Last Christmas, I started having some issues with comfort and air quality. Despite the fact that I am diligent about keeping up with furnace repair, all at once I had dust pouring from the heating vents. I had no choice but to clean constantly, dust and vacuum, but still couldn’t keep up with the all of the dirt pouring into my house. To top it off, my house now had a disgusting and moldy odor to it. I noticed that the furnace was running for far longer periods, making a crazy amount of noise, and even then the house wasn’t very comfortable. There were freezing pockets in every room, and serious temperature stratification. When I got my utility bill that month and discovered my cost had nearly doubled, I finally called a local HVAC professional for assistance. First, he had a look at the furnace. He found nothing other than a tiny collection of dust. The technician then looked at the duct system and found numerous problems. The ductwork in my house is over eighteen years old, and I’d never had it taken care of or inspected. Over the past several years, the tape along the connecting seams had completely dried out and cracked. There were countless microscopic holes throughout the system and a major buildup of dirt and debris. My heated air was being allowed to leak out through the seams and holes, forcing the furnace to work a whole lot harder. Icy, dirty air from outside was being allowed into the system and degrading the condition of the air in my house. My family was breathing in polluted air pulled from the garage and crawl spaces. As the air flowed through the ducts it was picking up dirt, pollen, mold, viruses, and bacteria the pipes. Not only was this debris causing an airflow blockage and taking away from our comfort, but also affecting my family’s health. I had no choice but to call the HVAC professional and hire him to completely seal and clean the duct system.