The ductwork in your home is like the main highway through a small town. When there are potholes, they need to be filled. And if it isn’t wide enough to handle all the traffic, it’s time to add some lanes! If your ductwork isn’t properly sized or is in poor shape, it will negatively affect the comfort of your home, and how much it costs to run your heating and cooling equipment. Properly sizing your ductwork depends on a number of factors, which is why you should work with local HVAC professionals to ensure your home is comfortable year-round.
Signs of Ductwork Issues
There are a few clear signs that there may be an issue with your ductwork.
If your home experiences:
- Rooms that never get warm/cool
- Weak airflow from vents
- Noisy ducts
- Odd smells coming from vents
These symptoms are commonly misdiagnosed as lapses in a furnace or air conditioner; but a closer look can uncover that your ductwork is leaky or undersized for your home. The shape of your ductwork can have a significant impact on the comfort and health of your home, the lifespan of your HVAC equipment, and your wallet. So what goes into designing the perfect system of ductwork?
What Are the Factors for Sizing Ductwork?
At Greiner Heating, Air, and Electric, we look at a few things before we size a system of ductwork for a home, including:
- Furnace & air conditioner size
- Home square footage
- Distance from room to room
- Window type, size & orientation
- Ductwork location
Have you added an extra room to your home since your ductwork was installed? Often times home additions are not included in the original ductwork design. This can result in an undersized system, which will force your heating and cooling equipment to work overtime to keep up.
Fixing Leaky Ductwork
Outside of sizing, another common issue with outdated ductwork is leaks and energy loss through under-insulated materials. This can account for up to a 40% loss in energy, according to the U.S. Department of Energy!
Ductwork is often installed in an attic or crawlspace, so when leaks form, it can be hard to detect right away. Since ductwork handles both hot and cool air, it will expand and contract to create air holes. These holes allow for dust, allergens and other harmful particles to infiltrate and circulate your home. Without proper ventilation, these particles will make their way into your home, aggravating the allergy symptoms of your family, guests, and pets.
How the Pros Fix It
When you call the ductwork specialists at Greiner Heating, Air, and Electric, we begin by taking inventory of the size of your home and its existing HVAC equipment. This is to determine if it will be more efficient in the long run to design a custom system that is tailored to your homes exact needs, or repair your current ductwork by sealing and insulating it to prevent future energy loss. Either way, the goal remains the same — increase your ability to keep every room in your home at the perfect temperature, all year round!
Tired of the weak airflow coming from your vents? It’s time to take a look at your ductwork — with the pros at Greiner Heating, Air, and Electric. Contact us today.
