Summer cooling runs for months in Southern Nevada. When the indoor air handler and ductwork sit in a hot attic, leaks let cooled air escape into the attic before it reaches your rooms.
The Environment Inside a Las Vegas Attic
Summer cooling runs for months in the Las Vegas valley. July’s average high is 104.5°F, and an attic gets hotter than the outdoors. Many homes here have their indoor air handler and ductwork installed in the attic. This means the cold air your system produces must travel through a very hot environment to reach your living spaces. When the metal and flexible tubes carrying that air have gaps, holes or poor connections, the cold air escapes into the attic instead of cooling your house.
How Duct Leaks Affect Your Air Conditioner
According to ENERGY STAR, a typical house loses about 20 to 30 percent of the air moving through the duct system due to leaks, holes and poorly connected ducts. In our climate, losing that volume of conditioned air forces the air conditioner to run longer to meet the thermostat setting. The outdoor unit sits in direct sun and dust, working hard to pump heat out of your home.
Signs You Might Have Leaking Ducts
When ducts leak, they do not just lose cold air. They can also draw air in from the attic. A return duct with a hole acts like a vacuum. It pulls in whatever surrounds it. In a Las Vegas attic, that often means drawing in hot air, dust and insulation particles. The blower then pushes this unfiltered air directly into your bedrooms and living areas. If you notice a sudden increase in dust settling on your furniture, the ductwork might be pulling it from the attic. The monsoon winds in July and August bring blowing dust, which easily enters roof vents and eventually finds its way into unsealed return ducts.
You might suspect a problem with your ductwork if you notice specific changes around your house. Some common signs include:
- Rooms that feel noticeably warmer than the rest of the house during summer afternoons.
- More dust than usual on tables and floors with the windows closed.
- Airflow from the ceiling or wall registers feeling weak compared to other vents.
- Uneven temperatures between floors in a two-story home.
What Duct Sealing Actually Involves
Finding and sealing these leaks involves a technician looking over the ductwork that can be reached in the attic. The connections where flexible ducts meet metal plenums and register boots often separate over time. The materials expand and contract with the extreme temperature swings between summer and winter. A proper repair involves reattaching loose sections and sealing the leaking joints. Sealing the joints that can be reached reduces leaks and keeps more attic dust out.
When a section is crushed or too damaged to seal, duct replacement may be the better repair. Airflow balancing helps even out rooms that run warmer than the rest. You see what was found and get a written price before any work begins.
Keeping the system clean and well maintained also helps. ENERGY STAR recommends checking the air filter every month and changing it at least every three months. A clean filter keeps most of the dust off the blower and indoor coil. Maintenance timing is just as important. Cooling equipment should be checked in the spring before the intense heat arrives, and heating equipment needs checking in the fall.
Fixing the Problem
Kestrel Heating & Air provides duct repair and sealing for homes across the Las Vegas valley. Our technicians inspect the ductwork in your attic to locate disconnected sections and major leaks. We show you what we find and provide a written price to repair and seal the system before any work begins. Sealing leaks helps more of the cooled air reach your rooms.
Have Your AtticDucts Checked
Duct sealing and AC repair for the Las Vegas valley.
Call us anytime if you have no cooling in summer or no heat in winter.
