The air ducts branch out from the centralized air conditioner to the corners of your home. They are engineered to transport cold air from your system to every room in a more or less uniform fashion. Ducts are protected from damage or leaks most of the time, since they’re located in your walls or your attic.
As the air ducts behind your walls become older, leaks may begin to form from an outside source or a loose bolt linking two pieces of duct together. An air duct leak can be fixed by a licensed contractor by replacing the faulty bolt, applying duct mastic, or embedding a fitted piece over the hole. Prior to calling a professional to fix a leak, it’s important to be familiar with the most common signs of air duct leaks.
Higher Utility Bills
An obvious indicator of an air duct leak is high monthly utility bills. If cold air is escaping from your air ducts, the central air conditioning system is forced to work harder to maintain a comfortable temperature in your home. If your air conditioning system is operating continuously for a long period of time, we recommend calling a professional to perform an air duct inspection.
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Cold Spots on Drywall
If there is a leak or hole in an air duct behind a wall, the cold air blowing out of it will create a cold spot on the drywall in your bedroom, living room, or bathroom. To diagnose air duct leaks in your house, we recommend feeling your walls to confirm temperature variations.
Humming Noises
Sometimes, the air moving out of leaking ductwork will create odd noises, such as groans or hums. These noises will usually stop and start in sync with the operating schedule of the central air conditioning system.
Warm Air
An air duct leak will either pull cool air out of your system or pull warm air in. Either way, you may notice the release of warm air from the supply vents in your home. If you have a properly sized air conditioner, the air from the vents in your house should always be cold. An easy way to confirm ductwork damage is to place your hand over a supply vent to confirm if the temperature is cold or warm.
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Low Air Flow
A leak in your ductwork may also reduce the flow of cold air from your vents. If there is a low supply of air being produced by the supply vents in your house, this is an indicator of an air duct issue.
Heating & Cooling Services
WM Henderson provides heating and cooling services to homes in areas of Pennsylvania including West Chester, Conshohocken, Coatesville, and Broomall. Our team of licensed HVAC technicians provide repair and installation services for all types of furnaces, central air conditioning systems, ductless mini-split units, and heat pumps. Give our team a call by phone at (484) 206-8594 or book an appointment online to receive assistance with an emergency heating or cooling issue.