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20% of your home's heating and cooling energy could be wasted by faulty ducts. You wouldn’t allow one fifth of your paycheck to leak out of your pocket or one fifth of your food to be stolen by wolves. Why would you allow one fifth of your heating and cooling energy go to waste?
Leaky ducts also reduce the indoor air quality of your home. Dust, pollen, pests and moisture can get inside your home through the leaks. The bad news is that the majority of homes have duct problems. The good news is that those problems are easily correctable.
These are the most common duct issues.
From EERE
- Leaky duct connections
- Leaky return ducts
- Furniture blocking registers
- Leaks at furnace and air filter slot and duct tape failures
- Fallen duct insulation
- Leaky supply ducts
- Kinks in ductwork restricting airflow
Check out the EERE's site for pictures of properly and improperly sealed ducts.
If you are a handy person, you should be able to fix most duct difficulties. There are products on the market that will seal holes in ducts. I can't vouch for the healthfulness of those products. Read the labels carefully. Your best bet is usually low/no VOC caulking. And if you're unhandy, you can find a gaggle of contractors itching for work.
More Info on Repairing Ducts:
How to Patch Leaky Ducts
How to fix a Heating Duct and Damper Video
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