Prevent Wallet-Drain Due to Leaky Air Conditioning Ducts

Leaky air cooling ducts bring about poor home cooling, extended waste of your energy and expensive gulps of wallet-drain. Yet inferior AC duct connections are typical in homes through the nation.

It's a true simple matter: Efficient home cooling involves more than merely pumping refrigerated air right into a hot house. It is a process of heat exchange that corrects rather than conquers the internal home. To be effective, a house air cooling system must circulate the prevailing air while stripping heat and humidity in the enclosed environment. A home with leaky air conditioning ducts doesn't perform the task effectively.

A 20 Percent Waste Factor

According to federal Energy Star reports, the average home ac system looses as much as twenty percent efficiency through leaky ductwork. Here is a huge selection of benefits you'll be able to gain by correcting the situation:

** Lower energy bills

** Lower repair costs

** Fewer repairs

** More efficient system

** More comfortable rooms due to better system distribution of air flow

** Cleaner indoor air on account of reduced intake of irritants and allergens

** A sense of personal environmental stewardship

** Peace of mind in owning an HVAC system that functions at peak efficiently and safety.

Sealing Your Home's Leaky AC Ductwork

Simple as it might sound, inspecting and repairing your home's air cooling duct system may be hot, sweaty and risky. Most likely, you will end up forced to enter in the crawl space. In some events, you'll must go into the attic. Furthermore, you may have to help home insulation materials, restricted maneuvering space and darkness.

Before beginning the procedure, please take a flashlight and poke your brain into the home's crawl space. On some houses, this space is so tight that even ac repair professionals groan before entering. If you are terrified of snakes, hate spiders or have certain closterfobic responses to tight places, just close the hatch and call your neighborhood AC service center.

Still need to do the task yourself? Here goes:

1) Proper Clothing - Pull out or purchase a mechanic's jumpsuit. A cheap one costs around $15.00, but better protection emanates from durable equipment. A jumpsuit provides you with full body protection against dirt, grime and creepy crawling things. It also has an extended array of pockets for carrying choice tools.

2) Tools - Sealing AC ductwork doesn't take plenty of tools. You need:

** Closable box cutter with extra blades.

** Flashlight equipped having a focus adjustable base.

** One-inch wide, extended-reach paint brush.

** A standard dust mask

** Tin snips and tie-down straps, the initial for trimming back joints as well as the second for re-hanging fallen ductwork.

** Backup flashlight for emergency exit.

** A roll of two-inch wide or three-inch wide, cold weather HVAC Aluminum Foil tape.

** A four foot duration of one-inch PVC pipe having an elbow one end - through the moving fallen insulation, left behind debris if necessary an aggressive snake.

** HVAC certified sealant fitting the subsequent testing procedures: ASTM E84, NFPA 255 or UL 723. The flame spread rate have to be lower than 25. The smoke development rate should be less than 50. These products could be purchased in a caulk-tube format, but you must also use a brush to settle the sealing.

3) Sealing Process - Making Your Air Conditioning Ducts Airtight

This is visual process. In the event of holes in flex duct - often created by critters planning to stay warm throughout the winter - you have to apply cold temperature HVAC Aluminum Foil tape. If the insulation is missing, you could should acquire additional flex duct, come up with a cut and after that connect and reseal the finished work.

To seal connections and split-joints apply tape and/or sealant as seems best for the situation. In the event that the joints aren't cut correctly, use box cutters or tin snips as suits situations to generate a better fit and then apply tape or sealant.

To seal vents in the room access point, apply certified HVAC sealant. Take your time. Make certain that the caulk spreads fully and retains connection with the purpose of application. Be sure to seal the surface of the floor joists the place that the return air connection passes through the flooring. It also never hurts to cap-off the inside wall cavities the location where the flashing passes through.

If necessary, perform the same processes within your attic and/or garage.

Additional Notes on Sealing Air Conditioning Ducts

Perhaps all this seems overkill. Think about which sort consequences would come about if lungs designed a series of pin-holes. It wouldn't take very long for breathing being labored and inefficient. Every small leak increases the accumulated home cooling losses and expenses.

** Special Warning: If you encounter water or other indications of sewage leakage, escape from underneath the house. Find a professional plumber to deal with your situation, and get questions of safety cleared up before continuing using your AC duct system repairs.

So decide what to wear for that occasion. Gear up using the right tools. Seal your leaky air-con ducts. Isn't it time you add a finish to unnecessary wallet-drain.