Some comfort and indoor air quality issues we encounter bleed over from areas that we might be unfamiliar with. The most common are the influences of building construction, like leakage and insulation.
The tech who showed up to the house was probably just as surprised as I was that my dad was getting the ducts cleaned. But he saw this appointment as an opportunity, not a waste of time. He talked to my dad, found things out about him and the house. Because he spent just a few minutes with my dad, he was able to add on additional products and services. That tech turned a $375 duct cleaning job into a $1,500 IAQ solution job.
While exterior pollutants, such as smog and CO, may receive more attention, IAQ within a home can have serious effects on our physical and mental health, as well.
Although ductwork doesn’t require quite as much maintenance as other HVAC equipment does, there are steps to be taken to ensure its longevity, safety, and efficient operation.
As common as the duct leakage problem is, it’s also very easy to go in with less-than-adequate knowledge for solving the problem in customers’ homes due to all the possible variables in play.
The air duct calculator, or “ductulator,” is a commonly used tool for designing and installing duct systems. Unfortunately, many designers and technicians receive limited instructions on its correct use.
A question I’m frequently asked is, where do you start when improving a poorly performing duct system? Do you tear it out and start over again, or is there an easier way? The good news is, there is a simple, logical pattern you can follow to optimize a duct system.