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Change-out Flow Charts
E-Mail
Letter to Homeowners
As of October 1, 2005, you must have your home or office ducts tested for leaks
when you have a central air conditioner or furnace installed or replaced. Ducts
that leak 15 % or more must be repaired to reduce the leaks. After your
contractor tests, seals the ducts, and fills out the proper forms, you choose an approved third-party
HERS Rater
to check and make sure the
duct sealing
and duct testing was done properly.
There also are specific alternatives that allow high efficiency equipment and
added duct insulation to be installed instead of fixing duct leaks.
The greatest energy use in California homes is for central air conditioning and
heating.
Most homes with central air conditioning and heating systems have ducts that were never properly sealed . The average home's ducts leak around 30 % of the conditioned air outside the home. These leaks are taking money straight out of your pocketbook. Properly sealed ducts will lower your energy bills and reduce pollution inside your home.
HERS raters are special inspectors certified by the California Energy
Commission (CEC) to rate homes in California according to the Home Energy
Rating System (HERS). These ratings include field verification and diagnostic
testing to determine energy efficiency levels among homes tested for duct
efficiency, envelope leakage and building insulation for compliance with
current building efficiency standards. You can locate a HERS rater at
HERSRater.net
Ducts are a system of tubes that distribute conditioned air to rooms throughout
a structure. Sealed ducts have properly installed joints and connections to
minimize leakage air. Air leaks cannot be seen, and so diagnostic testing
verifies leakage. The use of a fog machine in conjunction with the Duct
Blaster¨ can help to locate them. These leaks can then be addressed by using
approved tapes, mastics, and mechanical fasteners.
What is a "Duct Blaster®"?
A Duct Blaster® is a tool used to test the air leakage rate of forced air
duct systems. The equipment consists of a calibrated fan, tape to temporarily
seal all the registers, flexible duct to connect the fan to the central return
of the duct system; and a digital meter to measure fan flow and duct pressure.
Duct leakage is measured by pressurizing the duct system and precisely
measuring the fan flow and duct pressure. Duct leakage measurements are used to
diagnose leakage problems and certify the quality of duct system installation.
Duct Leakage Testing
Duct leakage measurements are used to diagnose duct leakage problems and verify
the quality of your duct system. HERS Raters can use either a Duct Blaster®
or a blower door to measure how leaky, or tight, a heating or cooling system is.
Leaky ducts can reduce the efficiency of a forced-air heating or cooling system by 20 to 40+%. These leaks can make your home uncomfortable and unhealthy. Leaks in return ducts can pull pollutants into your home from your attic, basement or garage. Leaky supply ducts can negatively pressurize the house and cause drafts or moisture problems. Sealing leaky ducts will improve both the efficiency and performance of your heating and cooling system. Leaky ducts make your heating and cooling system work longer and harder to keep you comfortable. Homeowners who have had their leaky ducts sealed have noticed a decrease in their monthly energy bills and an increase in comfort. Back to the Top
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