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How to Seal Heating and Cooling Ducts
Heating and Cooling Duct Sealing
The heating and cooling duct
system in your home is often the most important and
neglected component of the heating and cooling
system. Without properly sealing the ducts a new
heating or cooling system cannot provide real
comfort and efficiency. Heating and cooling duct
leakage is not only an efficiency issue, but can
also be a significant issue for indoor air quality
and home comfort.
You can
lose up to 65% of your heated or cooling air before
it reaches the register if your ducts aren’t
insulated if they travel through any unheated
spaces such as the attic or crawlspace.
Approximately 30 to 40% of homes are affected by
the lack of properly sealed heating and cooling
ducts. This equates to forty cents for every dollar
you spend on heating and cooling.
Leaky ducts
are often located in the attic or crawlspace which
can cause major indoor air quality problems. For
example, damp crawlspace can cause mold growth and
high humidity. When the heating system is on, the
leaky duct system can draw in this unhealthy air
and distribute it throughout the house. In many
homes the indoor air quality is 10 times worse than
outdoors.
If some
homes the cause for rooms too be to hot or too cold
and not receiving enough air flow is because of the
improper sealing of the air ducts. Fixing the leaks
can provide more air flow to the rooms where you
want it. To help balance the system and deliver the
correct air flow to individual rooms can be done by
installing an in-line damper on the furnace so you
can redirect the heat or cool air where you want
it. If you have an older duct system you may want
to have dampers installed in order to do this.
How to Seal Heating and Cooling Ducts:
Most likely your air duct system is not insulated
or sealed. You can call a heating and cooling
service contractor to perform this task or you can
do this quite easily as a DIY project.
1.
Use duct tape to seal every joint connection on the
supply and return ducts. Clean the duct surface of
any dust so the tape will stick to the duct.
2.
Wrap both the supply and return ducts with duct
insulation and hold in place with duct tape. It is
important to do the return duct to prevent the
returning air from cooling any more than necessary
as it circulates back to the furnace for reheating.
3.
Check the sealing periodically to insure that it
remains in place. Sealing your heating and cooling ducts will save you money by reducing energy consumption as well as enabling you to provide the maximum comfort to all areas in your home. Related artcles:
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