Maintaining your HVAC system keeps the heat flowing in your home. You need to ensure the ductwork is clean and the fittings are secure to keep everything working properly. Your furnace ducts are an important part of your home’s heating system because they allow warm air to transfer into every room, keeping you and your family at a comfortable temperature. The ductwork also helps keeps you cool in Calgary’s hot summer months by channelling cool airflow from your air conditioning unit into the locations of your home when you need it most.
What are some of the signs indicating you need to repair or clean the ductwork in your house? You don’t want to run into a situation where you are without proper functioning ducts. Instead, when you notice a problem with unusual temperature fluctuation or lack of air flowing through the vents, call your HVAC service provider to get a professional technician to sort out the issues.
1. Uneven Temperatures
One of the key things to look for when something in your ductwork starts going bad is unusual temperature fluctuation. What does this mean? If you find the temperature in one room of your house is consistently colder than normal or overheating then you might have tears in your ductwork causing an improper flow of air.
2. Low Air Flow
Is too little air flowing through your central HVAC system? How do you know if this is the case? Call a certified HVAC technician to check on the airflow for you. Your HVAC professional will be able to perform a blower test to see if enough air is flowing through your system. What is a blower test? The technician forces air into your ducts to measure how much air is transferring out, noting any issues and will be able to recommend a repair or just a good cleaning.
3. Dusty Home
Do you find that the air in your home smells like something is burning when your furnace ignites? Is the constant dust making you cough? Dirt and dust can enter the main system inside your home when your ductwork has an issue. When there is a problem with your ducts, your system may not be able to filter out allergy-causing particles. Cleaning or repairing the ductwork in your home leaves you with less chance of getting a cold or flu. Viruses can spread easily due to the particles flowing up through your central HVAC system and into your lungs. You will also find that removing debris from your ductwork will help eliminate dirt and dust so your home stays a lot cleaner. Look for a red seal certified technician to assess your HVAC ductwork to eliminate these unwanted annoyances.
4. Loud Ductwork
Are you hearing rattling and loud noises coming from your furnace vents? You need to have your ductwork checked. If your ducts are clogged up from years of dust and debris, they are no longer working as they should. Maybe you just moved into a new home and you are hearing those same noises. Poorly installed ductwork can cause problems even in a new property. Instead of dealing with this noise constantly, get your ductwork cleaned, serviced or repaired. Your ductwork should be doing its job quietly in the background, keeping a constant flow of air throughout your home.
Even if you don’t suspect anything wrong with your ductwork, it is good to have your furnace and vents cleaned annually.