How often do you think about your ductwork? Probably a lot less than we do! It’s easy to forget–out of sight, out of mind, right? Although your ductwork remains behind closed doors (walls?), it’s crucial to keep the age and health of your ductwork in mind, as your HVAC system is often considered to be the backbone of the home.
Even the best HVAC systems can produce poor-quality air if not paired with good, properly maintained ductwork. Without this, you can run the risk of lowered efficiency overall paired with sub-par air quality coursing through your home. With well-maintained ductwork, you can expect higher efficiency and cleaner air.
Why is ductwork so important?
Without ductwork, you wouldn’t be able to enjoy the modern HVAC system. Ductwork is what transports conditioned air to all the rooms in your home. Without it, there is no transportation of air (unless you have a ductless system, of course!). When it comes to having cool air in the summer and warm air in the winter, your ductwork is who you should be thanking.
This part of your HVAC system is responsible for moving huge quantities of air throughout your home or office all day every day, and its state is very important if you want to keep enjoying the luxury of air conditioning! When it comes to damaged ductwork, it can severely decrease the efficiency of your heating and cooling if not addressed in time.
How does ductwork become damaged?
Ductwork snakes around corners, nooks, and crannies in your home. Made of sheet metal, the ductwork is able to be shaped exactly to the form of your home to get that air in every room. With so much movement, it’s fairly common for ductwork to develop cracks and leaks over time, or suffer poor connections between connections.
With even small leaks or cracks, the efficiency of your HVAC system can decrease dramatically, as conditioned air can slip right through the cracks in the system where you can effectively lose it to the space inside your walls in your home or office.
When should the ductwork be replaced?
There can be a myriad of reasons that point to the solution of replacing ductwork. It can come in the form of:
Old age. 15 years is typically the point where you want to look at the health of your ductwork.
Weird noises. If you’re hearing rattling or vibrations that weren’t present before, this could point to damaged air ducts.
Increased electric bill. This could mean that your HVAC system is not running efficiently, and air ducts can be the cause of this in some cases.
Poor air quality. Noticing some difficulties in breathing or lower air quality? This could be caused by damaged air ducts allowing dust and debris into the airflow.
Uneven temperature control. Have hot and cold spots in your home? This could be due to leaks in the air ducts that make it difficult to properly heat or cool the space.
Smells. If you notice a bad smell when your air kicks on, it could be due to dirty and damaged ducts.
Infestations. If your home or office is suffering from a bug or pest infestation, it’s likely that your air ducts could be hosting these creatures, which means the system could be contaminated, dirty, and obstructed.
Poor install. If you’ve had the misfortune of a poor installation job, this could seriously cut your air duct's life short. This could be in the form of poor connections or damage done during the job.
Call us
Air ducts are the lungs of your home and should be treated as such! Have questions about maintenance on your HVAC unit or air ducts? Need an inspection or some tips? Please, do not hesitate to give us a call over here at Tri-Point. Any one of our many experienced, certified technicians will be happy to talk to you and excited to help you along the way! Ask us about signing up for routine maintenance checks with our experienced technicians!
For a direct line to any of our employees ready on the line to help you, please call…(512) 651-4565 for our Austin, Texas community (806) 686-0050 for our Lubbock, Texas community. Or check out our website at https://www.tripointrefrigeration.com
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