It’s very normal for temperatures to reach triple digits in Thousand Palms and other parts of California’s Coachella Valley. If you don’t have a reliable cooling system, you’ll find it difficult to stay comfortable. Parts of your home may even become dangerously hot and unsafe. Keeping your air conditioner running smoothly heavily relies on how well you stay on top of maintenance. Professional duct sealing is one of the easiest ways to prevent your AC from overworking in extreme desert climates.
How Does Duct Sealing Work?
Duct sealing involves creating a closed loop that allows for pressurized testing. This tells us whether there’s any air escaping through gaps, cracks or disconnected joints.
If we find leaks, we will look at energy loss data and the material’s condition to see whether it’s best to repair or replace the damaged sections. We have a variety of solutions for duct leaks. The whole process usually takes anywhere from two to eight hours, depending on how many leaks we find.
How Often Should You Have Your Ducts Sealed?
On average, most houses in our area need duct sealing every three to five years. Homes with older HVAC units or leaky attic insulation often benefit from more sealing because of poor temperature regulation. Drastic temperature swings may cause the duct materials to expand and contract, contributing to the gradual failure of seals and adhesives. Vibration from high-powered blower motors can loosen mechanical fasteners and tape, sometimes resulting in significant air leaks that drive up your energy bills.
If you live in an area where there’s a lot of windblown dust, this is another reason to schedule more frequent duct sealing. Sand and dust particles wear down seals and connections. Strong desert winds can shift the air ducts out of their original alignment. With regular sealing, there will be a much lower chance of the ducts losing static pressure or leaking conditioned air.
A Close Look at the Benefits
If you’re wondering whether it’s a good idea to invest in duct sealing, it helps to understand the benefits. This form of preventative HVAC maintenance can significantly change how easy it is for the AC to cool your home.
Prevents Attic Heat from Entering Ducts
The ductwork in your home likely runs through attic space. If any of those sections have unsealed joints or damaged insulation, hot air in the attic can seep inside the ducts. The warmer air then flows into each room, making those areas very uncomfortable. Sealing the ducts helps keep the hot attic air out of the conditioned airflow.
Stops Conditioned Air from Escaping
When ducts have air leaks, this not only lets hot air inside the duct runs; it also lets the conditioned air escape. In fact, typical homes can lose as much as 30% of the cool air through holes in ductwork. That means the
AC is having to work extra hard to make up for the lost cooling capacity. With regular sealing, every cubic foot of cool air will reach its intended destination.
Improves Return Airflow to the System
The return duct is responsible for pulling air from your living spaces and sending it to the air handler. If it has tears or loose connections, it will suck in hot air from crawl spaces and attics. Sealing the ducts ensures it only draws in the pre-filtered, indoor air that is already inside your home.
Balances Air Distribution Across All Rooms
One of the most common reasons we get service calls for duct sealing is because parts of the home feel much warmer or cooler than others. Duct sealing gives us the chance to correct air distribution imbalances caused by disconnected or poorly aligned runs. We will seal leaks so the entire cooling system has balanced pressure.
Reduces Dust and Contaminant Intrusion
You don’t want fine sand, allergens and other pollutants getting inside your ductwork. If they do, they will mix with the conditioned air you breathe, worsening your allergy symptoms. Sealing the air ducts ensures there aren’t any leaky plenum connections or exposed openings for the allergens to infiltrate your ventilation system.
Supports More Accurate Thermostat Readings
A duct leak near your thermostat causes localized temperature spikes. Your thermostat’s temperature sensor may not be able to get an accurate reading. If it tells the AC it’s much cooler than it actually is, it won’t kick on to cool your home to the desired temperature. When warmer air escapes, it may tell the AC to run longer cycles because it thinks the room hasn’t reached the target setting yet. Duct sealing provides the opportunity to eliminate “ghost” temperature readings caused by duct leaks.
What to Expect During the Duct Sealing Visit
When we come to your home to perform duct sealing, we will carry out several steps to ensure maximum airflow efficiency.
The first thing we do is crawl into your attic and crawl spaces to visually inspect all of the ductwork. Here’s what we look for:
- Loose or disconnected duct sections
- Cracked or deteriorating duct insulation
- Air leaks at duct joints
- Improperly sealed plenum connections
- Dust buildup around duct openings
- Signs of rodent or pest damage
Pressure Testing
Some duct leaks aren’t easy to spot. That’s why we also perform a pressure test. If there are breaches in the system, the test will reveal measurable air leakage. This evaluation also tells us exactly how much air is escaping through connections or gaps. We then use these findings to determine the best sealing methods.
Sealing Methods
Professional-grade mastic paste, foil-backed tape and aerosolized sealant are the three most common solutions for duct sealing. Foil-backed tape works best for minor seam leaks and small punctures where there isn’t excessive dust or grease. Mastic paste is the preferred choice for larger gaps and irregular joints, and we often use it for sealing the main plenum and branch connections. Aerosolized sealant is the go-to option for sealing hidden leaks and those in hard-to-reach areas.
Final Airflow Verification
After we complete the sealing process, some materials may need time to fully cure. This depends on whether we use mastic sealant or aerosolized sealing methods. We’ll do a final pressure test that confirms the ducts are now within industry-standard leakage rates.
Top Warning Signs to Get Your Air Ducts Sealed
You’ll likely notice several clues if your ductwork is working against your home’s comfort and energy performance. Here are some of the main things to watch for that duct sealing may be able to help:
- A spike in utility bills
- Inconsistent room temperatures
- Excessive indoor dust
- Noisy whistling vents
- Long cooling cycles
- Visible duct damage
- Musty attic odors
Here at General Air Conditioning & Plumbing, we have been helping homeowners create cozy, energy-efficient living spaces since 1984. We’re a warehouse on wheels for fast, effective HVAC solutions, including home performance contracting. This service makes it simple to see which parts of your house are driving your utility costs.
Call General Air Conditioning & Plumbing today to schedule duct sealing in Thousand Palms, CA.
