Leaking ductwork is one of the biggest energy users in a home. As a home inspector I often come across ducts that are in poor conditions inside an attic. Most of the time the owner of the home is not aware. Homeowners give little thought to leaking ductwork since it isn’t always visible. However this will always lead to higher utility bills and the owners never know why. They just assume since their home is older, it isn’t as energy efficient as a new one. What they dont know is there ducts are leaking as much as 25% of the air that they are paying to cool!
What will it hurt if I dont fix it?
I tell many homeowners they have leaking ductwork and they never seem too concerned. What they dont realize is this will cost them money as well as sacrifice the air quality in the home. The majority of all ducts in Florida are ran through the attic unfortunatley. These attics are usually filled with fiberglass insulation and have particles of fiberglass in the air due to air movements from attic ventilation. When you have leaking ductwork, it will actually allow these particles to enter the air stream and enter your house. This can lead to respiratory issues as well as itching and irritated skin.
Ok so how do I fix it?
When I’m inspecting a home I always recommend that repairs be made by a qualified person of that trade. I know this doesn’t always happen. So if you were to want to repair leaking ductwork yourself its really quite easy. These are the tools you will need to complete the job:
- New piece of flexduct– These usually come in 25ft pieces
- Mastic– This will be to seal the new duct
- Zip Ties– This will be used to help attach the duct to the duct boot
You will want to remove the old duct and install the new one. Make sure the new one is pulled tight so there are no air flow restrictions. You will want to make sure there are no sharp bends as well. Next you will apply mastic around the duct boot and slide your new duct over that. Then you will use the zip tie around the interior portion of the duct(not the insulation) and tighten your connection. Depending on how easy you can manuver inside your attic space, this whole process should’nt take more than 30 minutes.
If you would like to find out if you have leaking ductwork, you can call us to schedule a home inspection.
