The Benefits of Replacing Your Air Conditioning Ducts

The ductwork in an air conditioning system is vital for its efficient functioning and to keep your home well ventilated and cool. While the ductwork isn’t something you change frequently, these parts may need replacement from time to time. This is typically the case when holes or cracks cannot be sealed completely, or the ducts are too old, inefficient, and need to be changed as part of an upgrade to a new heating and cooling system for the house. Ducts that are poorly designed or poorly installed are also best replaced. Though a little expensive, replacing the AC ducts of your Houston home can give you many advantages, such as the following.

Prevent drafts and poor cooling

Ductwork for homes are made from flexible plastic material. They typically last anywhere between 10 and 15 years, but owing to lack of rigidity; these ducts can get damaged quickly. Also, with age, the material degrades, often resulting in cracks, tears, or twists. Some sections may even collapse completely. This results in gaps developing in the ductwork, which restricts airflow or diverts it to unnecessary or unoccupied spaces. Such damaged parts of the ductwork, in addition to causing drafts, also quickly get infected with pests. Duct replacement is the most-preferred solution for all such problems. Installing new ducts normalizes the airflow and temperature indoors, ensuring optimal cooling throughout the year. It also regulates the humidity within the house and provides uniform cooling across all rooms. This prevents stuffiness and dryness and lets you stay comfortable all the time.

Help save energy and utility bills

Damaged or dysfunctional ducts allow air to leak through. When this happens, you need to run your air conditioning systems for longer or at higher power to keep your home well cooled. This added strain on the cooling system causes it to consume more energy than necessary. Such problems can also arise from poor duct design, which prevents proper functioning of an air conditioning system and results in less than the efficient circulation of air. Replacing faulty ductwork ensures that there are no gaps for the air to seep through and that the air conditioner delivers optimum cooling to all parts of the house. Fitting new ducts of correct design, size, and shape also eases the undue burden placed on the compressor for adequate cooling. In both cases, reduced consumption of energy leads to savings in utility bills. In the long run, the energy saving offsets the upfront costs incurred for AC duct replacement Houston home.

Improve the indoor air quality

Ductwork typically runs through closed or narrow spaces of the homes between walls, through ceilings, and crawl spaces. These areas are usually the least clean and often covered with dust and pests. A broken, cracked, or collapsed duct part allows all of these contaminants and allergens to enter the airflow system and circulates them with the air into the house. In some cases, the damaged ducts also let in fumes from household products as well as insulation particles. Breathing in contaminated air can cause allergies and result in irritation like stuffy nose, burning eyes, and so on. This can be especially dangerous for babies, young children, and those with respiratory conditions like asthma. When molds enter the air circulation system, they can lead to unpleasant smells or damage the air conditioning system. It can also allow them to grow under the insulation or wallpapers in your home. Replacing faulty ducts thus prevents contamination and maintains the quality of air being circulated within the home. This, in turn, contributes to the occupants in the house staying healthy. AC ducts that need replacement come with warning signs. These include reduced airflow from the vents, unusual rattling sounds, unpleasant smells, a huge increase in power consumption and utility bills, and so on. When your air conditioner creates trouble even with the system and the thermostats functioning fine, reach out to a  qualified and certified air conditioning service technician in Houston. The person can determine if  your ductwork needs replacement and can provide whatever service is needed to restore the system back to its fully functional state.