at your home, but if your ducting isn’t up to par, you’re still losing in efficiency, comfort and energy. Ductwork problems may not seem like a major issue but, whether your ducts are old or new, there may be situations existing that are preventing your equipment from operating at its peak.
Checking Out Ductwork Problems
Whether you do it yourself or have it performed professionally, checking your ducts is a good investment of time and money. There are situations that may look innocent enough but are causing problems. Here are a few things that may be robbing you of both energy and comfort:
- Duct Leaks — Ducts should be a sealed system. If there are leaks, there are problems. Leaking joints, return vents, incoming vents all pose problems. Leaks create an imbalance in the home’s interior pressure. In fact, leaking joints can pull in dust or dangerous and unhealthful exhaust vapors from oil or gas heating systems.
- Poor Design — Meandering ducts, dead-end duct runs and ducts that are smaller or larger than needed are energy thieves. Ducts should always take a direct route to each room. They should also be well insulated where exposed or shielded inside conditioned spaces.
- Inadequate Returns — Ductwork problems can extend to return vents. If your home has rooms with no returns, air has no way to recycle through the system. This creates unbalanced airflow and poor comfort distribution.
- Sharp Turns in Branches — Duct branches with sharp, 90-degree turns slow down airflow. Branches should bend easily into rooms to maintain air velocity.
Each one of these ductwork problems reduces your home’s comfort, the equipment efficiency and increases energy costs. Good equipment is only as efficient as the distribution system — your ducting.
If you have questions about the ducts in your home, contact our experts at Aladdin Heating & Cooling. If you’d like, we can schedule an inspection of your Warren, Utica or other Metro-Detroit area home. We’ll point out the ducting problems and suggest improvements. We’re always happy to help and are always just a click or phone call away.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about ductwork and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Aladdin Heating services Novi, Farmington, Farmington Hills, Southfield, Oak Park, Ferndale, Beverly Hills, Berkley, Royal Oak, Birmingham, Bloomfield Twp., Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield, Madison Heights, Clawson, Sterling Heights, Warren, Troy, St. Clair Shores, Grosse Pointe, Grosse Pointe Woods, Grosse Pointe Farms, Grosse Pointe Park, Detroit, Utica, Shelby Twp., Rochester, Rochester Hills, Auburn Hills, Lake Orion, Oxford, and Clarkston.
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