Touchstone Heating & Air Inc. Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Duct Replacement’

Signs That You Need Duct Replacement

Monday, July 21st, 2014

It’s the super-highway in your home you don’t see. It delivers cool air in summer and warm air in winter, and keeps you comfortable year-round. It is your ductwork, and like other parts of your air conditioning system, you may need duct replacement in Jacksonville at some point.

There are certain signs of faulty ductwork, and while some problems can be repaired, sometimes replacement is required. Touchstone Heating and Air, Inc. has helped customers in Jacksonville with their ductwork for over 15 years, including repair and installation. Here are some signs that can indicate it’s time to replace your ductwork:

  • Age – if your ductwork is 30+ years old, it’s time to see how effective it is. Old ductwork is more prone to holes, cracks and disconnections, and also may be poorly placed and lacking proper insulation. Intermittent cracks, holes and tears can probably be repaired by your technician, but if there are a great deal of them throughout your system, it may be better to replace the ductwork in its entirety.
  • Hot and cold spots – there are a few reasons why hot and cold spots can develop in a household, but if other things have been ruled out, it is time to look at how your ducts are performing.
  • Excess humidity – is the humidity level higher in your home? Excess moisture can enter your ductwork through cracks, holes and disconnections and become part of your airstream.
  • Mold – we all know that stale smell of mold – are you detecting it coming through your vents? Mold can be cleaned from metal ductwork, but can stay on plastic ductwork, even with a thorough professional cleaning. As such, it may need to be replaced.
  • Loud banging noises – sometimes loud banging noises from your ductwork are the expanding and contracting of the metal, but if you are hearing loud banging noises consistently, it can indicate collapsed ductwork.

Hire an Expert

Ductwork is an integral part of your air conditioning system and any repair or replacement work shouldn’t be handled by just anyone.

If your ductwork in Jacksonville needs replacing or just a general inspection, call the indoor air quality specialists you can trust: Touchstone Heating and Air, Inc.

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What’s Involved in Duct Replacement?

Monday, July 7th, 2014

The ventilation system in your home needs to maintain an airtight seal along its length, from each individual vent to the air conditioner and heater. Leaky ducts need repairs the seal them, or else the air pressure in your ventilation will start to drop, leading to decreased comfort and an overworked HVAC system.

Sometimes, duct sealing and basic repairs are not enough… you need to have the damaged and aging ducts replaced. If the ducts received improper installation in the first place and are causing you to lose energy, you should also have them replaced with skilled, professional work. If your ductwork has reached the point where repairs will no longer do the job, call Touchstone Heating and Air Inc. in Lake Butler, FL for duct replacement to take handle the work.

What to expect during duct replacement

When technicians come to your house for duct replacement, they will perform a number of tests to determine the extent of the damage to the ventilation system so they can pinpoint which duct section require replacement. They will also gauge your HVAC system to determine which kinds of ducts will work best for replacement.

Selecting the ductwork material is an important part of replacing the ducts. There are three standard materials for ductwork in homes: sheet metal, flexible plastic, and ductboard. The installers will balance out space needs, insulation ability, and cost to make sure that you have the right replacement material.

The replacement job will proceed with removing the existing ducts and setting in the new material, often using a newly constructed wooden frame for support. The installers will seal the new duct to the older sections using mastic sealant or metallic tape. During the process, they will make sure that the new ducts run straight and without any kinks or sags that could cause inefficient performance.

Once the new duct(s) are in place, the technicians will run the HVAC system and perform tests along the new stretch to make sure there are no leaks or heat loss/gain from poor connections. Professional technicians won’t leave your home until they are certain that the new ventilation additions are helping, not hurting, your home’s efficiency.

Although you can locate DIY guides on-line for how to handle duct repairs and replacements, this job is too important for you to allow amateur work to jeopardize it.

Call the skilled team at Touchstone Heating and Air Inc. for duct replacement in Gainesville, FL. We will do the job fast and right the first time.

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