Summer is around the corner and the sun will soon be blazing, if it isn't already. That hot sun means a hot home too. If you have central air with ducts in the attic, this is a must read!
Are you fighting a losing battle?
During warm seasons, the sun heats your roof to temps as high as 150 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit or more. That heat then radiates into your attic, warming your ductwork, spreading to the surrounding living areas and then to the rest of your home. The warmer your home gets, the more you are running your cooling system.
Think about how unbearable it is in your attic when it is hot outside - attics can hit temps of 140 degrees Fahrenheit! When air ducts sit in that heat, warming up with the rest of your attic, you may want to push cold, conditioned air through them in order to regulate temperatures in the rest of your home, but you will have issues. Reason being, if you have the air conditioning set to 60 degrees and your attic is 140 degrees, there is an 80-degree difference between the air coming from your AC unit and the suffocating heat that surrounds your ductwork.
Is your WHOLE house cooling down?
Do you find that some rooms in your house are able to reach desired temperatures while other areas of the house don't? This is likely the result of hot ducts. As conditioned air travels from the AC unit through attic ducts, the air inside gets warmer and warmer. The further along the path of the ductwork to a room in your home, the harder it will be to cool that room. Without proper air sealing and insulation the ducts in your attic will continually release conditioned air into your attic, forcing your air conditioning unit to run much more frequently.
Duct Insulation: A key component to your home cooling woes
If the ducts in your attic are not properly air sealed and insulated, then your home's conditioned air is getting cooked by the natural heat in the attic. Various types of ductwork have their own issues, including soft ducts that easily form tiny holes that leak air and metal ducts with seams that also leak air. That air loss puts extra pressure on your AC unit, which means more money is coming out of your wallet.
When air sealed and insulated, the conditioned air traveling through your ducts will maintain its temperature much more efficiently. So, for a cooler home and more efficient air conditioning unit, you need to air seal and insulate your ducts.
HomePro Match can pair you with the right duct insulation and air sealing professional in your area. Contact us for duct insulation help today!
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