Common Duct Problems

There are several things that could be wrong with your duct system that prevent it from evenly
heating and cooling your home.

Poor Design
A well designed duct system minimizes the length of ducts and number of bends, is sized correctly and places ducts within conditioned spaces. A poorly designed duct system means your furnace or air conditioner has to work harder and use more energy to get air to every room to keep you comfortable. If the duct system installed in your house was poorly designed or your house has changed from the original design your duct system may need to be modified to correct the problem.

Poor Duct Installation
Sometimes the duct system is designed well, but it is not installed well. Most duct systems leak air because the installer did not seal the leaks. The more air that leaks out the more energy it takes to heat and cool your home. Another common problem is ducts in an attic or crawl space that are not insulated. Over time, duct insulation may fall off if not properly installed. Flexible ducts come with insulation and make the installation easier, but kinks in the duct will restrict air flow, and if
connections are not sealed air leaks out.

Unbalanced Ducts
An unbalanced duct system doesn’t sound good and its not. Most duct systems have never been balanced and others have been improperly adjusted. The result is that the right amount of air is not going to each room and it takes more energy to keep you comfortable. A heating and cooling contractor can modify or adjust your ducts to evenly heat and cool every room in your home.

Not Enough Air Returns
A common design in many homes is a centrally located air return. Unfortunately, closing doors to
rooms can cut off the supply of air to the return and create a pressure imbalance. A better design is to install a return duct in every room that has a supply duct.
Many of these problems can cause pressure differences between rooms or the inside and outside
of your house that cause air leakage from the outside that you feel as cold drafts in the winter. A
heating and cooling contractor that specializes in duct repairs can recommend solutions to solve
many of these common duct problems. The contractor will use special diagnostic equipment to
determine duct pressures; air flow and leakage that help determine the efficiency of your duct
system and prescribe improvements.

Duct Sealing
Ducts are an integral part of a forced-air heating or cooling system and their purpose is to circulate air to evenly heat and cool your home. Unfortunately, ducts are often leaky – wasting 7-12% of heating and cooling energy used by your home.

Benefits of sealing ducts in your home

How Do I Know If My Ducts Need Repair?
The following can be signs that your ducts need repair and sealing:
- Rooms are too warm or too cold
- High summer and winter utility bills
- Little or no air flow from registers in some rooms
- Air filter gets dirty quickly – needs to be changed more than once a month – indicating leaks in
return ducts
- Streaks of dust at registers or duct connections
- No insulation on visible ducts (those in an attic or crawl space)
- Flexible ducts are tangled or kinked

Common duct problems

Who Can Fix My Ducts?
There are some repairs you may be able to do yourself or you can hire a heating and cooling contractor that specializes in duct repair. These contractors use special diagnostic equipment to check duct pressures, air flow and leakage to assess the efficiency of your duct system and prescribe improvements.

How to seal duct leaks

Hot or Cold Room

Diagnosis:
Temperature differences of up to three degrees from room to room are not uncommon, but often one or several rooms are uncomfortably warm or cold. This condition could be caused by several factors within your home including inadequate insulation, air leakage, poor duct system design, duct leakage, unwanted heating by the sun in warmer months, or a failure in part of your heating and cooling system.

Common problem rooms include:
Attic, room over garage, basement, additions

Prescription Checklist:
For best results hire a contractor who is an energy specialist to do an in-home evaluation. A good specialist will use diagnostic equipment to evaluate the performance of your home and generate a customized list of improvements.
- Ask your contractor to check if your heating and cooling system is operating correctly
- Ask your contractor to check your ducts for air leakage and proper distribution of air
- Seal air leaks and add insulation
- If the sun is making rooms too hot, consider shades or solar screening
- After trying these items, consider ENERGY STAR labeled ceiling fans to make room air circulation more uniform. You will need to hire an electrician to install it.

Programmable Thermostats
Programmable thermostats that have earned the ENERGY STAR help you save money and keep your home comfortable by automatically adjusting your temperature settings while you are asleep or away, saving you about $100 per year. Earning the ENERGY STAR means products meet strict energy efficiency quide lines set by the US Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. Store four or more temperature settings a day. Adjust heating or air conditioning turn-on times as the outside temperature changes. Save and repeat multiple daily settings

Remember, saving energy prevents pollution.
By choosing ENERGY STAR and taking steps to optimize the performance of your heating and cooling equipment, you are helping to prevent global warming and promoting cleaner air while enhancing the comfort of your home.

You may also be interested to know:
To maximize energy savings, install your thermostat away from natural cool and hot spots. In hot
summer months, set your thermostat several degrees higher when you’re away. You can get better performance out of your cooling equipment by sealing your home and making sure your ducts don’t leak. EPA offers additional suggestions for improving the performance of your cooling system as well as general improvement advice