Would you spend $14 to save yourself Hundreds of $ over the course of a year. Here's how...
After recently completing the EcoBroker Designation I became increasingly interested in tightening my home's envelope. So I decided to crawl under my house to check out the HVAC ductwork to see just how well it was installed.
Before I go any further- let me give you a little background on my house... I live a basic 3,000 Sq ft transitional built in 1999. It's like every other neighborhood that has sprang up over the past decade. One would think a $200k house(in 1999) would be built pretty well.
What I found in my crawl space made me furious. Ive been under the house several times- but I never really paid much attention to the ductwork connections. One of my ducts was barely attached- the duct was just fitted to the boot with nothing holding it. Before I went under I turned the air on so I could feel leaks. Each of my ducts were ill fitted to the boots and EVERY ONE had leaks. I could literally feel cold air escaping from each duct and junction box.
The fix was simple- I picked up some Nashua Aluminum tape from Home Depot for $14. And all I had to do was wrap the flexible duct one time with the tape- then add a second piece around each attaching the duct to the subfloor...making sure that I sealed the duct completely to the subfloor. It may take a little more tape for different boots but the point is to seal the duct completely. After the tape job was complete- I no longer felt cold air.
I've never checked behind my HVAC contractor when they do installs on renovations. But you can bet I'll be better prepared to check this going forward. I recommend you check your own ductwork... there are literally hundreds of $ of cold air escaping those ducts. For $14 and 30 minutes- you can stop the leaks.
Great ideas Mike! I attended an energy presentation tonight by Gary Hammerlund and much of the presentation addressed air sealing in the home! Timely information you have given!
What a wast of energy! Glad you found it -- better now than never! I would love to see you update the blog in a few weeks comparing $ and energy usage differences!
Unbelievable...good for you to tkae tht ime to check this though. you will definitely save money in the long run! On my way to check mine this weekend!
I definitely encourage everyone to check out their own- but if you want to be a hero for your clients- suggest they do the same. Better yet- suggest they get an energy audit. But at the very least they should tighten up their HVAV ducts.
Great tip, thank you! I will re-blog it, so my clients can learn from you.
Mike, very informational! I'm bookmarking so I can refer back to it. Thanks!
I love aluminum tape! It's like a second duct tape...there's so much to do with it. For example, it is a great way to keep an open tube of caulk from drying out if you don't need to use it up all at once.
Ooooh Troy- I like that.
Mike thanks for posting this, I have never heard of an energy audit. This is a great group I've found here in the ECO-All-Stars!
It's the little things isn't it. IF we all just start little, big changes would occur. Thanks for sharing this.
Great tip -- not that I want to crawl under the house! Yikes! But in our area you can get a free energy audit!
This is a great tip. Once you start learning about these things they really open your eyes, I've found! I think I too will re-blog this. Thanks!
Thanks, Mike, for this info. I think it give me enough information to go check my ductwork in the attic.
Heather- I definitely recommend checking them. It's such a simple fix. Stick your hand around the duct joints you'll be amazed how much air is escaping. And thanks the add! :)
Mike - Sounds like our duct work , we kept having problems in the basement ceilings. After the third "Repairman" came out they sent a foreman/manager who figured out that 2 elbows in 2 seperate locations had never been connected to the duct.
They had to rip out my ceilings in the basement to correct it , patch and paint, Our house was built in 2001 you would expect better.
Excellent Idea, I will check mine over the weekend... Thanks for this money savings tips...
Great post Mike! I've talked with an HVAC guy that says a lot of the existing work he sees is similar to the situation you described. Recently I heard of one homeowner who lived in a house for 6 years before finding out his ducts were actually connected to vents.
All of our ductwork in Houston is in the attic, and the last guys that worked on the ac gave me some of that tape, it works really good. So are our gas heaters, and water heaters.
Hi Mike, not good for ducts to due that. Good looking and thanks for letting other people know.
Hi Mike, I love reading blogs that give personal learning experiences. These are the lessons that make us better REALTORS®, however painful they are to go through. And Mark's advice about asking Home Inspectors if they offer passive energy audits is very helpful. Thanks to both of you for adding to my knowledge base today :-)
Frances Sanderson, Franklin, NH REALTOR®, Certified EcoBroker®
Great post, Mike! Thanks for referring me to it, and for adding your tips to my post! I look forward to learning lots more from you!
--Tim