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Air Conditioner Ductwork Leaks | Leaky Duct Work - A good consideration when replacing the air conditioning system is the ductwork.
Red Arrow Shows a Duct Work Leak
Ductwork seems to be the most ignored part of an HVAC system. However, it is a very important consideration in this age of new technology and higher energy-efficient equipment being developed and manufactured. You can have the most energy-efficient engine but if it’s in an old 60 or 70’s model car your efficiency is going to suffer. The same is true with HVAC systems.
Air Conditioner Ductwork Leaks
You can have the most energy-efficient compressor available on the market but if your ductwork is leaky or your house or business is not properly insulated that high efficient system you just spent big dollars on is wasted money.
For more insight on HVAC ductwork see the High Performance HVAC Ductwork Page.
Ductwork leaks are very prevalent in many air conditioner systems and a large amount of energy savings will be realized. Unfortunately, ductwork leaks are largely ignored. That makes the cost of operating the air conditioning and heating system go up. Even if the system is replaced with a higher SEER system. You can definitely help your air conditioner by taking care of that leaky ductwork.
Air Conditioner Ductwork Leaks - Analogy of a Ductwork Leak
Imagine, if you will, for a moment, that you had a sprinkler hooked up to a water hose. Let us say that the sprinkler was brand new and the hose was twenty years old. The hose definitely suffers from age and shows it with dry rot. A few attempted patches with duct tape (technically referred to as sixty miles per hour tape). You hook this hose up to the sprinkler and the hose bib on the side of your house.
You turn it on and the sprinkler comes to life, although a life that seemed to deliver less of a quantity of water than you expected from this state-of-the-art, latest design in the sprinkler system. You are mad. Angry that it doesn’t work the way the package said it would work. You call the 800 number on the box that it came in and tell the manufacturing representative of the sprinkler company that the sprinkler is a piece of (expletive left out here in consideration of decency standards). The representative asks a few questions and listens intently to your answers.
The representative asks you to try a simple procedure. Then call him back directly after checking from the hose bib to the sprinkler. You follow the recommendation and start at the hose bib on the side of your house. It is leaking at the connection. Also at the first and third places where duct tape was used. It is leaking profusely in several places.
The Leaky Hose - Air Conditioner Ductwork Leaks | HVAC Airflow
You find another leak down the way from the third attempted duct tape repair. Then a fourth and fifth leak. You then say to yourself, “Dang! I probably should have grabbed a new hose. A new hose with this high-dollar solid-state state-of-the-art sprinkler system I purchased.
Meanwhile, the representative is discussing this with his other representative members. Members of the sprinkler company technical staff and anxiously awaiting you to call him back. You go and purchase a new hose, hook it up, and the new sprinkler works as advertised.
This ductwork got waterlogged because of a leak. Not a water leak, but an air leak. Ductwork will sweat if not sealed properly. The ductwork has mold inside of it because of the moisture.
You are now happy and have completely forgotten about calling the representative back. This same scenario can be compared with purchasing any HVAC system and hooking it up to old leaking ductwork. You simply are not going to deliver the air necessary to make the system as efficient as promised.
By honestly evaluating all the parameters involved and taking action to repair or replace deficiencies you can get the efficiency out of the system you purchase(d) (just like the new sprinkler system).
Replace that leaking ductwork and watch your energy bills drop significantly. And last but not least, don’t leave a manufacturer’s representative anxiously suffering…………….awaiting your return call. While you may pay for the water I guarantee it doesn’t cost as much as that conditioned air you are paying to heat and cool.
Air Conditioner Ductwork Leaks
It is also important when these HVAC systems are installed that they receive proper commissioning and start-up. This should be done by a qualified HVAC technician to ensure that they are working as designed. This typically involves checking out the whole HVAC system to make sure everything is working as efficiently as possible as designed and promised when you signed the contract for the new system.
Just remember, as the cost of energy rises it becomes more and more critical to make sure the whole HVAC system works together as efficiently as possible as per design.
Follow those little nuggets of advice and you will save money and see your energy bills decrease. Information like this can save you tons of dollars in the future in HVAC energy costs. Use it to your advantage and save those $30.00 to $40.00 dollars a month (or more) so in the future, you won’t suffer temperature-wise or financial-wise.
Air Conditioner Ductwork Leaks
Technical Resource: Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technology
