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Not an HVAC contractor? <\/p>\nNot an HVAC contractor? <\/p>\n
No problem. <\/p>\n
We have you covered. <\/p>\n
Small leaks in your ductwork can cause 15-30% loss in your energy efficiency. <\/p>\n
If you have hot and cold rooms in your home, you likely have leaks in your ductwork somewhere. <\/p>\n
But not all leaks can be found simply by looking at your ductwork. <\/p>\n
Here\u2019s how to find those trickier small ones: <\/p>\n
1. Get a Smoke Pencil or Incense Stick<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes. This sounds odd at first. But trust us, it makes your job easy. <\/p>\n On a calm, non-windy day, light your smoke pencil or incense stick. Make sure your HVAC system is running. Now, hold the smoke pencil or incense stick near your ductwork. <\/p>\n Make sure you do this on all sides. And do this up and down the entire length of your ductwork. <\/p>\n If you see the smoke or incense quickly move in a different direction, you\u2019ve found a leak. <\/p>\n It\u2019s extremely difficult to find these same leaks using your eyes or hands alone. <\/p>\n 2. It\u2019s Possible (But Not Easy) To Find Leaky Ductwork in Your Walls<\/strong><\/p>\n Even HVAC pros have a difficult time isolating leaky ductwork found in your walls. <\/p>\n If you want to give it a try, find your HVAC\u2019s air handler. Use a piece of cardboard to partition the supply side from the return side. Tape the cardboard in place with masking tape. <\/p>\n Use a blower door and pressure pan to take a reading at each register in your home. Your ductwork\u2019s supposed to be a closed system, so you should get a reading close to zero. <\/p>\n If you find an unusual reading, you\u2019ve likely found a leak. <\/p>\n Because finding leaks in the ductwork in your walls is so challenging, even many HVAC pros can\u2019t do it. <\/p>\n To find an HVAC pro who can do it consistently with ease, simply ask them,\u201dHow would you go about finding a ductwork leak in my walls?\u201d <\/p>\n Their answer will reveal their competence. If they give you a vague non-answer that\u2019s hard to understand, you know to talk to someone else. If they rattle off a detailed process, you know you\u2019ve found the right person for the job.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Finding (And Repairing) In-Wall Leaks May Be Best for the Pros, But…<\/h2>\n