Tag Archives: ductwork repair

5 Energy Saving Rules of Ductwork Design

The New Buzz in Energy Efficient Homes

Are you considering a home renovation or even building an addition? One of the keys to your whole home energy use is your HVAC ductwork design. It is essential to make sure your ducts are installed in the walls, ceilings and floors correctly. Here are 5 basic principles of home ductwork design to keep in mind when installing new ducts.

Identifying a Quality Design

Sizing – What kind of heating or cooling load is required to make your house comfortable, and what size ducts will you need to accommodate it? This varies from house to house, depending on square footage, how much sunlight it gets, and a variety of other factors. The wrong size ducts will put extra strain on the HVAC system, wasting energy. Your contractor will use Manual J, the HVAC load calculation manual, to find the ideal size ductwork for your home.
Building – Ducts should be made of strong, lasting materials, such as metal or fiberglass. Additionally, all ductwork should be properly insulated to maintain the temperature of the air as it passes through the ducts.
Adjusting – Each room’s duct branch should have a damper to adjust the flow of air for that particular room and make sure it gets the amount it needs. Once that level has been found, the damper should be permanently secured in that position to prevent gradual air loss or gain over time.
Balancing – To keep airflow balanced, home ductwork design should have a return duct in every room, in addition to a supply duct, but this isn’t always practical. A single, central return duct may be installed instead, with additional ducts and vents added to ensure air is able to reach the duct effectively.
Testing – Once the ductwork is installed, it needs to be tested to make sure it’s functioning properly. Your HVAC technician should conduct a blower door test, to make sure your ducts were installed securely and that there are no leaks.

Learn more about home ductwork design from the home comfort pros at Keith Air Conditioning, Inc. or contact us today at 251-476-3610.

Spring Cleaning Includes Professional Air Duct Cleaning

Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) is a growing national problem caused primarily by negative pressure leaks and tight building envelopes. Without proper ventilation, a variety of harmful pollutants accumulate inside the ductwork attached to your HVAC equipment. If not adequately addressed, these contaminants continually recirculate through the system and can aggravate respiratory conditions such as asthma, allergies and COPD.

Our Air Duct Cleaning Services

A professional duct cleaning service will eliminate the dirt, dust, grime, pollen and mold that build up on the interior surface of your duct network over time. The duct cleaning process also removes contaminants from critical internal equipment components including:

The plenum
Heat exchanger
Condensate drain lines and pan
The interior of the air handler
Supply and return registers
Blower, housings and motors
The evaporator coil
VAV boxes

For every air duct cleaning remediation project, we send trained technicians equipped with cameras and mirrors to accurately assess the condition of your ductwork and HVAC equipment. If the system requires cleaning, the registers are sealed with a pressure sensitive tape, and access holes are cut into the supply and return duct lines.

When the ductwork is prepped, a powerful vacuum that meets NADCA standards is attached to the installed collar. Flexible forced air whips and mechanical brushes are used to agitate and dislodge any material that is stuck to the duct wall. The system is turned on, and the ductwork is placed into a substantial negative pressure. Dander, hair, debris and other impurities are pulled out of the ductwork and deposited into a sealed container.

The Benefits of Clean Ductwork

Periodic duct cleaning provides an excellent return on investment. Some of the more important benefits include:

Improved indoor air quality
Lower HVAC maintenance costs
reduced utility bills
Fewer furnace and AC repairs
Extended equipment life

Complete IAQ Services

To learn more about duct cleaning, HVAC maintenance agreements and our complete indoor air quality services, call Keith Air Conditioning, Inc. at 251-476-3610. We can schedule a free performance evaluation for your ductwork and HVAC equipment.

Humidifiers Are Key To Better Indoor Air Quality

A healthy home requires clean, fresh indoor air. For Mobile homeowners, this involves more than just changing the HVAC filters regularly and installing an air purifier.

Humidifiers also play a key role in creating high-quality indoor air. Maintaining optimal humidity levels has a beneficial effect on health and can reduce annual heating costs.

