Sealing and Insulating Air Ducts

An enormous waste of energy occurs when cooled air escapes from supply ducts or when hot attic air leaks into return ducts. Recent studies indicate that 10% to 30% of the conditioned air in an average central air conditioning system escapes from the ducts. For central air conditioning to be efficient, ducts must be airtight. Hiring a competent professional service technician to detect and correct duct leaks is a good investment, since leaky ducts may be difficult to find without experience and test equipment. Ducts must be sealed with duct "mastic." The old standby of duct tape is ineffective for sealing ducts. Obstructions can impair the efficiency of a duct system almost as much as leaks. You should be careful not to obstruct the flow of air from supply or return registers with furniture, drapes, or tightly fitted interior doors. Dirty filters and clogged evaporator coils can also be major obstructions to air flow.The large temperature difference between attics and ducts makes heat conduction through ducts almost as big a problem as air leakage and obstructions. Ducts in attics should be insulated heavily in addition to being made airtight.

www.starkair.com
817/972-633-2665

Fresh air isn't just for the outdoorsy types...

FACT: 50% of all illnesses are either caused or aggravated by polluted indoor air. -American College of Allergists
FACT: One out of six people who suffer from allergies do so because of the direct relationship to fungi and bacteria in air duct systems. -Total Health and Better Health Magazines
FACT: Children are more likely than adults to be affected by polluted indoor air. They breathe faster, inhale more air per unit of body weight, and are closer to the ground where concentrations are higher. -Department of Consumer Affairs

FACT: Most people spend 60-90% of their time indoors. -American Lung Association

What can you do to improve the quality of air you breathe inside your home?

1. SEALING/DUCTWORK - Your home's attic breathes just like you do and can bring many harmful pollutants into the space surrounding your ductwork. Proper sealing will reduce the amount of contaminates able to enter the path between your attic and your lungs.

What type of contaminates?
Particulate matter: includes dust, smoke, pollen, animal dander, tobacco smoke, particles generated from combustion appliances such as cooking stoves, and particles associated with tiny organisms such as dust mites, molds, bacteria, and viruses.

Gaseous pollutants from combustion processes: sources include gas cooking stoves, vehicle exhaust, and tobacco smoke. They also come from building materials, furnishings, and the use of products such as adhesives, paints, varnishes, cleaning products, and pesticides.

2. FILTRATION/STERILIZATION - Typical filters only capture 5% of these harmful contaminates and your current coil will snatch up another 20%. But that leaves 75% of all indoor air contaminates to be filtered by your family's own lungs.

How important is the health of your family? What can you do?

Have a high-efficiency air filter or whole-home air cleaner installed. Combine the effectiveness of the filtration with the new Phi Cell sterilization technology. Better than a UV light, the Phi Cell creates airborne hydroperoxides (yes, just like the hydrogen peroxide you use to treat a scraped knee) to reduce bacteria, viruses, and mold from your air. You have many reasonably priced clean indoor air options to choose from and our Stark technicians are always available to discuss more specific details for your home.

Call us today at 817/972-633-COOL, visit our website at www.starkair.com or keep reading for more information on how you can improve your environment with the problem solvers from Stark Air.