Half of the energy used in your home goes to heating and cooling. Making smart decisions about your home's heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system can produce big effects. Some good practices are to check your filter at least every 3 months; although, its a good idea to check more during seasons that require heavier use like summer and winter.
“I’ve done everything and have kept up with the maintenance on my HVAC system, but I still feel like it’s not as efficient as it should be”
Regular maintenance can extend the life and performance, though there’s really no set time limit to replace a HVAC system. As a good rule of thumb, if it’s more then 10 years old and not meeting you needs it may be a good idea to have it inspected, and if needed,replaced. Replacing an old unit could drastically improve the task of keeping your home at a comfortable temperature all throughout.
My unit works fine, what else could it be?
Ducts are used to distribute conditioned air throughout the house. In a typical house, however, about 20 percent of the air that moves through the duct system is lost due to leaks, holes, and poorly connected ducts.This loss causes the unit to work even harder to attain the desired household temperature. Unsealed ducts can pose health risks due to remaining vapor from gas appliances and cleaning products with no way to quickly and efficiently exit the home. Also, how long has it been since your house received a thorough duct cleaning? Over time, you ductwork can become clogged with dust, dirt, pet dander, and other nasty things which can restrict airflow. Oftentimes air duct cleaning will help distribute the "climatized" air throughout the house in the manner your HVAC system was originally designed.
what can i do?
If you have reason to believe your ducts are leaking due to:
- Rooms that are difficult to keep cool in the summer and warm in the winter
- Utility bills unreasonably high
- Lack of air flow in a room that makes it feel just plain stuffy
then sorry, you courageous Do-It-Yourselves, it’s probably best to leave sealing those leaks to the professionals. Failing to find and seal every leak properly can make major pressure imbalances, which could make matters that much worse. In addition, contractors have on their arsenal big expensive tools that just wouldn't be worth buying yourself, or storing yourself for that matter (yay! No more over sized microwaves or doohickeys to fit in your closet.)
Let’s review,
- There are a number of important parts that work together, so your problem could be caused by any combination of mechanical and/or duct failure; which is why second opinions are always a good idea!
- Even if you did everything you could for your HVAC unit, sometimes it’s just too old and needs to be replaced
- Most people whose air ducts leak have no idea that there is a problem, nor how to tell. (Now you’re no longer one of them!)
Thanks for reading,
Brought to you by our friends at Maryland home improvement and Duct Cleaning Twin Cities, 260 Clarence St, St Paul, MN 55106 - (612) 412-1867
