Are Ductwork Problems Contributing to Poor Indoor Air Quality?

When it comes to ductwork, many homeowners take on an “out of sight, out of mind” mentality. If you’re at all concerned about the health of you and your family, you should take an interest in routine duct maintenance. Leaky ductwork can do a whole lot more than reduce energy efficiency and comfort levels; they can contribute to poor indoor air quality as well. 

Pulling in Bad Air

If you’ve got leaky ducts, it could be pulling in unhealthy air from a poorly vented crawl space or a moldy basement. In some cases, rodents and other pests can crawl into ductwork and die, allowing tainted air to be filtered back into your home.

Creating Negative Pressure

In a normal HVAC system, air from inside is brought from the return side to the supply side. If the supply ducts have a leak, air will be lost during the transfer.This will create negative pressure within the house.

To make up for the loss, unfiltered air will make its way into your home via crawl spaces, garages and attics. More often than not, this isn’t the type of air that you want to be breathing.

Supporting Mold Growth

Leaky ductwork means reduced moisture control. That’s all mold needs to grow and thrive. Air will then pass through moldy ducts and distribute air that’s unhealthy to breathe throughout your home. This can aggravate existing conditions like allergies, and even result in illness. The problem is especially severe when oversized air conditioners trigger short cycles.

Increasing Carbon Monoxide Risk

Leaky ducts prevent exhaust gases produced by combustion appliances from going up the flue because the combustion appliance zone is under negative pressure. This means the exhaust will go into your home, creating a backdraft. This increases the likelihood of deadly carbon monoxide production that puts you and your family at risk for poisoning.

Could leaky ductwork be causing poor indoor air quality within your home? Call Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning to have your ducts serviced today. We serve the greater Lorain area.

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 indoor air quality and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

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