Our ducted air conditioning system has stopped cooling several rooms. What’s going on? Probably exactly what’s happened in the photograph adjacent (blown apart). All ducted air conditioners rely on distributing the air via a network of ducting controlled by dampers. Generally most ducting’s lifespan is around 10 years but people often neglect to check on them. Ducting can disintegrate & dampers get jammed shut. So it pays to take a look in the ceiling every few years.

So ducting definitely sounds pretty vulnerable to wear and tear? Ceiling space temperatures can easily exceed 50°C in summer and recent heat waves have put a huge strain on cooling systems, but how many of us have thought about what’s happening upstairs? Intense heat deteriorates joining tape and makes the ducting brittle so it splits apart. We’ve also seen dust, debris & vermin problems severely collapse and break apart ducting.

Does this happen slowly or quickly? Usually slowly, which means the householder only finds out when areas or a room won’t cool as quickly as it used to. This forces the cooling system to work twice as hard, doubling or even tripling your power use.

OK, so what’s the long-term solution? Sharpe techs will assess the condition of your ducting included in your Air conditioner Service. Industry standards have also improved over the years with better insulation ratings plus ducting can come bonded with a fire retardant.