Barron Heating AC Electrical & Plumbing Blog: Archive for the ‘Less Dust’ Category

Is Aeroseal Right for You?

Monday, November 21st, 2016

Do you have uncomfortable hot or cold rooms in your house, dusty or musty air that aggravates allergies, or high utility bills that leave something to be desired month after month? The bad news: You may have leaky ducts.

The good news: Aeroseal’s duct work sealing technology has helped improve home comfort, overall air quality, and energy savings in homes across the country. When 30 cents of every $1 spent on heating/cooling leaks before making it to your living space, properly sealed ducts make a big difference in savings.

Posted in AeroSeal, Duct Problems, Duct Sealing, Duct Test, Dust, Energy Savings, Healthy Home, Healthy Homes, IAQ, Indoor Air Quality, Less Dust | Comments Off on Is Aeroseal Right for You?

What is in your home dust?

Wednesday, January 6th, 2016

Have you ever noticed all of the “icky” debris from your vacuum when you empty the canister or change the bag?

Have you ever broken your vacuum cleaner bag as you were disposing it or looked at canister of debris before dumping it? This should provide an accurate picture of what type of air the typical homeowner is breathing in their homes.

Every home’s duct work leaks! Every time your furnace runs more things are sucked into your duct work. Things like dust, pet hair, cooking grease, cigarette smoke, and other debris that will stay in your duct work – until they eventually break down and are released back into the air stream for you and your family to breathe.

“Most homeowners simply have no idea of how much dust, dirt, and debris the duct system harbors, according to Brendan Reid, Founder of Comfort Institute and Senior Success Coach . Since the air ducts are out of sight they are often out of mind”. As a reminder, about 50 percent of household dust is from dead skins cells which we constantly are shedding.

Sealing your ductwork not only improves indoor air quality by reducing dust and allergens, but can make you more comfortable in your home by reducing hot and cold spots, rooms, and floors in your house. We suggest using the Aeroseal process, but other forms of duct sealing can be effective.

A few recommendations for breathing healthier air in your home are sealing your duct work before you purchase a new heating and cooling system, clean your duct work every 3-5 years, and have a good air filter that you change according to manufacturer’s recommendations. This combination will help reduce household dust and keep the system running efficiently.

Posted in AeroSeal, Air Duct Cleaning, Air Purifier, Asthma, Duct Cleaning, Duct Sealing, Dust, Healthy Homes, Less Dust, Respiratory Issues | Comments Off on What is in your home dust?

How to solve HOT and COLD rooms…

Wednesday, October 7th, 2015

Have you ever wondered why some rooms are not as comfortable as others, and sometimes an entire floor can be uncomfortable? This can be very frustrating however, the good news is it can be fixed. There are many reasons why this happens, but the most common issue is air flow. When an HVAC system is installed there are a lot of assumptions made and very few checks and balances to ensure the system is working properly.

The first step is to find an HVAC contractor who is trained, understands how air flow works in the home and is able to measure and test. The easiest repair is simply what is called air balancing. Dampers should have been installed when the house was built, but unfortunately many homes are lacking them. If your home is missing dampers, they can and will need to be added.

Your contractor will provide what is called a room by room load calculation to determine how much air flow is required to the rooms. He or she can then do simple steps to ensure the proper amount of air flow is being directed to each room.

The most important part of testing is to ensure your duct system is in good working order. It must be sized properly and free of any duct leakage. Both these problems can rob a home of the precious air that is needed to be comfortable. Duct systems can be repaired and sealed to make sure the right amount of airflow is being distributed throughout the house. In some cases it is necessary to replace the entire duct system to guarantee proper sizing, insulation and no duct leaks. A good duct system is key to making your home more comfortable and providing your family with the clean healthy air.

And there is another benefit. Unlike any other repair you do in your home, fixing your ducts can actually help pay you back. A good duct system will use less energy and save on monthly utility costs.

Posted in AeroSeal, Balance, Duct Repair, Duct Test, Health, Healthy Homes, Home Performance, Home Performance Assessment, Home Testing, Indoor Air Quality, Less Dust | Comments Off on How to solve HOT and COLD rooms…

IAQ 101 (AKA Indoor Air Quality Basics)

Monday, December 16th, 2013

The heat is blowing, the furnace is purring like a kitten, the family is warm wherever they are lounging in the house. Everything seems to be good, as far as the heating system is concerned… or is it?

It seems like whenever that furnace blower comes on, Jim starts sneezing. All winter long you’re dusting every week. Sometimes its hard to sleep at night with the dry throats and all the coughing and refilling glasses of water.

Here’s the kicker: you are not alone.

For decades homeowners have been settling for this relationship with their house, but it doesn’t have to be this way.Thankfully, after decades of research and testing, we now understand the important link between your home’s contents, heating system, construction materials and you. This is an exciting industry to be in when we can honestly say there are new affordable answers to problems that have been plaguing our every day health for as long as we can remember. Indoor air quality is totally within our control.

