Duct Sealing: A Must-Do Before the Heating Season
As temperatures dip and you reach for your thermostat more often, hidden leaks in your ductwork can leave you shivering and paying more for lost heat. A tight seal on your ducts stops warm air from escaping into attics, crawlspaces, or wall cavities and delivers it where you need it most.
Understanding Duct Leakage and Its Costs
When your heating system operates, it pushes warm air through a network of metal or flexible ducts to distribute heat evenly throughout your home. Even a small gap or disconnected joint can allow a large portion of that air to escape into unconditioned spaces. Over the course of a heating season, ducts leaking just 10% of their air can cost you hundreds of dollars in wasted fuel or electricity. You might notice uneven temperatures from room to room, or an upstairs landing that never warms up.
Invisible leaks behind walls can draw in dusty air, lowering indoor air quality and making your system work harder. A professional duct assessment quantifies leakage and pinpoints trouble spots, providing a clear picture of where to seal first and where repairs might deliver the biggest payoff.
How Our Technicians Find and Prep Leaky Ducts
Before sealing begins, one of our technicians will perform a pressure test on your duct network, temporarily sealing supply and return registers while a blower door depressurizes the system. That process pressurizes the ductwork in reverse to reveal where air leaks under slight pressure. We then use infrared cameras or smoke pencils to watch where air emerges from joints, seams, or punctures.
Each access panel or register stay becomes an entry point for applying mastic sealant or foil-backed tape, specifically designed for HVAC use. Our technicians remove insulation wrap where necessary to reach the bare duct surface for a rock-solid bond. That prep work lays the foundation for a seal that holds tight against temperature swings and vibrations when your blower fan starts up.
Materials and Methods for a Lasting Seal
A duct sealing job involves more than slap-on tape. The silver cloth tape sold at hardware stores usually fails under pressure and temperature changes. Instead, our technicians apply an approved mastic sealant that cures like rubber around every joint and fastener. When gaps exceed half an inch, they install metal-backed mastic-trim tape before smoothing sealant over the joint for full coverage. In areas where ducts pass through framing cavities, they wrap seams with mesh to bridge larger openings.
For flexible ducts alone, our technicians secure metal collars and then apply sealant around the entire connection rather than relying on duct tape. That combination of mechanical fastening and long-lasting sealant stands up to the stress of heater cycling and keeps your network airtight until the next professional inspection.
Verifying Your Results and Scheduling Follow-Up
Once sealing work wraps up, a final diagnostic run confirms the difference you’ve made. One of our technicians will reconnect the blower door and repeat the pressure test, comparing new leakage rates with the initial report. You’ll see a clear percentage drop and projected energy savings translated into dollars.
After that, they walk you through care tips, like checking for new gaps after attic or basement work. Since ducts settle slightly with each heating cycle, it’s wise to book a follow-up inspection in one to two years. That way, you catch stray leaks early and keep airflow on target, preserving comfort and efficiency throughout every season.
Planning for Your Duct Sealing Project
When you contact us, we will give you details on the scheduled time frame and any preparatory steps you should take, like clearing storage near registers or turning off your furnace. Our transparent quote will break down labor, materials, and any follow-up testing.
We will also provide a before-and-after estimate of system leakage measured in cubic feet per minute. Knowing those numbers helps you track your savings and identify if additional zones need attention in future visits.
It’s Time To Seal Your Ducts
Sealing and cleaning your duct network delivers warmer rooms, lower energy bills, and a heating system that operates efficiently rather than excessively. Our team at BELOMAN specializes in duct sealing, furnace tune-ups, and zoning installations to help you get the most from your HVAC setup.
Ready to start saving on your next heating bill? Call BELOMAN today to schedule your duct sealing service in Belleville.
