The average American house loses up to 30% of heated plus cooled air because of flaws in the ductwork; The duct program is a network of pipes that are largely concealed behind walls plus ceilings plus inside crawl spaces, garages, basements plus attics, however due to terrible design plus wear plus tear, separations can develop at the seams, then small holes can form; Conditioned air travels through the duct program numerous times per afternoon.
The air that is heated by the gas furnace or cooled by the air conditioner is distributed to the rooms of the house by way of the supply ductwork.
The stale air is circulated back to the gas furnace plus air conditioner through return ducts, any imperfection results in air loss, however holes in supply ducts mean that the maximum amount of heated or cooled air fails to reach the intended endpoint. That means the gas furnace plus air conditioner are required to run longer to meet the demands of the thermostat setting.The added wear plus tear negatively impacts the reliability plus longevity of the equipment… Leaky ducts lead to inferior comfort, greater energy consumption plus higher running costs… Imperfections in the return ducts often draw in unconditioned air plus pollutants. This can cause problems with indoor air conditions as well as health plus safety risks. Contaminants get introduced into breathing air. If the ducts are located near combustion-based appliances, there is the worry over carbon monoxide getting pulled into the air. The solution is regular, professional ductwork testing, plus if necessary, duct sealing. The process is non-invasive but worthwhile.