uneven temperatures in your home

There may only be a single day that Santa finds his way down your chimney, but it can sometimes feel like mischievous elves have taken up residence in your ductwork year-round. Ductwork issues can be tricky to track down, and sometimes they can masquerade as other problems in your heating or cooling system. Whether your home uses central air cooling or forced-air heating (or both), you rely on your ducting to deliver conditioned air to each room in your house. When your ducts let you down, it can lead to a variety of frustrating symptoms. Keep an eye out for these three problems that may be related to issues lurking in your ducts.

Smelly Air Quality

Odd smells in your home's ducting can be related to several problems. Often, an invasion of malodorous air can mean that your filter requires replacement, but the problem can sometimes be found in the ducts themselves. The most common cause of dirty ducts is a filter that has gone too long without replacement, but other issues in your home's climate control system can be to blame, as well. Any problem that leads to excess moisture can promote the growth of mold, creating ducts that produce foul air no matter how often you replace your filter.

Uneven Heating or Cooling

 One of the telltale signs of a ductwork problem is temperature variations between rooms. If you notice this problem, then begin to by ensuring your registers are not blocked. If everything seems clear, then there may be an obstruction limiting airflow or a loss of air. Leaky ducts can reduce airflow to distant rooms, causing some places to heat up or cool down long before others. Uneven temperature control can sometimes be caused by thermostat issues or poor thermostat placement, as well.

Unusual Noises

If you are hearing odd banging or rattling noises from your ductwork, then you may have an installation issue. Banging or whistling can be the result of ductwork that isn't properly sized for the level of airflow, resulting in sounds as the ductwork expands or annoying whistling as a too-large volume of air is pushed through a too-small space. Unfortunately, these issues are often costly to repair properly.

If you've got elves getting up to no good in your ducts, the best way to clear out them out and get your HVAC system functioning properly again is to contact a qualified technician to diagnose and repair the problem. The sooner you send those elves back to the North Pole, the sooner you can get back to enjoying a comfortable home all-year-round.

For more information on what might require air conditioning system repairs, contact an HVAC contractor.