Air Ducts and AC

If you’ve noticed that your AC is not performing at its best, your air ducts could be to blame. At Master Mechanical, we want to help our customers keep their HVAC unit performing at its best. That’s why we put these tips together to help you determine how to keep your AC going strong. 

Inside the house 

Drafts are the biggest culprit working against an efficient AC system. Most of these will come from windows and doors that don't close properly. Sometimes it can be weatherstripping around the edges or hinges that have failed leaving gaps. Other times, it could be that they were never installed correctly to begin with and need to be sealed. Often they are just old and failing. Sometimes people will try to fill gaps with temporary solutions like a towel under the door or thicker curtains. This will never work as good as fixing the problem properly. 

Vents 

The free flow of air is just as important as sealing leaks. If air stops moving it is no longer acting as air conditioning. An interruption could be a clogged duct, closed levers on a vent or even a shut door. To make sure an HVAC system is working properly, all interruptions need to be removed. The final and incredibly important vent is the air intake. This will usually have a filter that needs to be changed frequently. Especially if you have pets. 

Ducting 

Usually air ducts are installed by an HVAC Professional and you can usually depend on them being placed securely. However, many systems have soft vents. These are flexible insulated vents that allow for installation in a one step process. These ducts unfortunately are more susceptible to damage from rodents chewing them and being crushed. They can also become fouled by sitting in stagnant water. Because these ducts can have these issues, they need to be inspected at least once a year 

Many of the maintenance duties involved with an HVAC system need to be done by an HVAC Professional. It's important to include regular inspections in a maintenance program because without it, an HVAC system can lose effectiveness with every passing year. If you have issues with your air ducts, contact Master Mechanical today.