As your furnace heats the ductwork to bring comfort to your home, it may start producing rattling, popping, and even banging noises. As annoying as it might sound, there are some innovative ways you can do to silence your home’s noisy ducts.
To silence your ducts, you can:
- Isolate the ducts from the framing using rubber pads. Check for blockage in the air register
- Hire a professional to check the system
These steps will help the ductwork as it keeps the entire area air-conditioned.
Fixing your ducts so they will not make unwanted noises is one thing. But apart from that, you must regularly maintain your ductwork so that you can prevent it from producing unnecessary noises.
Also read: Air Duct Noise Silencers – All You Need to Know
How To Quiet Noisy Ducts
Some ductworks within HVAC systems consist of flexible material, bending and moving as the temperature falls and rises. These bends and turns can result in annoying noises, such as whistling and popping when air blows against it.
If you experience such a problem, the best thing to do is to silence your ductworks. While silencing ducts sounds like a lot of work, there are easy and clever ways for you to do it.
1. Use Rubber Pads To Isolate The Ducts From The Framing
If you are hearing popping noises, the ductwork is likely rubbing against the framing. When someone is walking on the floor above, the ductwork will rub against the framing.
The same problem happens when warm or cold air travels through the ductwork.
The best thing to do is install rubber pads between the ducts and the framing to fix this problem. This way, you will eliminate the noise since the rubber pads will not produce unwanted sound even when the ducts rub against them.
2. Check If Anything Is Blocking The Air Register On The Return Vent
Your HVAC system has an air register or simply the natural give and takes of airflow within the ductwork. If something is blocking the air register, it will cause too much pressure buildup. As a result, there will be shifting and creaking noises in the entire system.
To reduce the pressure, you need to remove what is blocking the air register. This simple solution will work well in making the ductwork quiet.
But if the noise persists after removing the blockage, you can also install more return vents. The more return vents your ductwork has, the more air will flow out of it. This easy fix will decrease the pressure and may help your ducts make less noise.
3. Hire A Professional To Check The System
If you have tried the steps above and they all failed, the best thing for you is to consult a professional technician. These professionals acquired specific tools and training.
This way, they will be able to check your ductwork the way that DIY methods cannot.
Additionally, technicians will be able to identify if there are any other issues within the unit itself.
Maintenance Care For Ducts
Fixing noisy ductworks is an excellent method to keep your home quiet. But it would always be better to prevent your HVAC system from making noises than to solve the problem when it occurred.
For that reason, you should perform regular maintenance to your ductwork.
Here are some tips for maintaining and keeping your ducts in perfect condition:
Look For Leaks In The Ducts.
Most people are not aware when their ductworks have leaks. In fact, a lot of homes have leaky air ducts used for their heating and conditioning systems.
Leaky ductworks can produce hissing, whistling, and roaring noises. For this reason, you need to regularly check your ducts to ensure that there are no holes that cause air leaks and noises.
Perform A Duct Blaster Test Once In A While
A duct blaster test combines a pressure gauge and a small fan. This test works by pressurizing the duct system of your house as it measures the air leakage of the ducts.
You can perform this test in your system. If there is no damage like holes and improper seals, your ductwork will pass the test.
Seal Your Ducts Properly
For this step, the first thing you need to do is to run your HVAC system. Next, check all the duct joints you have access to and see if they are leaking.
If you found leaks, seal the joints using gooey-like paint, mastic, or foil-backed tape.
Ensure that you are sealing behind the grilles or register, as these are the areas where the duct is touching the wall.
Moreover, some sealing tapes will deteriorate over time. For this reason, it is always better to use foil-packet tape or mastic to do the job.
Once the job is done, regularly inspect the ductwork to see signs of any further leaks. Using a slightly expensive sealant for your ducts could save you thousands in the future for the cost of HVAC system replacement.
Insulate Your Ductwork
Insulating your ducts is the best way to prevent them from throwing off colder or hotter air than you want for your home.
If both your basement walls and ducts have no insulation, it is ideal to consider insulating them both.
However, it is essential to note that insulating ductwork in the basement will make the basement warming in the summer and colder in the winter. So, it may be less expensive if you will put more insulation in the attic. Getting a smaller HVAC unit is also ideal.
Clean Your Ducts
It would be best if you changed or clean your furnace filters once a month or every two months.
In addition, you should change the air conditioning filters every few months. This way, you can ensure that no dust will lower the airflow through the HVAC system.
Cleaning your ductwork is another great way to ensure maintenance is completed that removes excess dust from the system, providing you with better air quality.
Sources
- Richard Trethewey, How to Quiet Noisy Ducts, This Old House, https://www.thisoldhouse.com/heating-cooling/21194506/how-to-quiet-noisy-ducts/
- Practical Solutions For Noisy Ductwork, West Fraser, https://osb.westfraser.com/blog/practical-solutions-for-noisy-ductwork/
- How To Reduce Noise From A Return Air (Step-by-Step Guide), Upgraded Home, https://upgradedhome.com/how-to-reduce-noise-from-a-return-air/
- Lyle Wedell, 5 Signs Of An Air Duct Leak In Your House & How To Fix, Wm. Hederson, https://www.wmhendersoninc.com/blog/signs-of-an-air-duct-breach/
- Bruce Pfleger, Duct Leakage Testing, Basic Procedure, Energy Vanguard, https://www.energyvanguard.com/knowledge/diagnostic-testing/duct-leakage/
- Fred Hayes, Save With Duct Work and Maintenance, HGTV, https://www.hgtv.com/design/remodel/mechanical-systems/save-with-duct-work-and-maintenance/