If you’re a diligent homeowner, you probably schedule annual maintenance on your home’s cooling and heating systems. That helps ensure both energy efficiency and solid performance. But does that visit include professional duct maintenance? If not, you should consider scheduling a skilled technician to inspect your ducts and make sure they’re properly sealed and insulated.
Why Is Duct Maintenance Important?
You’d be surprised at how much air can leak out of ducts with loose connections, unsealed joints and other breaches in structural integrity. Similarly, ducts that run through unconditioned areas such as crawl spaces, attics and basements can experience energy loss through the thin walls of the ductwork. Heat can infiltrate into the ducts, compromising cooling efficiency, or out of the ducts when they’re carrying heated air.
Whether the problem is poorly sealed ducts or uninsulated ductwork, you’re losing energy that should be going toward efficiently heating and cooling your home. Ducts that are leaking air translate into higher energy bills and reduced comfort.
Leaky ducts also can compromise indoor air quality, as dirty, contaminated air can seep into ducts through gaps and holes and circulate throughout your home with conditioned air. Similarly, ductwork that’s leaking may allow deadly carbon monoxide to back draft into your home after being vented outside by gas appliances.
What Does Duct Maintenance Involve?
While a handy homeowner can perform some duct maintenance steps, you’re better off hiring a professional. He or she will have the tools and know-how to determine how badly your ducts are leaking, and then make long-lasting, durable repairs on ducts that the homeowner would have difficulty accessing. If ducts are dirty, the technician should be able to arrange or perform a professional duct cleaning. This will also improve energy efficiency and performance, as well as indoor air quality.
During ductwork maintenance, the technician will also see where your ducts need to be insulated, making sure the right type of insulation is professionally installed.
To discuss professional duct maintenance, please contact us at Paschal Heat, Air & Geothermal. We’re proud to provide quality service to Northwest Arkansas.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Springdale, Arkansas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about duct maintenance and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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