When thinking about your heating and cooling system, people often forget a very important part; their ductwork! Whether hidden in your crawlspace or up in the attic, it is essential to your home comfort. In this article you’ll learn why ductwork is so significant, when to schedule a duct evaluation, and what a duct evaluation consists of.
Your heat pump works hard year round to keep your home comfortable, but there can be a hidden problems lurking. If your ductwork is old and leaking out the conditioned air; this situation should be addressed. If not, your system will have to work harder to make up for the “lost” air. This can cause unwanted wear on your system, as well as increased energy bills. Also these holes can let dirt and debris enter your system causing air quality issues. Energy.gov states, “Duct losses can account for more than 30% of energy consumption for space conditioning, especially if the ducts are in an unconditioned space such as an attic.”
Another problem that could affect the comfort of your home is an improper ductwork design and/or installation. Your heat pump could be the best there is, but when paired with bad ductwork you’ll never obtain its benefits. For example, if you have hot/cold rooms this is most likely a duct design issue.
When do you Need a Duct Evaluation?
The lifespan of ductwork will vary based on the material used, and many other elements. If you’re considering replacing your HVAC system it’s usually a good idea to have your ductwork evaluated at the same time. Why spend all that money on a new system if it is attached to a bad duct system? If your system is newer but you’re still experiencing hot/cold rooms, are having air quality issues, or extremely high energy bills then a duct evaluation might be needed.
What is a Duct Evaluation?
This is when one of our comfort specialists will come to your home to evaluate your homes current ductwork. They will perform a load calculation to see how much tonnage of heating and cooling your requires. From there they can tell if your current ductwork is able to handle the amount of conditioned air. They will look at the duct installation, and the overall condition. If there are many spots leaking, depending on the age and severity they can quote you to either repair it or replace it. If it is improperly designed most times replacement is the only option.
O’Brien Service Company offers complimentary in home duct evaluations. So if think your home is in need a duct evaluation don’t hesitate to call! From there our comfort specialists can give you a professional opinion on whether a duct repair or duct replacement would work best. Pricing will vary based on the work that is needed. We can perform light repairs to complete ductwork replacement, so be sure to call the pros at O’Brien!
