Is an Aeroseal Duct Service Right for Your Home?
With regular maintenance, your home’s ductwork can last up to 30 years. Most people find their ducts need repairs or replacement in less than half that time. Materials play a part in the longevity, but installation quality and care are just as important.
Aeroseal duct sealing is a high-tech option for sealing your ducts effectively and mess-free. It’s so effective that it comes with a 10-year warranty. Is it the right choice for your home? Most certainly! Air Blue takes a closer look.
The Importance of Well-Maintained Ducts
The air you breathe in your home needs to be clean. That’s one of the most important reasons to keep your ducts cleaned and maintained.
If your ducts are dirty, air filters can catch some of the particles, but anything that slips past the filter will end up in your home. Your home may start to smell, but you’re also breathing that in. You don’t want to breathe in mold and mildew spores, rodent droppings, and bacteria. A clean duct ensures you’re breathing clean air.
Clean, air-tight ducts save money on your heating and cooling bills. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that up to 40% of the energy used in heating and cooling your home ends up wasted. Aeroseal finds that 90% of U.S. homes have hidden air leaks.
Another problem with dirty or leaking ducts is that your system must work harder. You have the thermostat set to the right temperature, but your HVAC system isn’t keeping it to that temperature. You turn it down or up, depending on the season, and it’s struggling to hit that setting. The different components like switches, fans, pumps, etc. are getting more use, which shortens their life.
Holes or cracks in the ductwork allow heated or cooled air to escape where it’s not wanted. You’re trying to cool your home, but the cool air keeps going into the wall and not into a room where you want it. You’re AC isn’t going to do its job. You might lose heated air into the basement, and never feel warm enough in your living areas. It’s wasted energy.
Typical Duct Maintenance Schedules
For the best duct longevity, maintenance is key. As a rule of thumb, the National Air Duct Cleaners Association recommends having your ducts professionally cleaned regularly. How often this happens depends on several factors.
- Are there pets that shed a lot?
- Did you just move in?
- Do they look dirty? Do you see mold or mildew?
- Does anyone have asthma or allergies?
- Has there been a fire?
- Has there been any water damage in your home?
- Have you remodeled recently?
- How many smokers live in the house?
Most households need their air ducts cleaned every three to five years. Have a professional HVAC technician inspect your ducts each year when you have your furnace cleaned. Your technician will alert you to problems like air leaks and mold growth during this inspection.
Let’s talk about air leaks. Over time, small gaps, holes, and cracks appear in ducts. The air your system is heating or cooling ends up leaking out and wasting money. Your comfort at home declines. This is wasteful and drives up costs. An inspection may catch larger holes and cracks, but it’s hard to catch the smaller ones. That’s where Aeroseal duct sealing comes in.
Take Care of Air Loss Problems
Traditional duct sealing measures involve fiberglass and foam applications to insulate ducts. Caulking and weather stripping around doors and windows is also important. A thick paste is often painted over holes and gaps. Duct seal tape is another option for sealing ducts. The durability of these processes isn’t high. They also require the holes or gaps to be visible before they’re used.
Finding all of the tiny holes and loosening seals in your ducts takes time. Aeroseal duct sealing takes care of everything at once. Any imperfection is resolved through this non-toxic process.
The non-toxic sealant bonds to the sides of the ducts, creating an adhesive coating that collects and seals any chip, hole, or crack. Aeroseal duct sealing makes gaps and holes disappear, leaving you with a properly pressurized, air-tight system.
What Happens During a Duct Sealing Appointment?
When an HVAC technician arrives, all return and supply air registers are sealed to protect your home from the aerosolized polymer. Coils, control panels, smoke detectors, and other sensors are protected with durable plastic or tape as a precaution. Once everything is sealed up, the Aeroseal equipment is connected to your ducts using a register and tubing. A test of the system is done to measure the amount of leakage before sealing is completed.
Once this pre-test is completed, the process begins. Sealant is injected into the duct to seal any holes, cracks, or gaps. Heated air removes moisture from the sealant to make it stick to these problem areas. It builds up until the problem area is completely sealed. Throughout all of this process, software continually monitors the flow rate and pressure.
Once the ducts are sealed, a new test is run to check for any leakage. Customers get to see the difference in numbers from before and after the duct sealing process. The sealing project ends when the technician hits the target leakage rate. At that point, the equipment is shut off and any access areas are closed.
The tape and any blocking material is removed, and the area is cleaned. Before the technician leaves, your AC or heating system is turned on to make sure it’s working properly.
Here are a few things to know about the sealant used in an Aeroseal duct sealing appointment.
- Holes or gaps larger than 5/8ths of an inch need to be repaired before the ducts are sealed.
- It dries to the touch immediately.
- It goes on white when applied, but it is clear when it’s dry.
- It’s mold and mildew resistant.
- It’s a vinyl acetate polymer.
- The VOC is less than 0.35%.
Duct sealing with Aeroseal takes just a few hours. You’re going to find your technician gets the job done and is out of your home quickly, so you don’t often need an entire day off. You don’t have to take multiple days off for a complete duct replacement. You save time and money, and you enjoy energy cost savings of up to 30%.
Text, call, or use the online scheduler to arrange an Aeroseal duct sealing with Air Blue Heating and Cooling. Our online scheduler makes it easy to see what times and dates are available.
