Three Problems with Broken Ducts

Most people know the importance of having their furnaces periodically checked by a competent professional when it comes to home heating. This critical move will significantly lower the likelihood of future expensive breakdowns. The ducts, an equally important part of a home's HVAC system, should be addressed.

Over time, ducts are prone to developing fractures and becoming loose. These issues lead to heat loss as well as a variety of other problems. Read on about the importance of keeping your ducts well-maintained. Three adverse effects of leaky ducts in your home will be discussed in this piece.

1. Increasing Heating Costs

Leaky ducts will most instantly impact your bottom line. Duct leakage will result in financial loss. They allow hot air to leak out of locations like attics, crawlspaces, and the uninsulated spaces between your walls, to mention a few.

It is impossible to understate the substantial financial impact such leaks have. Studies show that duct leaks can increase the energy used for heating by up to 30%. The amount of time that your system is functioning has a direct impact on this increase. Leaky ducts require your furnace to run longer to fulfill a given heating task, raising fuel consumption.

2. Increased Repair Costs

Beyond higher fuel expenses, leaky ducts will cost you more money. The price of furnace repairs will also steadily increase. As was already discussed, the warm air loss will make your system work harder. This unavoidably results in an accelerated rate of wear and tear, raising the possibility of expensive furnace breakdowns.

Particular mechanical components typically cause such breakdowns. The blower belt in your furnace will eventually stop working because it ages and gets more brittle with use. Your system will be able to circulate warm air once a professional can install a new belt.

Internal ball bearings in a stressed furnace also take a beating. The substantial dismantling of the stove makes replacing components considerably more difficult. Such repairs are not only costly, but they may also be a great hassle if they are necessary for the dead of winter.

3. Decreased Air Quality

If your ducts leak, the air in your house will be dirtier. There is a more significant chance that you or a family member will develop allergies or other respiratory conditions. Air quality suffers when duct leaks happen on the supply side of the duct system, which is responsible for pulling air from your home and recirculating it through the HVAC system.

A negative pressure differential operates return ducts. This suggests that there is less air pressure inside these ducts than outside. As a result, air will be sucked into the vents from the lower-used locations like crawlspaces and attics with higher pressure. As you can expect, these areas are filled with dust and other airborne particles.

Do not assume that your home's HVAC system is in working order because your furnace is still on. Leaky ducts are a frequently ignored root of many problems. If you'd like to learn more about what a professional can do to prevent duct leaks, get in touch with the experts at HVAC Repair Guide to set up the services of a trained contractor.