Air ducts are invisible in many North Carolina homes, tucked away behind ceilings or floors. These hidden ducts can also be the source of an invisible problem: air leaks.

According to Energy Star, it is typical for the air ducts in a home to leak out 20 percent of the air that passes through the HVAC system. This means that 1/5 of the energy you spend heating and cooling the air never even makes it into the living areas of your home. Your furnace and air conditioner are required to run longer to heat and cool your home, upping your utility bills and shortening the life of your HVAC equipment. In addition, it means that air can bypass your air filter entirely, potentially increasing the amount of dust, mold, and pollen that your family breathes in each day.

Duct sealing can solve these problems, eliminating (or at least reducing) air leaks. However, before you grab the roll of duct tape, it is important to know a few things about duct sealing. For example: don’t use duct tape. Though duct tape is great for fixing many things, it is, perhaps surprisingly, not very good at actually sealing ducts. Regular duct tape simply does not last very long, especially when compared to a duct system that might be around for decades to come. Instead of duct tape, metal foil-backed tape or butyl tape should be used. Or, you can use a mastic sealant designed for use with ducts.

Because of the specialized sealants and know-how required, duct sealing is best done by experienced professionals. A professional will have the proper equipment to detect invisible leaks – one of the most difficult aspects of duct sealing – and ensure that all of the leaks are sealed in a way that will last for years.

For more information on duct sealing for your home in the Asheville area, contact us at Smoky Mountain Heating & Air. As part of Asheville Oil Company, we have been serving Western North Carolina homeowners for over 80 years. Contact us for all your heating and air-conditioning installation, service and maintenance needs.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).  For more information about duct sealing and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.

Smoky Mountain Heating & Air services Asheville, North Carolina and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!