Working as a Heating Professional Can Lead to Success

How To Improve Your Air Duct Efficiency

6 January 2018

Abbie Wade

HVAC maintenance can be intimidating. Even homeowners who consider themselves to be handy are often reluctant to work on the HVAC system because they don't like messing with complicated electrical and gas systems. Of course, a lot of the repairs can be very technical and should only be professionally handled. However, there are a lot of simple things that you can do to help keep your HVAC system working as efficiently as possible.

Insulating and Sealing Your Duct Seams

One of the most important things to do if you want to maintain a healthy HVAC system is to make sure your air ducts are sealed and efficient. Of course, the majority of your duct system is within the walls of your home, and therefore not accessible. But, there is going to be quite a few small sections of ducting that are outside of the walls and exposed. These exposed ducts are also the most vulnerable. Not only can they get knocked and hit, they are also exposed to colder temperatures, so they can experience more heat loss. If so, you want to make sure your exposed ducts have air tight seams, and proper insulation.

Taping the Duct Seams

The best way to check if your seams are air tight is to turn on your heat or AC and feel for escaping air. Just hold your hands near the seams, and if you feel airflow, you should tape that seem. In fact, it might be a good idea to duct tape all of that seams on your exposed sections of ducting. This way, if the duct does shift or get hit, the seam will stay air tight.

Insulating Ducts

If you have exposed ducts in a garage or basement where the temperature is not controlled, it will be very worthwhile to add insulation. Fiberglass insulation can be wrapped around the metal ducts to significantly prevent heat loss. This is going to ultimately help reduce your energy consumption increase the airflow from the furnace. All you need to do is wrap insulation around the ducts and then tape it down using duct tape. Don't do this until after you tape the seams of the ducts.

This is a simple job that only takes a few hours and it costs less than $50, but it can have a positive impact on the efficiency of your HVAC system. Your air will be easier to control if you exposed ducts are insulated and air tight.

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