Eventually, the furnace quit in the middle of January, when the outside temperature was down to twenty-one degrees
I only recently became fully aware of the importance of the duct system. Because the ducts are hidden from view, I never game them a thought. They are installed inside the walls and ceilings of the house and link the furnace and air conditioner to vents in the various rooms. This network of pipes carries the heated/cooled air that my family breathes. The stale air is drawn out of the room and into the system, while a new supply of air is blown in. This process is repeated multiple times throughout the day. If there are small holes or leaks at the seams, there’s plenty of opportunity for the heated or cooled air to escape. I later figured out that approximately thirty percent of the conditioned air was leaking from my duct system. Plus, unconditioned air was getting pulled in, spreading unpleasant smells, dust, bacteria, mold spores and harmful contaminants all over the house. Since the full amount of heated/cooled air was not reaching the intended destination, the rooms were always a bit chilly or overheated. This led to me adjusting the thermostat and putting a bigger demand on the furnace and air conditioner. The longer running times resulted in excessive wear and tear. Eventually, the furnace quit in the middle of January, when the outside temperature was down to twenty-one degrees. When I hired a local HVAC contractor for repair, he inspected the duct system and discovered the problem. The duct sealing process was not overly expensive and completed in several hours. There was no mess or damage to my home, and the results were amazing.