A feature of our central air conditioning and heating systems is the duct work. The necessity of transporting air throughout the home and returning it back to the air handler where air flows through the evaporator, turning the refrigerant to gas giving up heat and cooling the air. As there is only one point in the system for this to happen cool air is distributed through duct work, essentially air pipes and the warm air is returned to the central evaporator for recirculation. The vulnerable parts in all this moving air is the ducts. Not only that but it is recommended that the air inside a home be exchanged with outdoor fresh air, the EPA estimates that in the typical home, the indoor air carries two to five times the pollution than outdoor air. But for efficient cooling we need to limit uncontrolled leakage and heat exchange that occurs in attics where most of the duct work is in most homes. Conflicting requirements between energy efficiency and healthy air to breath. The minimum recommended air exchange rate is 4 per hour. In other words, all the air in the home must be replaced at least 4 times during an hour minimum. The efficiency of the A/C hinges on the ability to recirculate the air already cooled. In our area generally the air ducts are routed through the attics of our homes. These areas can hit 120 degrees in the summer.
Air Duct Sealing
Air duct sealing against leaks and insulating against heat absorption is the primary environmental concern in the Southwestern United States. Sealing prevents the leakage cooled air into unconditioned areas. Our A/C or heat pump has been working to cool that air. If it leaks out the work is lost. As for the returns these operate in a partial vacuum any leakage is unconditioned hot dirty air being drawn into the system. Remember you’re A/C was installed by the lowest bidder, something to consider in any tract home. The design might be less than optimum.
Return Air Flow
A common design flaw is in the return system. With doors to rooms being closed there needs to be a return in that room or sufficient clearance at the bottom the door to let the air flow out, and of course the hall noise in. Heating and cooling suffer if there is not enough return flow. Keep in mind that unconditioned areas like basements and attics in the winter depend on radiated heat from duct work to ensure that water pipes don’t freeze. In many older homes the basement was heated at least partially by the duct work under the floor. Of course, the addition of electrical heating strips can remedy the water pipe freezing problem.
Air Duct Repair Services
Never use clothed backed duct tape for repairs as it fails to quickly. You want mastic, butyl tape or foil tapes for A/C repairs. And when we say A/C we mean any system the depends on the refrigeration cycle, including heat pumps. Systems that separate the heat and cooling like an A/C and gas heat still use the same duct work. Perhaps we should use the industry term HVAC, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, but A/C is easier as our primary concern in southern Nevada is cooling.
Central Air Conditioning Troubleshooting, Diagnosis, Emergency Repair, Replacement & More in Summerlin, North LV, Henderson, Enterprise, Paradise, Sunrise Manor, Spring Valley, Aliante, Anthem, Desert Shores, Eldorado, Green Valley Ranch, Inspirada, Mountain’s Edge, Peccole Ranch, Providence, Rhodes Ranch, Seven Hills, Silverado Ranch, The Lakes, Tuscany Village & Las Vegas Nevada
A properly designed system allows for energy economically operations and a healthy exchange of outdoor air circulation to provide the comfort we seek in our homes. Air Supply Heating & Air Conditioning can meet all your HVAC related needs including air duct cleaning and sealing. Contact us today to schedule your next appointment.