The average home loses at least 20 percent of its conditioned air through leaky ductwork. In some cases, that number may be as high as 75 percent. Duct leakage is an existing factor in all homes. The only question is how extensive is the leakage?
A qualified HVAC contractor can provide answers utilizing technology designed to accurately assess the state of your ductwork. Here are some ways he can calculate ductwork leakage and tell you where its happening:
Blower Door Test
In this test, a blower door is installed to temporarily replace an exterior door. Incorporating a powerful blower and sensors to register indoor air pressure as well as fan airflow, the blower depressurizes your home to a predetermined level. Meanwhile, a computer analyzes indoor pressure and fan airflow to calculate the amount of air leakage from your home.
If all duct vent openings are sealed prior to a blower door test, then a second test is performed with all vents open. Calculating the difference between the two results can determine the percentage of air leakage attributed solely to your ductwork.
Pressure Pan and Blower Door
The pressure pan is a device that can be affixed over a vent opening to register pressure. After your home is depressurized, the pressure at each vent opening (one at a time) is recorded. This allows your technician to determine the relative amount of leakage into individual branches of your ductwork and isolate specific leaky spans.
Duct Blaster
After vent openings are sealed, a duct blaster fan is used to pressurize your ductwork and to calculate the volume of fan airflow required to maintain that pressure. A computer converts this data into a figure expressing the amount of duct leakage relative to total system airflow.
Finding the Leaks
To seal leaks effectively, artificial fog is first injected into your ductwork and pressurized by the duct blaster. Any fog seen streaming through gaps and holes in your ductwork reveals leaks, so they can be marked for sealing.
For professional ductwork leak testing and sealing in Yuma, contact Hansberger Refrigeration and Electric Company.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Yuma, Arizona about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about ductwork and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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