Air Duct Leak Indications

We rely on our HVAC system to keep our homes cool during the summer and warm during the winter. The air ducts in our homes ensure that the house is evenly and properly cooled or heated, and that the air flows to where it is supposed to. Air duct leaks are an issue we all encounter on occasion. When these leaks occur, your air ducts start working against your HVAC unit as opposed to with it, causing it to work harder to ensure your home is at the proper temperature. If this happens to be the case, you want to contact a professional right away. This can be very strenuous on your HVAC unit if left unattended. Wondering if your air ducts are suffering from a leak? Here are some indications you may be right.

Not Feeling Comfortable in Your Home

The first thing to take into account when evaluating your home is if the temperature in your house is properly distributed. When you are walking through your house, do you notice that there are temperature fluctuations between rooms? If there are, this could be a sign that your air ducts have a small leak which makes it difficult for your unit to cool or heat some of the rooms in your home.

On the other hand, a larger leak may cause your home to feel stuffy as the conditioned air is escaping before it gets the chance to get anywhere. If you are feeling uncomfortable or irritable in your own home, you will want to call your trusted HVAC technicians right away to get to the root of the problem.

Poor Air Quality

If you feel the air in your home is not to the standard you are used to, this could be from leaks that occur in the connections outside or in the intake ducts. If this is the case, your ducts may be pulling air from outside and bypassing it through the filters. This can result in pathogens and allergens finding their way into your home, and thus lowering the air quality. Knowing the signs of low indoor air quality is crucial when it comes to avoiding those pathogens and maintaining the standard, breathable air that should fill your home.

Duct leaks can also occur in your basement or attic. If this is the case, your ducts could potentially pull in hazardous fumes from stored chemicals, such as paint thinner, fertilizer, or pesticides.

Back drafting

To coincide with issues regarding low air quality in your home, appliances like your hot water heater for example, are designed to vent the resulting fumes outside of your home. When your air ducts are leaking, these fumes can be back drafted into the home. This meaning, that the everyday use of household utilities could lead to unprecedented consequences that most homeowners are entirely unaware of. When this happens, dangerous fumes can negatively affect air quality and result in adverse health effects such as headaches and/or nausea.

 Unprecedented Rising Energy Bills

One of the biggest indicators of leaking air ducts and understandably so, is increases in your monthly billing. If you are noticing your energy bills rising every month, it may be due to an air duct leak. Air duct leaks force your home HVAC unit to work even harder to reach the optimal temperature that you have always been accustomed to. In turn, this causes your energy bills to rise as your system is running more constantly with little time in between for the unit to be idle. This can and will negatively impact your monthly billing and also puts increased strain on your HVAC unit. Over time, this demanding workload your unit is taking on can lead to worse and more expensive issues down the road. Get a jump on your monthly billing by working with an experienced technician as soon as possible or, consider Malek’s Total Protection Plan to get the best bang for your buck when it comes to all things heating and air!

Increased Amounts of Dust in the Home

A sign not many are aware of is that of dust being more frequent in the home. Leaks in a home’s air ducts can bring the fine particles inside from outdoors, attics, or basements. If you are constantly fighting the never-ending battle against dust, it could be time to contact your trusted HVAC technicians.

Feel the Difference with Malek Heating & Air

When faced with a duct leak, your local HVAC technicians at Malek can help. We can locate the source of the leak, repair it, and then check to ensure that your system is back up and running. Do not settle for high energy bills, loads of dust, or poor air quality and contact our team at Malek Heating & Air today!