Duct Renovation

Ducts: There is More to Ducts than Just Tape

IMPORTANT FACT: Your home is a special place. It is where you rest, relax, and recharge. Normally when someone buys a house with a forced air heating and cooling system, they pretty much expect the duct system that delivers the air to be in perfect working condition. With today’s demands for the highest efficiency, you may likely find that your duct system isn’t performing in the best way possible.

The duct system is a series of tubes that carry conditioned air from your air conditioning and heating equipment into your home and then circulates that air back to the equipment. They control how much air is delivered to each room. The right amount of air will keep the room temperatures where they need to be. If ducts are damaged, improperly installed or the wrong size, they can cut your system’s ability to heat or cool by more than half on hot or cold days, when you need it the most.

MORE IMPORTANT FACT: Improperly sized or designed ductwork is the most common problems in The woodlands area homes. Imagine for a moment that your air conditioner is your lungs. Now imagine that you are running a 1-mile race. If you are in good shape you should have no problem. Now imagine that you have to run that same 1-mile race breathing through a cocktail straw. No matter how good of shape you are in, you will never be able to run as fast and easily as if you could breathe normally. This inability to breathe is what occurs when your air conditioner is forced to operate with improperly sized ductwork.

duct-modifications
A 30% return duct leak on a hot or cold day can decrease your heating or cooling capacity more than 50%. That may sound extreme, but it’s not an uncommon condition.

The majority of AC companies lack the knowledge, tools, and instruments to measure the performance of your duct system. If they can’t measure it or understand design they have no idea how to fix it, or even where to begin. They assume that the ducts are just fine.

The typical duct renovation includes removing damaged ducts, straightening them, adding proper suspension and sealing all the joints. Most every home needs larger ducts installed to certain rooms and some registers or grilles will need replaced. Other improvements might include adjusting fan speeds or improving your air filtration system to improve IAQ.

Some contractors will offer to seal your ducts to improve efficiency. While duct sealing is definitely done as part of a renovation, sealing by itself cannot address many of the flaws in a duct system. It will only mask problems. Cold air can still leak causing condensation, leading to mold growth or damage to the home. Leaking ducts can cause all types of infiltration issues resulting in higher operating cost, poor humidity control, and poor air filtration.

ULTRA IMPORTANT FACT: Duct tape is found in every home and is a fix-all for many minor repairs. But, duct tape does not adequately seal the joints and has a short lifespan. If your air conditioning system is struggling to finish that 1-mile race, it needs more than a bigger straw and duct tape. So, leave the duct tape for the Apollo 13 astronauts who used it to make a repair on their return to Earth from the moon and put the straw in your chocolate milk shake!

Maybe you are reading this because your heating and air conditioning contractor has told you there are problems, or maybe you are reading this because you’ve concluded on your own there are problems. Either way, let’s take a look at what you should consider

Don’t take chances your duct work: when you need help with your air conditioning, heating or indoor air quality in The Woodlands choose the company that’s been trusted for years. Providing service to thousands of homes and offering satisfaction guaranteed service. Efficient Climate Control serving The Woodlands, Oak Ridge, Spring, Imperial Oaks, and surrounding areas.