If your home in Bellingham, WA has a forced-air HVAC system, keeping your ductwork in good shape is critical. However, most types of HVAC ductwork begin deteriorating as soon as 10 years after their installation. The result is cracks, gaps, and separated joints. Needless to say, that’s not ideal for maximum HVAC efficiency. Fortunately, there’s a product called Aeroseal that makes restoring your ductwork’s integrity easy.
Here’s everything you need to know about ductwork deterioration and how Aeroseal works to solve it.
The Threat of Ductwork Losses
At the time of its initial installation, your HVAC ductwork should be a perfect match for the system it serves. That is to say, it should be capable of carrying sufficient air to the HVAC and returning enough conditioned airflow to every space that needs it.
However, gradual ductwork deterioration can have a significant impact on your HVAC’s efficiency and performance. Research has shown that HVAC systems often suffer up to a 30% efficiency deterioration due to ductwork losses. It happens as conditioned air escapes your ductwork and ends up inside walls, ceilings, and other spaces.
Leaky ductwork can also have a significant adverse effect on your indoor air quality. For example, cracks and gaps in your return air ducts can allow your HVAC to pull in contaminants from inside walls. While your HVAC air filter will capture some of those contaminants, many of them will continue to circulate in the air. That’s not only bad for the health of everyone in your home, but it can shorten your HVAC system’s lifespan as well.
The Problem With Traditional Ductwork Repair Methods
To solve the problem of damaged or otherwise leaky HVAC ductwork, you can opt for traditional repair methods. They include retaping damaged duct joints and replacing sections with severe damage. However, a quick look around your home should explain why traditional repair is far from ideal.
It’s the fact that the majority of your home’s ductwork likely runs through finished walls, ceilings, and floors. That can make repairing your ductwork a costly and involved process, including significant efforts to restore your home to its pre-repair condition.
Wholesale replacement of your ductwork is also problematic, as it can force an installer to reroute ducts to minimize damage and disruption. That can make you sacrifice more space in your home and may still not eliminate the need to cut into finished walls.
What Is Aeroseal?
Aeroseal is the brand name for a duct sealing product that offers a less-invasive alternative to traditional repair. Specifically, Aeroseal is a custom-designed, aerosolized vinyl acetate polymer. It’s completely non-toxic and has even seen use in hospitals, including the Mayo Clinic and Nemours Children’s Hospital. The polymer can adhere to jagged edges of damaged ductwork as well as to itself. So, when it encounters a breach in your ductwork, it steadily builds upon itself, creating a lasting seal. Best of all, Aeroseal applications come with a 10-year warranty, and the material itself can last up to 40 years.
How Is Aeroseal Applied?
The Aeroseal application process is simple and straightforward. However, only qualified professionals can apply Aeroseal, as it’s not a consumer product. The application steps include the following.
Ductwork Inspection
A qualified Aeroseal professional would never perform an application without a thorough ductwork inspection. Depending on your ductwork’s location and layout, that may include the use of remote video inspection equipment. The purpose is to determine the scope and nature of your ductwork damage. That ensures that your ductwork will benefit from Aeroseal, and that you’ll experience meaningful airflow and HVAC efficiency improvements.
Ductwork Preparation
The first step in the Aeroseal application process is the preparation of your ductwork. That includes sealing all your home’s vents and registers to allow for ductwork pressurization. It also includes the installation of temporary foam barriers to isolate your HVAC equipment from your ductwork. That prevents any of the Aeroseal from reaching sensitive HVAC components.
Connecting Specialized Aeroseal Equipment
As an authorized Aeroseal contractor, Marr's Heating and Air Conditioning has specialized equipment that attaches to your ductwork for the application. Typically, it connects to ductwork via a single vent opening or through an access hole cut into your ducts.
Once connected, one of our technicians will use the equipment to pressurize your ductwork. That allows them to take readings that indicate how much air pressure your ductwork currently loses to leakage. The information will enable the technician to verify the efficacy of the Aeroseal application once complete.
Aeroseal Injection
With your ductwork still pressurized, our technician will proceed to inject the Aeroseal polymer into the airstream. The equipment also increases the temperature of the air in the ducts to activate the polymer. From there, the Aeroseal travels throughout your ductwork, remaining suspended in the air until encountering a breach. Once it does, the polymer adheres to the breach’s edges and builds up into a flexible, rubber-like seal.
The equipment continues with the application while carefully tracking changes in ductwork pressure. It makes automated adjustments to the Aeroseal flow rate, as needed, based on the pressure readings. Eventually, when the equipment detects a sufficient drop in pressure losses, it will stop the flow of Aeroseal.
Ductwork Patching and Certification
With the application complete, the equipment will take a final pressure reading. After comparing that reading to the initially measured value, you’ll receive a certified leak report. It will give you exact loss readings that demonstrate the efficacy of the Aeroseal application. Once complete, our technician will disconnect the equipment, patch your ductwork if necessary, and unblock your HVAC and vents.
What Are Aeroseal’s Limitations?
It’s essential to recognize that Aeroseal has some limitations and may not be a good solution to specific ductwork problems. One is if your ducts have severe damage resulting in openings larger than 5/8 inches. In those cases, the Aeroseal won’t solve the problem and may only partially close the leaks. Also, Aeroseal can’t solve problems like collapsed duct sections or fully disconnected duct joints. In those cases, there’s no substitute for manual repair methods.
You should also know that Aeroseal won’t solve comfort problems that result from improper ductwork design or undersized HVAC equipment. So, if your home already had comfort issues before its ductwork deterioration, Aeroseal may have limited beneficial effects.
Local Authorized Aeroseal Contractor
If you’re experiencing airflow or comfort problems in your home, Marr's Heating and Air Conditioning can help. We can inspect your ducts to determine the cause of your problems. If Aeroseal is a good solution, we’re an authorized contractor and can perform the work for you. Our team can also suggest other ways to improve your indoor air quality.
We’re a local HVAC company that has served Bellingham, WA, homeowners since 1965, and we offer free estimates on all our HVAC services. We also have several financing options on approved credit to help you pay for your home’s comfort needs. Check out our stellar customer reviews for an idea of what it’s like to work with us.
To get started with duct sealing in your Bellingham home, contact our team at Marr's Heating and Air Conditioning today!
