To make the most of your energy dollars and stay comfortable throughout this summer, make sure conditioned air gets where it needs to go by inspecting your ducts for cracks, leaks, and disconnected sections and sealing them. Addressing ductwork issues has many benefits:

• Comfort
  Duct sealing improves comfort problems like rooms that are too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter.
• Health
  Air quality can be improved with duct sealing as fumes from insulation, garden chemicals and dust can get into your duct system and cause air quality problems when released into your home through leaky ducts.
• Safety
  Leaky ductwork can cause backdrafting, drawing gases like carbon monoxide from combustion appliances (gas water heaters, dryers and furnaces) back into the home through the ventilation system, rather than expelling them outdoors.
• Economical
  Duct sealing can improve your A/C’s efficiency and save you money on energy bills. Leaky ducts reduce cooling efficiency as much as 20 percent. If you plan on installing a new system, a well-designed, properly sealed system allows you to downsize to a smaller, less expensive system with better dehumidification.
• Environmental
  By improving efficiency in your home, duct sealing helps reduce the use of fossil fuels at power plants and in turn reduces smog, acid rain and global warming. Less energy used means less air pollution.

You can visually inspect ductwork for minor leaks and address them with special tape such as foil or mastic. Repairs in unconditioned spaces should be addressed by a professional to ensure the right materials are used and repairs last. Professionals can perform pressure tests to detect holes, ductwork separation, broken equipment, air velocity problems and more that you will be unable to accomplish. You may also wish to have a blower door test to identify how well your home itself is sealed and address leaks to further increase energy savings.

If you need help with duct inspection and duct sealing in your home, contact Bill Joplin’s Air Conditioning & Heating. Bill Joplin’s has been providing top-notch residential heating and cooling services to North Dallas and McKinney since 1978.