Most homeowners know about air duct cleaning, but far fewer are aware of duct sealing — a complementary service that can be equally important for indoor air quality and energy efficiency. Here’s what you need to know about leaky ducts and how sealing them can transform your home’s comfort and air quality.
What Are Duct Leaks?
Most duct systems have gaps, cracks, and poorly connected joints that allow conditioned air to escape before reaching your living spaces. According to the Department of Energy, the average home loses 20-30% of conditioned air through duct leaks. This means you’re paying to heat or cool air that never actually reaches your rooms and provides no benefit to your household.
How Duct Leaks Affect Air Quality
Duct leaks don’t just lose conditioned air — they also pull air in from unconditioned spaces like attics, crawl spaces, and wall cavities. This infiltration introduces dust, insulation particles, mold spores, and outdoor pollutants directly into your air supply. In areas with extreme outdoor heat like Phoenix or high humidity like Houston, this infiltration significantly degrades indoor air quality year-round.
The Sealing Process
Professional duct sealing uses mastic sealant or metal tape to permanently seal gaps and joints throughout your duct system. For severe leaks, Aeroseal — a pressurized sealant injection system — can seal leaks from inside the duct without physical access to every section. Homeowners in Las Vegas and Dallas with older duct systems particularly benefit from comprehensive sealing combined with cleaning.
Cleaning First, Then Sealing
Always clean before sealing. Sealing dirty ducts locks contamination in place and prevents proper sealant adhesion. The correct sequence is thorough HEPA cleaning followed by sealing — giving you both clean duct surfaces and a leak-free system that delivers conditioned air efficiently to every room in your home.
FAQ
Should I seal before or after cleaning? Clean first, then seal. Cleaning removes debris from duct surfaces so sealants adhere properly and contamination isn’t trapped inside.
How do I know if my ducts are leaking significantly? A blower door test performed by an energy auditor can quantify your home’s duct leakage rate precisely with measured data.
Will duct sealing make my home feel noticeably different? Most homeowners report significant improvement in comfort — rooms that previously wouldn’t heat or cool properly often become comfortable after sealing combined with cleaning.
Ask about our combined cleaning and sealing services. Call Any Time Duct Cleaning at (833) 310-9291.