If you’ve ever seen a new home under construction, you’ve seen ductwork in place. It’s a network of tubes that carry conditioned air through the walls, floors, and ceilings. Ducts are made out of sheet metal, fiberglass, or other materials.
If they are installed correctly, your home will operate efficiently. However, if they leak heated air into unheated areas of your home, they can add hundreds of dollars a year to your utility bills.
You can reduce that loss by sealing and insulating your ducts.
In new construction or extensive remodeling, proper duct system design is critical. An efficient and well designed duct system distributes air properly throughout your home without leaking. The system provides proper balance of supply and return airflow, to ensure a proper pressure level within the house.
Even well sealed and insulated ducts will leak some heat. Many new energy efficient homes place ductwork with the conditioned space of the home to eliminate potential waste. The simplest way to accomplish this is to hide them behind dropped ceilings, or in the corners of the room. They can also be located in attics or in raised floors. Regardless of where they are located, properly sealed and insulated is mandatory.
Air return systems can be installed in one of two ways. You can have a return duct in each room to send air back to the heating and cooling equipment, or you can have return grills located in central locations on each floor. With a central location, grills must be installed to allow air to pass out of closed rooms, or ductwork is connected from vent to vent to allow air to travel back to the central grill.
Once a home is built, it’s still important to maintain and upgrade your ductwork as necessary. Sealing your ducts is even more important if ductwork exists in an unconditioned part of your home, such as an attic or vented crawlspace. If supply leaks exist, conditioned air flows out of unsealed joints and into these unconditioned areas.
Although minor duct repairs are fairly easy to make, using a qualified professional to seal and insulate ducts ensures proper materials are used for sealing all leaks and ensuring efficiency wherever possible.
HVAC Service in Atlanta
Aside from sealing your ducts, the simplest way to ensure proper distribution of air throughout your home is through furniture placement. Ensure objects are not blocking airflow through your registers. Also, vacuum the registers frequently to remove any dust buildup.
You can also trust a professional HVAC technician for help. If you live in Atlanta and need HVAC service, call R.S. Andrews!