Right now we (Envirotech) are in the middle of our air conditioning clean and tune season. We are in several homes and businesses each day getting their systems ready for the summer heat, if it ever shows up. One item that we look at as part of your comfort system clean and tune is your ductwork. The ductwork can be overlooked by many as I know that homeowners pay no attention to it, in fact they would probably prefer not to have it at all. The ductwork serves a crucial role in delivering the proper amount of cool air in the summer and the warm air to our living spaces in the winter. When new ductwork is installed there are certain items that need look at to determine sizing, location and length. Unfortunately most ductwork installed is not sealed so this is something that has to be done after it is already hung.
 |
| This is Really Bad Ductwork! |
A typical home contains about 180 linear feet of duct work. Nearly 30% of a home's conditioned air leaks out of these ducts, wasting energy in the process. Sealing the ducts will save you a significant amount of energy and money and also improves the indoor air quality in a home. Ducts accumulate more than 40lbs of household dust each year. Leaky ducts spread that dusty air throughout the home, while sealed ducts deliver cleaner and better air.
Your home might have leaky or bad ductwork if you experience high utility bills, if you have stuffy rooms that never seem to be comfortable, if you have rooms in your home that are difficult to heat and cool or if you experience alot of dust problems. If you look at your homes ductwork and see dirt streaks or lines at a seam or joint, this is a leak.
If you have leaks in your ductwork you can seal them yourself using a mastic seal or metal tape. The old grey duct tape wont due the trick, it tends to dry up over a few years and peel off. We can also provide this service for you if you would like. If your ductwork is located in an attic or crawlspace, it not only needs to be sealed (so you are not heating your attic in the winter and cooling it in the summer) but it also needs to be insulated. In our climate if your ductwork is located in a basement or within the conditioned space it can typically just be sealed and not insulated.
If you have questions on this please give me a call and I will happily answer them.
Thanks and have a great day!
James Gallet
