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Because of the possible effects that changing
the duct leakage pattern can have on indoor air pollution,
you should not attempt to repair duct leaks.
Suppose, for example, that you find several disconnected
duct joints in your supply system. Wouldn’t it make sense
to hook them back up? Probably it would, but if the return
system has leaks you can’t fix, you might end up with an unbalanced
system.
There are many variations on this theme, but this illustration
shows that safe duct repairs require a licensed heating, ventilating,
and air-conditioning contractor to repair ducts. Try to find
one that has sent their technicians to a good duct-repair
school. Such courses typically involve at least a week of
intensive training.
One of the special tools that would be used by a technician
is a blower door— a temporary barrier set up to cover an open
outside doorway, in which is mounted a fan that is used to
apply a small pressure to the house. The main use of the blower
door is to test for air leakage in the house, but it is also
used in duct leakage tests.
One test for duct leakage involves simultaneously pressurizing
the house with the blower door and the ducts with a smaller
version of this device. Another test uses the blower-door
result plus some simple pressure measurements to estimate
duct leakage.
A contractor’s representative or service technician should
be able to answer the following questions to your satisfaction:
- How do faulty duct systems lose energy? (They should know
at least as much about the subject as you do now.)
- How would you test my duct system to see if it needs
repair?
- What would you do to fix it if you find that work is needed?
Our discussion of health issues should not deter you from
doing something about duct leakage, which could be contributing
to a potentially serious health problem right now and you
might not know it. When a qualified professional repairs your
duct system, it is quite likely that the quality of your indoor
air will improve. Hire Geiger and you will be comfortable all year..
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