Duck Leakage and Repair

Air leaks in and out of ducts at all the connections within a system. This leakage means that air that occupants have paid to have heated or cooled escapes from the heating or cooling system and does not heat or cool the house. Also, air leaks into the heating or cooling system increase the amount of outside air that must be heated or cooled. Outside air is usually cooler (for heating) or warmer and more humid (for cooling) than air inside the house and the heating or cooling capacity of the system is then used to heat or cool this outside air instead of the air in the house. Even with the heating and cooling system off, the leaks in the ducts increase the ventilation rate of the house, increasing the need for heating or cooling.

Repairing ducting systems can significantly reduce your utilities. Many people will replace their heating and cooling system in hopes of better comfort and lower utilities, and after the heating and cooling system is installed they find that their challenges are no better than before or in some cases worse! Many of today’s contactors will neglect this area of the system, due to lack of knowledge or inability to communicate the value of a properly designed duct system. In many cases your system may not need to be replaced to fix comfort issues and lower utilities.

Home Humidification

How does humidity levels in a home effect comfort?

If the humidity is 100% we feel much hotter than the actual temperature indicates because our sweat does not evaporate at all. If the relative humidity is low, we feel cooler than the actual temperature because our sweat evaporates easily, we can also feel extremely dry.

Low humidity has at least 3 effects on human beings

• It dries out your skin. This is noticed by having chapped lips, dry and itchy skin, and a dry sore throat when you wake up in the morning.
• It increases static electricity.
• It makes your home seem colder than it actually is.  In the summer, high humidity makes it seem warmer than it is because sweat cannot evaporate from your body. In the winter, low humidity has the opposite effect.

For best indoor comfort and health, a relative humidity of about 45% is ideal. At temperatures typically found indoors, this humidity level makes the air feel approximately what the temperature indicates, and your skin and lungs do not dry out and become irritated.

Whole Home Humidification can:

• Lower your utilities by allowing you to run lower temperatures on your thermostat because with the proper humidity levels you can be more comfortable with less heat.
• Protect your furniture from drying and cracking; prevent hardwood floors from shrinking up.
• Improve your overall health and comfort by relieving dry skin, chapped lips, sore throats, and much more.