For nearly twenty years, I completely ignored the HVAC duct installed in our house.
It wasn’t a deliberate neglect.
I wasn’t simply being cheap or lazy. I simply didn’t supply the duct system any thought. The network of pipes is almost actually concealed inside the walls, ceilings and crawl space. I was easily conscientious about having the a/c and furnace professionally serviced every year. I made sure to replace air filters every week and clean the supply and return registers. It should have occurred to myself and others that those registers are affixed to the ventilation system. That system is responsible for moveing the heated and cooled air that provides comfort. It handles the air our family breathes every single day. Whether we’re operating the a/c or the furnace, the ducts are impacting the level of performance. I didn’t start noticing the HVAC duct until our bi-weekly utility bills more than doubled. At first, I accused every member of our family of messing with the temperature control. I was sure someone was cranking up the heat while I was out of the home or asleep. Then I realized that particular rooms of the home felt chilly, no matter how high I adjusted the temperature control setting. I eventually contacted a licensed HVAC supplier to inspect the furnace. He discovered that the HVAC duct was to blame. He tested the duct system and found that nearly 30% of the heated air was leaking out through small holes and cracks at the seams. I assumed that I’d be faced with a pressing maintenance project. I figured the supplier would need to tear down walls to access the HVAC duct. Instead, he tackled the problem from the inside. He sealed off the registers and used a unit to blow pressurized air into the ducts. The air contained adhesive particles that collected along all of the imperfections and gradually sealed them.