You can easily measure indoor humidity with a hygrometer. Also called a humidity meter, this inexpensive gadget can tell you exactly what your indoor humidity level is. You can purchase a hygrometer at any drug store or a supercenter like Walmart. A healthy humidity level should between 35 and 50 percent, but for those living along the Gulf Coast, winter humidity levels are often as low as 5-15 percent.

Because humid air feels warmer than dry air, adding moisture to your living space in winter will give you greater indoor comfort, and you’ll also pay less for heat. When moisture evaporates, air feels colder. During the winter, it’s natural to turn up the thermostat when this happens, thereby increasing energy usage and jacking up utility bills. When you add moisture to the air instead, you’ll feel warmer at a lower temperature, and your energy costs will decrease as a result.

What Does Humidity Have to do With Indoor Air Quality?

Low humidity levels mean dry air. Dry air can be responsible for a variety of physical symptoms such as:

Sore throat
Itchy, flaking skin
Cracked, dry lips and hands
Dry nasal passages
Sinus problems and sinusitis

How Does Indoor Humidity Improve Air Quality?

Many airborne pollutants such as dust mites thrive in a dry environment. When you add moisture to the air, it gives these contaminants less space in which to circulate.

How Do Indoor Humidity Levels Affect Health?

There are a variety of health benefits that come with proper humidity levels. Here are just a few:

Sinuses stay healthier, especially for those with sinusitis and congestion
Reduces the potential for nosebleeds
Helps those suffering from colds and asthma by lubricating nasal passages
Can eliminate snoring caused by a dry throat
Helps skin to stay moisturized and reduces dryness on hands and lips
Helps nose hairs to trap bacteria and viruses that cause colds and flu
Reduces nasal, throat and bronchial irritation
Helps to clear up laryngitis
Helps those with respiratory problems to breathe easier

Besides keeping your Mobile, AL, home comfortable in winter, reducing energy usage and delivering a variety of health benefits, humidifiers also reduce static electricity and can keep wood surfaces from shrinking, swelling and cracking. To learn more about healthier indoor air, contact the Mobile, AL, air quality experts at Keith Air Conditioning. They’ve been helping homeowners to have greater indoor comfort since 1964, and their air quality testing service can tell you everything you need to know about the state of your indoor air.

Healthy Home Ventilation Tips

When it comes to indoor air quality and circulation, residents of Mobile and the surrounding region have more than their share of challenges. Year-round high humidity levels make warm indoor temperatures feel even more uncomfortable and provide the ideal breeding ground dust mites, mold and mildew. With the oppressively humid warm-weather season on Alabama’s Gulf Coast fast approaching, it’s time to take steps to ensure that your home has proper ventilation without exacerbating respiratory issues like asthma and allergies.

Why Home Ventilation Matters

With people spending up to 90 percent of their time indoors at home and work, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking a closer look at indoor air quality. Studies have shown that stale air inside homes is often more polluted than outdoor air in large, industrial cities. For those suffering from cardiovascular and respiratory conditions, lack of air circulation can have devastating health consequences, but a poorly ventilated home can impact otherwise healthy people too. Physical symptoms to watch for include:

Nasal congestion, sneezing or post nasal drip
Itchy, red or watery eyes
Soar throats or mouth breathing at night
Coughing, wheezing or shortness of breath

Keeping Allergens at Bay

Opening windows to allow the air to circulate offers some relief in poorly ventilated spaces but lets common allergens in Mobile like ragweed, pollen and animal dander entry into your home. To avoid exposure to allergens, Dr. Druhan Howell of the University of South Alabama College of Medicine recommends the following simple strategies:

Close windows at night whenever local pollen levels are high.
Minimize exercise between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. when pollen is typically emitted.
Keep damp environments like bathrooms and kitchens scrupulously clean.
Ensure that humidity levels in your home are properly managed.

HVAC Ventilation Solutions for a Healthy Home

From air purifiers to germ-killing ultraviolet lights, the professionals at Keith Air Conditioning, Inc. offer a wide array of indoor air quality solutions that can lower indoor humidity levels and improve air circulation, including:

Using energy captured from outgoing air to precondition incoming air, energy recovery ventilators allow you to enjoy fresh air without sending energy bills soaring.
Sealing and insulating ductwork in central HVAC systems prevents pollutants and allergens from entering your home through leaks, cracks and loose connections.
An air quality analysis of your home by a skilled HVAC technician lets you know which product or service will best meet your needs.

