Have you ever had a room in your house that simply wouldn’t become warm, no matter what you tried? Which one did you enter, feeling a distinct cold that wasn’t present in any other room? You’ve turned your furnace off since the weather in the Seattle region is starting to get more pleasant. It is time to give some consideration to that one particular room.
It won’t be long until the hot summer weather compels you to turn on the air conditioning, and if your air ducts aren’t working properly, the room that was previously the only one with a cool temperature might soon become the only one with a warm temperature.
Now that we’ve reached the halfway point between the chill of winter and the sweltering heat of summer, you may want to think about calling in https://www.mandrrefrigeration.com serving Surprise Arizona to do some HVAC maintenance, examine your ducts, and make sure that everything is in good condition for the summer.
What is the Function of the Air Ducts?
The large tubes that provide conditioned air to a space, whether it be heated or cooled, are known as air ducts. They serve as the highway on which conditioned air is transported. Your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system is able to carry out its duties effectively when the path leading to it is free of obstructions such as broken tubes and other garbage.
There are two distinct ducts: a supply duct and a return duct. Each vented room has a supply register and a return register.
What are the Signs that I May Have a Problem?
Do you thus have a problem if a room is very chilly when it should be warm or if the heat is so intense that it almost knocks you over while the rest of the home feels like a pleasant summer day?
It’s possible that the duct is blocked. There’s also the possibility that your vent is being obstructed by a couch.
Warning Signs of a Defective Duct
There are hot or cold spots in individual rooms, but the remainder of the home is just great.
Expenses for heating and cooling that are disproportionately high throughout the winter and summer. When you use your heating and cooling system, you can expect your energy costs to be higher. If they’re abnormally high or low, get your ducts evaluated.
There is little or perhaps no airflow coming from the vent.
When the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system goes on, but you don’t feel any air flowing from the vents or registers, there’s a problem. Either something is obstructing the duct or there is a problem with the duct itself.
The air filter becomes soiled quite rapidly.
Altering the state of your air filter on a regular basis is recommended, but you shouldn’t have to do it on a monthly basis. When the filter has to be replaced every four weeks, it’s a sign that something is finding its way into the duct system.
Dust specks on the registers here and there
Check each of your registers (Air register – definition of air register by The Free Dictionary) before moving on. Are they covered with filth? Scrub them down.
When that happens, come back after a month has passed. Do registers have a dirty streak? If this is the case, you could have a leak.
A conduit that is obviously damaged, crushed, or is missing
Conduct your own ductwork inspection by walking around your house from room to room. Examine the vents and ducts. Do you observe a huge hole, damaged or missing ducts? Possible issue.
One Concrete Method for Evaluating the Condition of Your Ducts
After you have completed the examination of your house vent by vent, as was discussed above, you may next proceed to check your home room by room. The following is what you are need to do:
- Start up your heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system to get air circulating through the vents.
- Lock all of the doors leading into the internal rooms.
- Put all the doors and windows that lead outside into the closed position.
- Crack one door at a time on the inside of each room as you go around your house.
- If your doors move, examine your ducts for air pressure issues.
Why is this so important?
A duct system that is not operating properly is, in the long run, going to cost you a lot of money. Imagine that between 20 and 30 percent of the air that is produced by your HVAC system ends up in your basement or attic. This is what takes place if there is a breach in the ductwork of a building. It’s possible that you have the most interesting attic in the area, but no one is willing to pay for it.
A defective duct system cools uninhabitable regions and wears out your HVAC system. When the air conditioning comes on this summer, make sure you keep your ears open. Do you hear any strange sounds, such as rattling, flapping, whistling, or rumbling? If so, you shouldn’t be acting like that.
Problems That Are Often Seen With Air Ducts
After you have concluded that you may have an issue, the next step is to identify the nature of that problem specifically. The issues you’re having with your ducts might have been caused by a wide variety of factors.
Duct Leaks
Air duct leaks occur whenever there is a breach in the ductwork of your ventilation system for any cause. It’s possible that the ducts weren’t installed correctly when the initial contract was executed, or maybe a mouse nibbled its way through the ducting. This does in fact take place. Whatever the case may be, a leak in the ductwork indicates that air is escaping and thus is not being delivered to the desired location as effectively as it may be.
Because of this, there will always be one room in the home that is either much hotter or significantly colder than the others.
Ducts That Are Not Properly Insulated
It’s possible that your ducts don’t have sufficient insulation for a number of reasons, including those listed above.
