The temperatures in Ventura County, California tend to hover in the 60s and 70s throughout most of the year. But every now and then, the temps do climb up into the 80s and call for homeowners to turn on their air conditioning systems to keep their houses cool.

If you use your home’s A/C system a lot to cool down your home, you should get into the habit of having it serviced and repaired on a regular basis. You should also keep an eye out for any signs of trouble with your home’s air ducts.

If your air ducts are leaking air every time you turn your A/C system on, it can take a huge toll on you and your home. It can send your energy costs skyrocketing and affect the temperature in your home on warmer days.

Here are seven telltale signs that your air ducts are leaking air.

 

1. Your A/C Struggles to Keep Your Home Comfortable

When you fire up your home’s A/C system on a hot day, you obviously expect it to cool your house down. It should be able to make your hot home more comfortable than it is within an hour or two, if that.

If your home’s A/C system runs for hours on end without making much of a dent as far as bringing the temperature inside your home down, it’s an issue. There could be something wrong with one of the parts in your A/C system.

There could also be something wrong with the air ducts that are connected to your A/C system. More specifically, these ducts could have leaks in them that are allowing the cold air your A/C system produces to sneak out.

When this happens, it’ll cause your A/C system to struggle to keep your home comfortable on warmer days. You should consider calling on a reputable heating and cooling company to see if your air ducts might be to blame for your system’s struggles.

 

2. Your Home Has Certain Rooms That Never Cool Off

Are there certain rooms in your home that get ice-cold when you have your A/C system running and others that remain as warm as when you first turned your A/C system on? This should also be a concern for homeowners.

When you turn your A/C system on, it should distribute cold air evenly throughout your home to cool it off. You should feel each room in your home get cooler at about the same rate.

If you’re finding that your home is cooling down unevenly, it’s often an indication that there are leaks in your air ducts. These leaks are stopping cold air from making it to the rooms in different parts of your home.

It’s not all that uncommon for some of the rooms on a second or third floor in a home to be slightly warmer than those floors below it. But generally speaking, the temperature in your home should be pretty consistent from one room to the next.

 

3. Your Energy Bills Are Higher Than Usual When You Use Your A/C

Your energy bills are going to go up a little bit during the times of the year when you use your home’s A/C system the most. In months like June, July, and August, you’re going to see your energy bills increase at least slightly.

But if it feels like you’re paying too much to run your A/C system every month, that could be a sign that there is something wrong with it. This often means your A/C is staying on longer than it usually does and sending your bills skyrocketing.

This might be because one of the many parts in your A/C system needs to be repaired or replaced. But it could also be because your air ducts are leaking air when your A/C is on and forcing it to run for longer periods of time to cool your home off.

It’s a good idea for homeowners to keep their energy bills filed away so that they can compare them over time. If you see a big spike in your energy bills once, it might not be a huge cause for concern. But if your bills spike and then stay high, it’ll let you know it’s time to call a trusted heating and cooling company in Camarillo, CA.

 

4. Your A/C Seems to Be Making Your Home Very Dusty

Most people have at least some dust inside their homes. In fact, the average home accumulates upwards of 40 pounds of dust each year.

You don’t need to freak out if you spot a little extra dust in your home. But if you start to see dust all over the place inside your home, you should raise an eyebrow at it and investigate the source of it.

Leaky air ducts are known to make a home dustier than usual. They allow dust to enter ductwork and travel throughout a home.

By eliminating leaks in ducts, you can cut down on the amount of dust that you have in your home and help those in your home breathe a little easier.

 

5. Your A/C Also Seems to Be Affecting Your Indoor Air Quality in Other Ways

Leaks in your air ducts can do more than distribute dust throughout your home. They can also distribute fumes that might make you and your family sick.

When you have leaky ductwork, there is a chance that it will pull in air from outside into your home. There is also a chance that it will pull in air from down in your basement area and within your walls and send it out into your home.

This could potentially be problematic if you have things like paint thinners and pesticides sitting in storage in your basement. The fumes from these products could end up working their way through your home and harming your family’s health.

 

6. Your A/C Is in Almost Constant Need of Repair

If your A/C system is starting to get old, it shouldn’t come as a huge shock when you need to make routine repairs to it. You might want to consider having a brand-new A/C system installed.

But if your A/C system is only a few years old now and it’s in almost constant need of repair, that is not a good sign. It could very well illustrate that you have leaky air ducts in your home.

The more often that your A/C runs, the more often you’re going to need to have it replaced. You can cut back on how often your A/C system is on—and prevent yourself from having to do one repair after another—by finding and fixing leaky ductwork.

 

7. Your Home’s Air Ducts Are on the Older Side

The air ducts in your home aren’t going to last forever. Many experts will tell you that some ductwork needs to be replaced as often as every 15 years or so.

There are some ways that you can make sure you get the most life possible out of the ductwork for your A/C system. For example, you can put air duct cleaning on your HVAC maintenance schedule and keep your ducts clean at all times.

But if you know for a fact that your ducts are starting to get up there in age, it’s safe to assume that there are at least a few small leaks in them. You should have them inspected for leaks and make repairs to them whenever necessary.

You should also have a plan in place for replacing your ducts one day. The last thing you want to do is wait for too long and have your old ductwork destroy everything from your A/C compressor to your indoor air quality over time.

Since air ducts are out of sight, they tend to be out of mind as well for most homeowners. Don’t make the mistake of forgetting about them and allowing them to wreak havoc on your home.

 

Do You Think Your Home’s Air Ducts Are Leaking Air?

If you think you’ve spotted one or more of the telltale signs that your air ducts are leaking air, it’s time to take action. Get in touch with a heating and cooling company as soon as you can to find out if your home’s ductwork is causing problems.

Far too often, homeowners ignore the signs mentioned here and let their air ducts continue to leak air. This has the potential to cause even worse problems in the future, and it could end up costing you a fortune.

We can help you with any issues you might be having with your A/C system or your air ducts in Camarillo, CA and the surrounding cities. We can make your system more efficient as a whole and allow you to keep your home comfortable.

Contact us today to take advantage of our heating and cooling services.