Ignore the Controversy and Seal Up that Leaky Ductwork
The State of New Jersey requires duct leakage testing by a third-party inspector on all new homes, and many municipalities require an air balancing report to receive a Certificate of Occupancy. When it comes to duct leakage in existing homes, however, the vast majority have never been tested. This despite the fact that HVAC studies have shown that most residential duct systems leak like a sieve, with 30-40% of the air traveling through ducts lost. To put this into a clear perspective, that would mean a ton of cooling lost in a 3- ton system.
One might think the widely-accepted remedy to duct leakage would be sealing up ductwork, but there is actually some controversy. There are some who claim that sealing ductwork increases static pressure and decreases CFM, or that leaking return ductwork is beneficial for keeping evaporator coils from freezing due to low airflow, or FPM. In other words, don’t seal ductwork.
This thinking is simply wrong. If fixing one issue creates another, then you should fix the secondary problem as well. Either way you look at it, your system is not functioning as it should and you’re losing comfort and money. The purpose of an HVAC system is to move heat, not waste it. If sealing duct leaks and other repairs (crushed or open ductwork, closed or broken dampers, undersized returns, etc.) cause an increase in static pressure, affecting overall CFM, other measures should be taken to correct the static pressure problem. This is what separates good contractors from all the others.
About E.P. Homiek
E.P. Homiek Sheet Metal Fabrication & HVAC Supply, with two convenient locations in Lakewood, NJ and Union, NJ, provides one- to two-day turnaround on all residential and light commercial ductwork, as well as one- to two-hour emergency fabrication service, rapid delivery, and competitive prices. HVAC parts, supplies, and equipment lines include Goodman, Honeywell, Bryant, Bradford White, Crown Boiler, Daikin, Weil-McLain, Sea Breeze, Generac, Fantech, ZM, A.O. Smith, Hart & Cooley, Malco, Mueller, and many more.
