Ductwork banging can disrupt your daily activities, your sleep, and, depending on the factor causing the noise, your bank account, it you’re paying substantially higher utility bills because of a ductwork problem. If you’re ductwork is complaining, loudly, then it’s time to completely inspect your duct system, and repair any noisy ductwork and energy-wasting leaks.
Identify, locate and repair the problem
Ductwork banging and booms often indicate normal expansion and contraction due to temperature fluctuations of the circulating conditioned air. Either the thin duct walls suddenly bang or boom from normal position, or there is contact between expanding ducts and building structures, such as the framing and pipes.
For normal expansion and contraction noise reduction, you may install acoustic liners to muffle duct noise to an unnoticeable or acceptable level. Very loud booms and bangs often are located at the trunk and plenum. This duct joint undergoes the greatest temperature fluctuation because it’s near the furnace. Consider installing an expansion collar to absorb the stress.
Duct banging and booms due to direct contact with building structures are the result of faulty installation. There should be no less than a one-inch gap between ducts and building objects. Once you’ve identified contact points, you may place padding in between. Some situations call for a heating and cooling professional to cut away framing or reposition ducts.
A third cause of noisy ductwork is loose or disconnected joints that rattle and clatter. This type of noise problem is perhaps the easiest to locate and repair. Note, however, that substantial energy is wasted until you do repair the problem. In fact, the average home loses 20 percent of conditioned air to leaks. If your ducts are clattering and rattling, unfortunately, they may be wasting far more than 20 percent of your costly conditioned air. To quiet the noise, and to repair leaks, seal all loose duct joints with mastic and fiberglass mesh, and consider replacing any damaged ducts.
Always use caution when accessing ducts, particularly in crawl spaces and the attic. If you need assistance, or have any questions about duct noise and efficiency, contact Mowery Heating, Air Conditioning and Plumbing. We take pride in our top-quality service and installation for residential and commercial customers in Northern Indiana.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).
Mowery services the Brownsburg, Indiana and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!
