Most homes in Winter Park, FL rely on traditional forced air systems to stay cool during the summer months, which most residents know can stretch well into the fall. Older systems begin to show the strain this time of year, after months of regular service and with plenty more warm days still to come in 2016. That can extend to your duct system too, which is charged with carrying cool air from the AC itself to the various corners of your homes. If you can spot the signs of trouble in your ducts, now is an excellent time to address the problem.
Types of Trouble with Your Ducts
Trouble in your ducts tends to take one of two distinct forms:
- Something clogging the ducts and preventing the air from flowing. This can include build-up in the ducts themselves, but may also involve damage such as crimps or dents in the duct surface. The effect results in reduced air flow, forcing the system to work harder to cool your home.
- A breach or open hole in the ducts, pulling out conditioned air or pulling in unconditioned air. This can also result in reduced air flow, as well as air that is warmer than it should be.
How to Spot Them
In many cases, you can spot the signs of trouble in your ducts the same way you spot trouble in your AC unit as a whole: lowered air speed, warmer air, higher-than-expected bills, and strange noises like hums or whistles that stop when you turn off the system. You can also spot them by feeling for cold spots on the wall near the suspect area, and also by looking for higher amounts of dust in the air flow.
If you spot the signs of trouble in your ducts, call on the pros at Downtown Air and heat to fix them!