What is Indoor Air Quality?

Well, its the the contents of the air inside your home.

Its the humidity (moisture content) of that air.
Its the visible and invisible particles floating on the drafts.
Its the specks settling on your DVR and china hutch.
Its all the little living critters that inhabit your home
Its one of the primary causes and exacerbating factors of sinus and respiratory issues.

Some Myths about dust and air contaminants:

“We bring it inside with us.” – Not usually the case. Most houses generate the majority of their air contaminants by their very construction. Depending on design and the state of your duct system, different parts of a house exist in state of negative or positive pressure. These pressures can drive air out and suck air in to the living space. Whatever this air passes through comes with it: fiberglass insulation, dirt, pest droppings, molds and more.
“My house is leaky, mostly the doors and windows.” – Doors and windows make up about 20% of the air leakage in the average home according to energy experts with the Department of Energy. The majority of the air the house “breathes” is from the crawlspace and attic through mechanical, plumbing and electrical penetrations often hidden from direct view. Furthermore, those leaky doors and windows are generally sources of GOOD fresh air, directly from outside.
“All houses have to be dusted a couple times a month.”- Well, this is a touchy subject because how often someone dusts is related to how much they are bothered by the stuff. If you find you are dusting more often than you would like, you likely have opportunities to improve this situation. A house that’s been sealed up tight and ventilated right should be able to go a month or more without significant dust build up.

Whats the answer?

Our motto at Barron Heating is “Test, don’t guess”, so the first step is to have a Home and Duct Performance Assessment completed on your home. This test will identify where the air, heat and contaminants are moving and what the best methods of controlling them might be.

Common Prescriptive Solutions Include:

Air Sealing the duct system
Insulating the duct system
Air sealing attic floor and crawl space ceiling
Air sealing leaks from inside the home
Adding a fresh air duct to the heating system
Installing whole house ventilation (timer driven exhaust fans)
Installing an Energy Recovery Ventilator (ERV)
Crawl space renovation and clean up
Insulating floors, walls and ceilings
And more… the answer is unique to your home!

Good luck and feel free to ASK AN EXPERT if you have any questions.

Posted in Air Purifier, Air Sealing, Allergies, Asthma, Blower Door Testing, Home Performance, Home Testing, IAQ, Indoor Air Quality, Less Dust | Comments Off on IAQ 101 (AKA Indoor Air Quality Basics)

Introduction to AeroSeal and Duct Repair

Wednesday, June 12th, 2013

Why are finding Air Duct Leaks important?

You can see a water leak, but an air leak is invisible. Duct leaks can be difficult and costly to find with ductwork hidden between the walls, floors, and ceilings of any residential home or commercial building. The older, traditional use of mastic (a messy caulk-like substance) or taping of leaks not only is less effective than Aeroseal, but also can be very labor-intensive and expensive and can only be applied to ducts with physical access. Other substances break down over time, but the Aeroseal sealant does not and even has a 10 year WARRANTY to back it up.

Do-it-yourselfers might attempt their own fixes, but what about those ducts you or your HVAC specialist can’t see or access? Let Aeroseal handle the entire job and you won’t be tearing up your home or worried about incomplete seals. Aeroseal pinpoints and covers leaks, in roughly an hour, from the inside out with a success rate of up to 98%. Aeroseal is the most effective, affordable, and viable method of sealing air duct leaks on the market.

The measured result of a typical Aeroseal air duct sealing process is shown below:

Aeroseal can reduce duct leakage by up to 97%, reduce your energy use by up to 45%.
Aeroseal has also been shown to dramatically improve comfort and homeowner satisfaction with their heating and cooling systems.
Leaky ducts in a residential home contribute to:
Loss of cool and warm conditioned air to the outside or unconditioned spaces of your home resulting in high energy bills
Even the most energy-efficient heating and cooling systems not performing at its best
Forcing your system to work harder and wear out sooner, costing you yet more money
Excess humidity levels that can lead to costly home repairs
Hard to heat or cool rooms leading to discomfort
Musty odors and other indoor air quality (IAQ) issues

What are the benefits?

Airtight savings: The money formerly leaking out of your ducts will stay in your pocket longer
Airtight comfort: Your hard to heat or cool rooms will have more even temperatures and be more comfortable
Improved air quality: You will see a reduction in dust and humidity, along with fumes and other odors
Reaches everywhere: Seals leaks nearly impossible to reach using other methods
You’ll be a small part of a bigger solution: A reduction of the amount of air pollution created from generating less energySolve your building air flow and ventilation problems

Posted by Wes Diskin

Posted in AeroSeal, Clean Home, Energy Savings, Healthy Homes, Less Dust, rebates, Weatherization | Comments Off on Introduction to AeroSeal and Duct Repair

Barron Heating AC Electrical & Plumbing Blog