Heating and Cooling

If you have a forced-air HVAC system, like most Chicagoans do, you have an intricate maze of ductwork which connects each of your rooms to your furnace. This maze is usually hidden behind your walls, under your floors and above your ceilings, and is usually as old as your home. There are two types of ducts: returns and supplies. Supply ducts do exactly what their name implies – they supply heating and cooling to each room through registers that are connected to the end of them. Return ducts are less familiar to the average consumer. As supply ducts blow air into your home, return ducts inhale airborne dust, allergens, bacteria, etc. and pull it into your furnace. Most filters used today are not capable of trapping all of this dust and debris, so they are continually recycled through your home. (more…)