Many homeowners focus on two things when they’re looking at staying comfortable during a heatwave. The first is their air conditioning system, ensuring it’s in good condition and is working properly with no hitches. The second priority is checking the thermostat to make sure it’s reporting the temperature accurately, and it reads the changes that a family might make.
However, there’s a third less glorified component of this system that matters just as much as these two parts—and that’s the ductwork. Ducts that are in bad shape are going to negatively affect both the temperature reading on a thermostat, and the productivity of the air conditioner.
Today, we’re going to cover three main problems with air ducts in disrepair. If customers need help with their home comfort and they believe their ducts to be the problem, then they can always contact us for duct repair in Westchester, NY.
1. Poor Indoor Air Quality
Imagine the air ducts in a home being open with certain gaps and tears. These problematic areas could be located in a basement or crawlspace, where there’s dust and debris that has accumulated over the years. Perhaps there’s even bits of insulation that’s rubbed off or deteriorated, now entering the cracks and splits of a duct system.
This type of problem can be anything from obnoxious to dangerous, especially if customers have asbestos in their walls. This can be easily circulated through the ductwork if there are cracks and gaps.
While indoor air quality can’t be easily measured without high-tech devices, it’s easy enough for a customer to figure out if their air quality is bad. Take a deep breath and think about how it feels going to bed every night. If there’s constant coughing and illnesses that take an extra week to disappear from family members, then there might be an issue with indoor air quality that’s exacerbated by bad ductwork.
2. Problems With Efficiency
How is an air conditioner supposed to work with amazing energy efficiency if 30% of the cooling that’s created leaks through the air ducts and ends up in areas where it can’t be felt? This is a serious problem, and it’s one that can be made much worse with ducts that are old and falling apart.
Luckily, duct repairs can nip this in the bud pretty quickly. Customers should do a quick walkthrough of their air ducts and identify any areas where cool air might be leaking.
3. Issues With the AC
An air conditioner is going to have to compensate if the product of the cooling process is being leaked from air ducts. If 30% of the air is leaking from ducts, for instance, then the AC unit is going to need to work 30% longer or harder in order to meet the demand that’s set on the thermostat.
This can be bad for the efficiency of the system, but also bad for the components as it increases stress and causes failures to occur more frequently.
Schedule duct repairs today with Yost & Campbell Heating, Cooling & Generators.