Although easy to overlook, duct sealing is one of the most important steps you can take to save energy in your northeast Ohio home. Your air ducts are responsible for moving warm or cool air from your forced-air HVAC system into your rooms. When those ducts have leaks, holes or poorly fitting connections, conditioned air escapes before it ever reaches you.
Symptoms of leaky ducts include:
- High heating and cooling bills
- Some rooms feeling hotter or colder than others
- Difficulty heating or cooling individual rooms evenly
- Stuffy rooms, excessive dust and other air-quality problems
By sealing your air ducts, you can improve their efficiency by up to 20 percent, reduce your energy bills, and enjoy a more comfortable home.
Health and safety benefits
In addition to saving you money, sealing your air ducts improves your indoor air quality and reduces your exposure to chemical fumes, insulation particles and dust. It also helps ensure fumes released by gas appliances are ventilated outdoors rather than being pulled back into your living space. In addition, because well-sealed ducts reduce your energy use, they also reduce related air pollution, which is good for the environment and public health.
DIY options
With easily accessible ducts, you may be able to seal some leaks yourself using a high-strength adhesive known as duct mastic or duct sealant. Use a brush, putty knife or gloved hand to apply the mastic to the seams between duct sections and where vents and registers meet the ceilings, walls and floors. Despite its name, common duct tape shouldn’t be used to seal ducts because it breaks down quickly.
Expert duct sealing
For a long-lasting precision sealing job, entrust the work to a professional. An HVAC technician will be able to choose the ideal sealing methods and material for your ducts. Given the energy savings possible, a professional duct sealing job can pay for itself with lower heating and cooling bills.
For more expert guidance on duct sealing and other energy-efficiency issues in your northeast Ohio home, get in touch with us at Energy 1 Heating and Air Conditioning. We’ve been providing reliable HVAC service to Lorain and the surrounding areas for three decades.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about duct sealing and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock
Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area