Duct leakage - Articles

Mike Kelly on Duct Leakage, Craftsmanship, and the Invisible Costs of Air

Why 1% matters: Mike Kelly’s crusade for going beyond the standard for duct leakage

January 8, 2026

A veteran HVAC expert argues that invisible duct leaks cost owners far more than they realize – and that better craftsmanship and stricter standards can pay off for decades.

How Rolled Sealants Helped a Texas HVAC Company Save Six Figures

July 30, 2025

Switching from liquid mastic to Carlisle's Hardcast VOC Rolled Mastic Sealants helped a well-respected, mid-size HVAC and plumbing service company in Central Texas cut costs, eliminate installation mess, and reduce duct leakage. It also earned the contractor praise and $100,000 in annual savings.

SMACNA Releases Updated HVAC Duct Inspection Guidelines

Eli Howard, SMACNA Executive Director of Technical Services and Research, highlights the manual's educational value

SNIPS NEWS Editorial Staff

February 6, 2025

The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association (SMACNA) unveils the fourth edition of its comprehensive HVAC Duct Systems Inspection Guide.

Greenheck: HBT-321 Isolation Damper

Its large size capacity, heavy-duty construction, and range of actuator options make it ideal for clean rooms

SNIPS NEWS Editorial Staff

August 6, 2024

The Greenheck HBT-321 is a heavy-duty, bubble-tight isolation damper designed for critical environments where leakage control is paramount.

Design Review: Where to Locate Flow Safety Switches for Electric Heating Coils

The more we can analyze potential problems with equipment used in different types of system designs, the better we can assist our clients in design reviews

Chase Copeland

February 9, 2024

There are many design aspects that are evaluated early in project development to help foresee potential problems that may arise during test & balance (TAB).

Duct Renovators Are the Missing Link

True efficiency comes from both the installation and the equipment

David Richardson

June 14, 2023

Give your duct renovators purpose and help them understand why their position is valuable.

Seven Steps for Successful Duct Renovations

David Richardson

May 24, 2023

Duct renovation is not a silver bullet. Instead, it’s an important piece of the overall comfort system.

AMCA Updates Air-Control-Devices Rating Publication 511

Used in general ventilation and air-conditioning systems, air-control devices include louvers, dampers, gravity ventilators, round spiral duct, and transverse duct connections.

May 4, 2023

AMCA Publication 511-21 (Rev. 12-22) is available free of charge in PDF format.