Whether you have a forced air furnace or central air system, the duct system in your home is a key element to delivering the air and providing proper heating or cooling. No matter what condition your HVAC system is in, problems with the duct system can result in poor air circulation and performance issues for your home in Tampa, FL.
If you have air ducts, be on the lookout for some key problems that could impact your HVAC systems and consider repairs before any issues get worse.
1. Inadequate Insulation
While the ducts carry hot or cold air into your Tampa home, insulation around the ducts helps prevent heat and cooling loss. In most cases, your Tampa home will need conditioned air from a central AC and heating system. Without proper insulation, the air will transfer heat too quickly due to outdoor temperatures.
An inspection done by HVAC specialists will determine if your ducts have proper insulation. In some areas, you may have cool spots on the walls or floor that the ducts pass by. Those cool spots can occur when insulation is not creating a barrier. Without the insulation, your central air system will need to run for longer so that the rooms in your home reach optimal temperatures.
In some situations, rodents and pests may have created insulation issues. For example, if you have ducts in your attic, then pests like squirrels or rats could have dug at the insulation and created exposed areas of ductwork. HVAC technicians can properly replace the insulation and test different areas with thermometers to detect cold or hot spots in the home and know exactly where you need more insulation.
In a home, the ducts may have insulation, but the insulation may not be strong enough to properly prevent a temperature loss. In those cases, HVAC technicians may replace the insulation with insulation that has a higher R-value. The R-value represents the heat resistance in the insulation, and the higher the R-value, the better performance the insulation will have.
2. Dirty Ducts and Air Quality Issues
Over time, the build-up of dust, dirt, and debris can cause poor air quality, which can cause sinus issues, breathing issues, and, over the long term, a weakened immune system. You may not get adequate sleep or suffer from headaches due to poor air quality as well.
HVAC technicians can provide a full duct cleaning service for your home. Cleaning of the full ducts will ensure that dust is not spread into the air each time your air conditioning kicks on. You may also have rodent fur, rodent droppings, or dead insects found inside the ducts. You do not want to breathe these elements in on a daily basis.
Along with the cleaning of your air ducts, HVAC technicians can test the air quality in your home and show you the before and after results.
3. Poor Air Duct Design
The ideal goal of an air duct system is to go from point A to point B as quick as possible. Any extra twists, turns, or extended ductwork can dramatically impact the efficiency of your system. If you notice the HVAC system in your Tampa home is performing poorly, then the air duct design could be the root cause.
HVAC technicians can inspect the layout of your current ductwork and determine if any changes are needed. While rare, a few changes can improve your system. For example, technicians may shorten the length of the ductwork or change some of the split points to different rooms. Instead of a maze of ducts, a streamlined design could lead to much better performance and efficiency. Cold air will reach rooms faster, and the air will not warm up as much along the way.
4. Damaged Duct Pieces
A crack or leak in metal duct pieces can lead to all kinds of problems. When air leaks out of a duct, the efficiency will drop considerably and cause HVAC systems to run longer and harder just to heat or cool a home.
For minimal damage, a technician will perform a repair. For large dents and holes, a replacement duct piece will make it easier to stop the leak and ensure air flows through the duct properly. A technician will also assess the damage to determine the cause and ensure the problem doesn’t occur again in the future.
5. Kinks in Flexible Ductwork
Instead of solid metal designs, some areas of your home may include flexible ductwork. The flexible pieces of ductwork are commonly used in hard-to-reach places or areas like tight turns. While the flexible ductwork can carry air just fine, they may suffer from damage like kinks.
If a flexible piece of ductwork has a kink, then the air will not properly flow through the pipe. You may notice a lack of air coming from the grill in certain rooms. A duct kink can happen for a number of reasons, including any home construction projects or changes to your home.
An HVAC technician can inspect for kinks and undo them. Once undone, a technician looks for any damage to the ductwork. In some cases, a kink can cause a crack or split in the duct and will need to be replaced. If possible, a solid piece of metal will replace the flexible duct to prevent kinks again in the future.
6. Air Duct Register Issues
The registers in your Tampa home are the areas where air gets dispersed into a room. If a register is not tightly connected to the ducts, then the air could leak out into the walls or floor before it reaches the room. This could result in a major loss of cooled air and cause major efficiency problems as the air does not reach the room in time.
An HVAC technician will inspect the registers to ensure they sit tightly in position and have proper connections with the ducts. The grills on top of the registers will also get tightened to ensure air flows out of them. A loose grill could impact the register as well, shaking and vibrating with each movement. Not only will the air duct system work more efficiently, but you will reduce the amount of excess noise that comes from a duct system.
For all of your air duct repairs and inspections, you can rely on our professional service and care at Protek Roofing, Heating, Air & Solar. We have served the Tampa area for many years and know how important it is to combat the heat and humidity with a properly working HVAC system. Along with duct cleaning and repairs, we offer a wide range of other HVAC services. This includes AC installation, heating installation, and humidifier and dehumidifier installations, along with emergency repairs. If you want to improve your energy efficiency even further, then consider our solar installation services and repairs as well.
Reach out to us at Protek Roofing, Heating, Air & Solar to set up an appointment today and repair any air duct issues you have!
