Is Duct Sealing Beneficial at All?

Unless you live in an older home that doesn’t have any ductwork, you rely daily on the unseen air channels set into the walls and ceilings of your house. Because you can’t see these air ducts, it’s easy for you to forget about them and believe they’ll just take care of themselves. The suggestion of duct repair service in Austin, TX may sound a bit absurd.

For example, duct sealing. Is this something ducts actually need, and is it any benefit? And even if it’s beneficial, why hire a professional for the job when you’ve got duct tape?

We can answer these questions for you—and then provide the duct services you need.

AIR DUCT LEAKS ARE BAD NEWS FOR YOUR BILLS, YOUR HVAC SYSTEM, AND YOUR COMFORT

Ductwork is designed to retain an airtight seal along its length. This allows the ducts to maintain proper air pressure and deliver air from the blower fan evenly around the house. Any break in this seal allows air to escape—often heated or cooled air—and lowers air pressure.

• This costs you on your bills: You can lose up to 30% of the air in the ducts to these leaks. This means when the heater or AC is running, you’re losing 30% of the air you’ve paid to heat or cool. You can expect to see steeper utility bills as a result, peaking during the warmest and coolest parts of the year. You don’t want to pay 30% more for the same cooling/heating performance.
• This wears down the HVAC system: The 30% loss of air means the AC, heater, or heat pump must work that much harder to make up the difference. This is putting extra “miles” on the system that will cause it to break more often and have a shorter system life.
• This harms household comfort: Air leaks in ducts are one of the principal causes of hot and cold spots around a house. When you notice uneven heating and cooling in your house and aren’t sure why it’s a major warning sign of leaking air ducts that need repair.

All it takes to fix these problems is to have professionals seal the duct leaks. You’ll soon see the benefits of lower utility bills, improved comfort, and an HVAC system that hangs around longer with fewer repairs to pester you.

A JOB FOR PROS, NOT TAPE

Duct tape is not an option to repair leaky ducts. There’s a long and weird story behind how duct tape received a misleading name. (It was originally called duck tape, although there are competing reasons why.) The essential fact you need to know is that duct tape is not useful on ducts. At all. It quickly turns brittle and falls off when exposed to temperature changes inside the ductwork.

If you think you have ducts that need repair, leave the tape in the drawer and call our professionals instead. We’ll first perform duct testing is to see if the ventilation system needs repair work, and then we’ll focus on where sealing will help.

iAir Services offers full HVAC service throughout the Greater Austin Area. Speak to us today to arrange for duct testing if you suspect leaky ductwork.