My furnace is about five years old, and we’ve only had our central air conditioner for three years.
I’ve been diligent with changing air filters and having the equipment professionally serviced. When I started noticing a gradual increase in monthly energy bills, I wasn’t sure what was causing it. I then realized that the air conditioner was making more noise than normal and running for longer periods. There was definitely a greater concentration of dust and other debris floating around in the air, and my house smelled sort of musty and stale. Thinking that the air conditioner was malfunctioning, I was extremely frustrated. Thankful that the cooling unit was still protected under warranty, I hired an HVAC professional to inspect and repair the system. The technician found no concerns with the air conditioner. He then inspected and tested the performance of the duct system and discovered a whole bunch of minor holes. These flaws were allowing conditioned air to escape and drawing in outside air. The air conditioner was forced to run longer to achieve thermostat settings. Outside, dirty air was spread throughout the house, negatively impacting indoor air quality. I was a bit worried that the duct sealing process would be super expensive and messy. Instead, the whole job took less than two hours and caused no disruption to my home. The technician sealed off the supply and return vents, and pumped a mixture of pressurized air and adhesive particles into the duct system. As the air leaked from the holes, the particles stuck to the edges. They gradually built up and created an airtight seal.