Leaking air ducts are one of the leading causes of energy waste in residential and commercial properties. Leaking air ducts can waste as much as 10% of your air supply and that can add hundreds of dollars to your bills each year. This makes leaking air ducts one of the largest energy-wasting issues that homeowners face. At Nevada Pure Air, we see leaky air ducts affect more than just your wallet though. Leaky air ducts can also impact your indoor air quality. But how can you know if your air ducts are leaking?
High Utility Bills
One of the most obvious signs that are a dead give away that your air ducts are leaking is a higher utility bill. As mentioned, air ducts that leak can waste as much as 10% of the air supply that comes from your heating and cooling unit. This means that your heating and cooling system will have to work harder just to keep your home at a comfortable temperature. More so than a sealed duct would. This waste of energy can create an energy deficiency in your home that can cost you more and more if left unnoticed.
Varying Temperatures Throughout Your Home
A leak in your air duct can cause the conditioned air from your HVAC system to escape into your attic or out into the open. This loss of hot or cold air can cause rooms in your home to remain too cold or too hot even though your HVAC unit is working. This uneven heating and cooling in your home can also cause your utility bills to rise as you attempt to condition your entire home.
Poor Indoor Air Quality
There are quite a few ways that leaky air ducts can cause the air quality of your home to suffer. First, leaky air ducts can be pulling in bad air. Pollutants from outside can get into the ventilation system of your home and cause contaminants to fill the air that you breathe. Leaky air can also pull in contaminants from musty areas of your home such as attics where mold can grow.
Additionally, leaky air ducts can create a negative pressure within your home. This negative pressure increases the level of infiltration into your ventilation system as the system tries to balance the air pressure. This will create a cycle where the negative pressure causes more air to leak into the house through windows, doors, attics, and crawl spaces. This air that leaks into your home is unfiltered and can cause poor indoor air quality.
Excessive Dust in Your Home
Finally, if you notice that your home is dustier than normal, or you find yourself needing to clean surfaces more often, you may have leaky air ducts. An air duct that is leaking can pull dust from inside dirty air vents and attics and distribute that dust around your home. If you notice excessive dust in your home it may be time to have your air ducts sealed up.