If you’re like most homeowners, you think about your ductwork as a random assortment of tubes running through your walls and ceilings—on the rare occasions that you think about your ductwork at all. But ductwork is a lot more involved than most of us think it is, and a well-designed and maintained duct system is an important aspect of any energy-efficient home.
Problems with your ducts can drive up your energy costs and have a major impact on home comfort, and ductwork filtration and ventilation problems can harm your indoor air quality as well. Unfortunately, many ductwork issues can be attributed to poor design and installation, which are costly problems to remedy. That’s why it’s so important to partner with a qualified HVAC technician when having new ductwork installed. An experienced contractor will be able to size your ducts correctly and create a functional design that will create even, comfortable temperatures throughout your home.
Signs Your Ductwork Needs To Be Updated
If you’re experiencing any of the following problems with your ductwork, something likely needs to be fixed:
Weak air flow from vents
Dirt and dust build-up around your heating vents
Unusually high energy bills
Uneven temperatures throughout your home
Difficulty heating and cooling certain rooms
Short cycling AC or furnace (system turns off soon after it starts up)
Common Problems with Ductwork
All of the signs we mentioned above are symptoms of larger problems within your ductwork, and you need to know what’s causing them in order to solve them. Here are some of the most common problems we see with ductwork:
Your Ductwork Is Too Big or Too Small
Ductwork that is too big struggles to deliver conditioned air to your living spaces, because your heater or air conditioner can’t create enough pressure to push the air through your oversized ducts. If your ductwork is too small, on the other hand, it won’t be able to handle the pressure and air will back up into your system, putting extra stress on your blower motor and making it much harder for the system to operate efficiently.
Your Ductwork Is Unbalanced
When your ductwork is unbalanced, it means that different rooms are receiving different amounts of air from your heater or air conditioner. This can cause drastic temperature changes within your home and lead to some rooms being extremely hot while others are unbearably cold. Incorrect sizing is one of the main reasons why ducts become unbalanced.
There Are Issues with Your Return Vents
Return vents are positioned throughout your home to collect air from your living spaces and move it back to your heater or air conditioner so that it can be treated and reintroduced. If they aren’t cleaned regularly, dust and dirt can build up on your return vents and block air from traveling through them.
If dirty vents or floor registers are the problem, you can easily solve it by dusting them off. But it’s not always that simple. Sometimes, a home doesn’t have enough return vents to handle its size, or its return vents are in obstructed locations, like the inside of a closet. If this is the case, you may need to have new return vents added to your duct system.
Providence’s Furnace and Ductwork Experts
If you think you have a duct problem, CARJON Air Conditioning and Heating is the HVAC company to call for help. We’ll inspect your ducts, figure out what exactly is causing the problem, and find a solution that works for your home and budget. Your comfort and satisfaction are our top priorities, and we’ll stop at nothing to ensure you’re happy with the service we provide every step of the way.
