If you’ve noticed during the last few summers that your air conditioning bills have continues to rise even though you keep up with regular maintenance, have any necessary repairs done promptly, or have put in a new high-efficiency system, then it’s a strong possibility that the issue is air leaks in the ductwork.
Even small holes in ducts can lead to a large loss of the air inside them. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that leaks in ventilations systems can account for losing 30% of the air passing through them. When you consider that this is all air that you pay to cool, you’ll understand why your utility bills might go up because of leaking air ducts. With summer coming up, you don’t want to have those leaky ducts still causing you high costs for air conditioning.
How did these leaks start in the first place?
The usual answer is that the ducts were poorly installed when the house was first built. This is unfortunately a common occurrence. Inefficient ductwork will increase the air pressure inside them, and when the pressure spikes it leads to leaks developing. Another common cause of air leaks in a place as humid as Florida is the development of corrosion and mold along the duct walls, which weakens them.
Can I seal the ducts myself?
In a word: no. You might have immediately thought about using duct tape for the job, but tape duct is actually not used for ducts. (It’s a long story, but basically the name is old misunderstanding.) Besides, you can’t easily access your ducts unless you’re a professional equipped with the right tools, and you won’t be able to accurately find all the leaks.
Call on professional duct sealers
The first part of sealing ducts is to have them tested. The professionals will raise the pressure inside the ducts and measure how well the ducts maintain it. They can then identify the scope of the problem and start fixing it. Duct sealing uses special metallic tapes and mastic sealant. When the technicians are finished, you should have an airtight duct system once more and you’ll enjoy great cooling during the summer without massive energy waste.
Southeast Air & Heat offers professional duct testing and duct sealing services in Orlando, FL. Don’t delay, call us today!
