The walls and ceilings of your home often contain an impressive maze of ductwork that delivers heating and cooling to rooms in your house. Just because the ducts go unseen doesn’t mean that you should ignore them. As a regular part of your home maintenance, consider duct inspections.
The inspection process includes a detailed look at all of the ducts in your home. Follow this guide to learn more about the inspection process and how services like duct sealing will help improve the heating and air conditioning units within your home.
Visual Inspections
One of the first inspections an HVAC technician will perform is a visual inspection. The technician will go into crawl spaces, attics, and basements to visually see if any obvious signs of duct issues are present. Visual damage could include dents, holes, or broken mounts. Flashlights and headlamps will help illuminate the area and provide clearer details.
The visual inspection will also focus on the sounds an HVAC system makes. For example, your ducts may make clanging sounds you never heard before or some unusual noises. The visual inspection will determine the location and cause of the sounds. Not only are loud duct noises unpleasant, but they could result in bigger problems if you don’t repair them.
Often, the ducts have become loose and a technician will remount them. The workers may install new brackets to offer more secure support for the ducts.
Duct Inspection Tools
Along with a visual inspection, HVAC workers have tools to inspect the ductwork in your home. One of the more common tools is a blower tester. The efficiency of the ducts is important, and one of the more common ways your ducts do not perform well is due to air leaks.
A blower connects directly to ducts and will measure their performance through computerized software. HVAC technicians will read the results and determine if any problems are present with your duct system. Personally, you may notice rooms do not heat up or cool off as quickly as they used to. An air leak is the likely culprit.
Duct Sealing
When a visual inspection or inspection tool determines an air leak is present, one of the more common solutions is duct sealing. Replacing a whole duct system can cost a lot of money for both parts and labor. Duct sealing focuses on just the air leaks so you do not need to replace all of the parts.
One of the more common ways to seal a duct in the home is with metal tape. The tape goes over the duct securely and can hold the air in. An HVAC technician may resort to a sealing paste depending on the size and location of the whole. A paste will dry completely on the metal and eliminate air leaks.
In some cases, a technician may cover a layer of paste with a piece of metal tape to provide extra protection. Once the duct is sealed, a technician may repeat a blower test to ensure the sealing worked properly and your system runs smoothly.
Long-Term Benefits
The inspections and air leak repairs will lead to several benefits beyond just better efficiency. You will reduce the energy costs in your home and improve the air quality. When your duct has a leak, it pulls in unfiltered air and dust that distributes to the rest of your home. The leaks can create poor air quality. With the repairs, you ensure everyone breaths in clean and filtered air.
Set up an appointment with us at CABS Heating & Air Conditioning to schedule an inspection for your home. Our technicians will have the tools and supplies necessary to fix the ducts in your home.
