If you have leaky air ducts, you are paying too much for heating and cooling your home or workplace – guaranteed.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, up to 30 percent of the air in the typical home leaks out through duct holes and poorly sealed connection points.
That is a lot of lost air!
The average Ontario homeowner spends $2,358 per year on utilities, with 64 percent, or $1,509, going toward heating and cooling the home.
This means that if you have leaking ductwork, you’ve spent $452 extra just to stay comfortable inside your own home.
What could you do with an extra $452 back in your pocket? A lot, we are betting! In this post, learn how to trim your heating and cooling costs all year long by finding and fixing your leaking ducts.
How Do Ducts Leak?
If you are like the vast majority of homeowners, you probably know your ductwork only from afar. In other words, unless an obvious problem crops up, you wouldn’t think to check your ductwork.
But over time, ductwork can begin to break down. The materials used to make the ducts can degrade, thin, sag and twist. A very common problem for ducts today is unwelcome visitors. Insects and even small animals may find their way inside and then in the warm and cozy enclosed ducts, leaving behind gaping holes and noxious debris when they finally exit.
Ducts can also fill up with dust, dirt, debris and other waste over time, which places more pressure on the ductwork.
Where Do Ducts Leak?
Ducts that are aging and sagging will readily develop leaks as the connection points between them widen or the material degrades. These gaps let out air as it whooshes past en route to the farther reaches of your home space.
Ducts that have been pulling double duty as critter homes and insect shelters can also degrade and be pulled apart or destroyed at entry and exit points. Animals and insects also love to use any softer, flexible ductwork to build nests. Over time, this constant harvesting can thin and degrade those duct walls, leaving behind cracks that allow air to escape.
Problems Caused by Leaking Ducts
We’ve already mentioned the significant issue of increased energy costs. With systemic leaks letting out up to 30 percent of your temperature-controlled indoor air, you may have even found yourself wondering why your power bill keeps increasing while your usage patterns remain the same.
But there are other equally troublesome issues that begin to arise when ducts start leaking.
One of the most concerning is the potential for fire safety risk as ducts become inhabited and potentially blocked by insect or animal visitors. Animals in particular are often fond of chewing on electrical wiring, which can then spark and catch fire, spreading dangerously before you get an inkling something is amiss.
Leaking ducts also let in toxins that then get pushed out into your home along with the cooled or heated air.
Since ducts are typically located in behind-the-scenes places that are more likely to become dusty, musty, mouldy or damp, these are the types of toxins that are likely to enter your ducts through a leak, crack or widened seal.
You might only know your allergies seem worse this season or you have more asthma attacks at night. You may not realize it could be duct-borne toxins causing these health symptoms.
DIY Fixes for Leaking Ducts
Fixing leaking ducts is not difficult, but it can be time-consuming – and it is definitely manual labour! Not every homeowner has the time or inclination to tackle duct leak repair as a do-it-yourself project, but it is important to know that if you are so inclined, it can be done.
The path more homeowners tend to take is to contact their HVAC service to come out to evaluate the state of their home duct system and make repairs as may be required to seal up cracks or leaks and even replace sections of duct that have started sagging.
In most cases, a full replacement of your duct system is rarely necessary.
Timely small repairs like patching up leaks or cracks, resealing connection points, unraveling kinks, adding fresh insulation, and ensuring vents and air registers are cleaned and sealed can extend the useful life of your duct system.
Indoor Air Duct Cleaning Removes Airborne Toxins
The final often-overlooked step to take in reducing energy bills and improving indoor air quality is to schedule a professional indoor air duct cleaning. There is no set recommended time to do this.
However, simple common sense dictates that over time your ducts will take on dust, debris, dirt, insect or animal waste and other unwelcome toxins that build up, weigh down your ducts and toxify your indoor air.
If you have no record from the previous homeowner that your ducts have ever been professionally cleaned and sanitized and if you are not living in a new construction, chances are good an indoor air duct cleaning is in order.
This cleaning generally takes less than half a day and will leave your ducts squeaky clean and sanitized to improve your family’s health.
Get in Touch
Now and through April 30, 2019, save 10 percent on any of our duct-cleaning packages!
Contact us online or give us a call at 905-544-2470.
