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Sealing Up Your Ductwork.


We want to help you understand the importance of sealing up your ductwork to you keep your space warm during the cold winter months and to promote energy efficiency year-round, while saving you hard-earned cash. Improperly sealed ducting wastes the conditioned air your HVAC system creates, causing a whole host of problems from bad air quality, higher utility bills, depressurization and a sacrifice in comfort for your family, tenants and customers.


Let’s go through a crash course in ductwork leakage to find out more about the benefits of correcting the problem and what tools Hvacquick.com can provide you with to make it happen.


Duct Leakage - Money out of the door

Inspecting your ductwork for leakage is best way to manage the proper operation and efficiency of your precious HVAC system. The plus-side of taking proper care of your systems ductwork will affect your space beyond the cold winter months, helps to guarantee comfort all year-round and will ultimately save you money. The benefits of duct sealing are endless and it’s worth your time to inspect your ductwork thoroughly.


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HVAC efficiency studies show that anywhere from 10% - 30% of cool and heated air is completely wasted due to ductwork leakage, so whether you’re a business owner, contractor or homeowner, making sure that your HVAC system is functioning at its best is extremely important. Every bit of air that escapes your space is literally money wasted and many utility companies now offer rebates for the sealing up ductwork for residential properties and even have special incentives for small businesses. Check with your local utility company for more information as to the specifics of these incentives and availability.


The importance of having your “Ducts” In a Row

Ductwork is typically located in areas you couldn’t care less about conditioning such as the attic, crawl spaces, the basement, and the garage. Recent studies show that an anywhere from 10% - 30% of an average units output is wasted due to duct leakage and that sealing up your duct work can cut this waste to less than 5% if done correctly.

Improperly sealed ductwork can have a direct affect on your health. Not only is duct leakage an enormous waste of energy, but it also allows for unconditioned, dirty air to be pulled back in causing a whole host of problems you might have never thought of. Aside from hindering your HVAC systems ability to heat and cool, this air can introduce dangerous dusts, molds, microbes and even radon gas into your space. This is such case that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency attributes ductwork leakage as a measurable contributor to lung cancer and respiratory illnesses. Click here for an article from the EPA in regards to the effects of poor indoor air quality.

Did you also know that sealing up your ductwork can actually help the environment? A lot of the energy we use in our homes comes from the burning of fossil fuels at power plants, which contributes to smog, acid rain and global warming. In short, the less energy we use to condition our homes, the less air pollution we generate, so by sealing up your ductwork and reducing the amount of energy necessary to comfortably heat or cool your space, you can directly fight global warming and reduce air pollution. It’s a win-win situation since you save money AND help the environment.


Inspect “Problem Areas” - Knowing where to look

Since your HVAC system can only be as efficient as the ducting used to supply it, we need to have the right tools to fix the cause(s) of duct leakage. The first places to check for leaks include the supply and return plenums, starting collars, fittings in the duct runs, splices and terminations where the ducts connect to the supply registers. The fix can be as simple as retaping your ducting or a replacement of connecting components and the ductwork itself.



Duct Tape/Sealant - Not always created equal

One of the tools for sealing up duct work as we mentioned above, is the all important duct tape. We’re certainly not talking about ordinary household duct tape here. For our purposes we need something special, a UL 181 rated tape. We have just the ticket with our FOIL-GRIP 1402 181BFX, butyl-backed duct-sealing tape providing an instant grip to most surfaces including sheet metal, duct board, flex duct, PVC coated duct and duct-wrapped vapor barriers. It’s extra sticky and it’s the best tape we’ve been able to find. Using the proper form of duct tape is the only way to properly seal up joint components and other areas that duct leakage is prone to occur.




Another key ingredient for sealing up ductwork components includes the use of our DS-321 Indoor/Outdoor duct-sealant that works on all types of ducting including metal, glass-fiber duct board, as well as duct fabric and flexible tubing runouts. It’s non-toxic, water-based, solvent free, and is suitable for residential use. 		 



Utilizing a Backdraft Damper - Keeping outside air out

Preventing the backdrafting of air into your home from an area such as your dryer vent, can be as important as making sure your HVAC ductwork is in proper shape. Many homes do not utilize backdraft dampers in dryer ventilation systems to keep a cold, windy day from making a cold and windy space. With a backdraft damper installed, air is allowed to o nly move in one direction (out) and ensures unwanted return air doesn’t invade your comfort and further waste your money. Install one today if your system currently doesn’t have one in place and if you do have one installed, have it inspected make sure it’s in proper working order.




 


We hope to have lended some useful information in about the importance of duct sealing and its vital role in the comfort of your space, wallet, health and the environment. With the opportunity to save money and the added benefits of potential utility rebates, we at hvacquick.com hope that you take the time to give your duckwork a thorough inspection and start sealing it up for the cold winter months and year-round. HVACQUICK.COM prides itself on providing professional and helpful customer service to our customers. If you have any additional questions in regards to duct sealing or our products, please don't hestitate to contact us today, as we will do our best to help you with all of your HVAC and ventilation needs.



Disclaimer:
Advice and information given through our representatives is checked for usability and conformance with most codes. You as the user, however, have the responsibility for verifying conformance with local codes and standards and ensuring a safe installation. Although HVACQuick.com may employ and use professionals, their advice is not meant as substitute for professional engineering services. It is the customer's responsibility to hire and retain suitable engineering and architectural professionals as required.