Serving Mobile and the surrounding communities since 1964, Keith Air Conditioning professionals are experts at ventilation and resolving your air circulation problems. To learn more about how to make your home a healthier place to inhabit, please contact us today.

Adequate Attic Insulation Can Reap Some Serious Benefits

insulation roll attic As the weather starts to cool off, the importance of attic insulation becomes more apparent. If you have no idea if your attic insulation is sufficient, take a peek and see what you can see. The entire floor should be covered in a thick, even layer of insulation. If you can see the rafters poking up through the insulation, you could probably benefit from adding more.

Benefits of Adding Attic Insulation

Homes with inadequate insulation often suffer from the same types of problems. By boosting attic insulation, you stand to benefit in a number of ways:

More even temperature throughout the home: If you go upstairs and place your hand on the ceiling, it may be cold to the touch, meaning attic air is infiltrating the ceiling. This creates hot and cold spots, drafts and uneven temperatures from room to room. Rooms feel warmer and more comfortable in homes where attic insulation is up to par.
Lower heating bills: Adding extra insulation requires an investment, but the resulting lower energy bills help pay for the project. Lower heating bills also mean you’re consuming less energy, which is good news for the environment.
Protected structural integrity: In homes where heat and moisture rise up into the attic, issues such as mold growth, rotting wood and ice dams threaten the structural integrity of the attic and roof. By more effectively separating your home from your attic, you help prevent these problems.

Choosing Insulation

The two most common types of insulation are loose fill (often made from cellulose) and batts or rolls (made from fiberglass). Both types are effective at insulating your home against the unconditioned attic air. Consider that you can use either type of insulation, regardless of what’s already installed in your attic.

If you choose loose fill, it’s wise to have the insulation installed by a professional since proper application requires the use of a special blowing machine. If you’re insistent upon doing it yourself, you may be able to rent the equipment you need from your local home improvement store.

Batts and rolls provide the easiest do-it-yourself job. If you install a layer on top of existing insulation, make sure you pick “unfaced” insulation with no paper or foil backing.

Installing the Insulation

Before you begin, gather the necessary safety supplies and installation tools. These include safety glasses, gloves, dust mask, hard hat, flashlight, portable hanging light, boards to walk on, utility knife, sheet metal cutters, tape measure and the insulation you choose to install.

The installation itself is quite straightforward if you opt for fiberglass batts or rolls. If the existing insulation sits between the rafters, install a second layer perpendicular to the beams to help reduce heat loss through the frame. Work from the perimeter inward toward the attic hatch, being careful not to cover the soffit vents that allow for attic ventilation.

To avoid creating a fire hazard, make sure you never install insulation directly over recessed light fixtures unless they are IC rated for insulation contact. If your lights lack this distinction, you need to make a barrier around the light with sheet metal or wire mesh to keep the insulation at least three inches away.

When to Call a Professional

If your attic is easily accessible and not too difficult to move around in, you should feel free to make the attic insulation project a DIY task. However, some situations may lead you to call a professional to do the job for you. You know it’s time to call in the pros if the following is true:

The attic is difficult to access and the space to work inside is cramped and dangerous.
The insulation is damp to the touch or smells moldy, problems that indicate a leaky roof.
The attic rafters or floor joists are rotted, another indicator of moisture problems.
You find out that the kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans or dryer vent exhaust air to the attic instead of to the outdoors.
The attic has little to no ventilation.
Knob and tube wiring is installed in the attic of your pre-1930s home, which creates a fire hazard if it comes in contact with insulation.

Whether you install the attic insulation yourself or you choose to call a professional to complete the job, you’ll notice a difference in your comfort level and energy bills with more insulation in the attic. For more useful tips or to schedule service, please contact Keith Air Conditioning, Inc. We’ve been serving Mobile and Baldwin County since 1964.