Is Aeroseal Worth It? 5 Benefits of Aeroseal Duct Sealing

Energy efficiency is good, both for the environment and for your pocket. As energy costs continue to climb, energy efficiency is becoming a necessity, rather than a luxury.

As your air-conditioning and heating systems get used, your air ducts undergo expansion and contraction. This is a normal part of their wear and tear process over time, but it can lead to leaks in the air ducts. And even a new high-efficiency furnace or AC system will waste 20 to 30 percent of heated or cooled air to leaks, gaps, and loose connections in the air ducts. In these cases, the savings from sealing your air ducts will quickly surpass its cost.

Many contractors still use a traditional bucket and brush method of sealing air ducts, which usually misses a significant number of hidden penetrations and small gaps—some of which might be impossible to reach using this method. Conversely, Aeroseal’s patented technology tackles leaks from the inside out—accurately measuring the duct leakage inside your home and pressurizing the leaking air and polymer particles until the leak is completely sealed off. This allows your HVAC technician to seal virtually every crack, hole, or breach in the duct system.

Here are five benefits that prove Aeroseal is worth it:

1. Lower Heating and Cooling Bills

Leaky ductwork allows the conditioned air to leak out and the unconditioned air to come into your house. This pushes your heating or cooling system to work harder to maintain a comfortable temperature in your home. These leaks in the ductwork can result in the waste of up to 45 percent of your monthly energy bill. Aeroseal duct sealing saves an average American residence about $600 to $850 in energy costs in the first year alone. So Aeroseal has a direct impact on your bottom line.

2. Air Quality

When your air ducts have gaps and cracks in them, they not only leak the air that is cleaned and conditioned by your HVAC system, but also allow outside, unfiltered air to enter. This dirty air can contain dust particles, dander, fumes, pollen, contaminants, chemical pollutants, and other allergens. Such pollutants can be drawn in through any gaps and then circulated throughout the system—and your home. These elements can seriously affect occupants suffering from allergies, asthma, and upper respiratory diseases.

Besides that, leaky ducts can create excessive humidity levels and mold spores, which can actually cause damage to the structure of your home. Another important safety concern is the back draft of gas appliance fumes, auto exhaust, and radon gas into your living space.

By having your ducts sealed and investing in other indoor air quality systems, you can eliminate access so these contaminants stay out of your circulating air. This can improve your air quality significantly.

3. Safe and Non-Toxic

Aeroseal is a non-toxic aerosol sealant that has been UL tested and approved. It’s composed of vinyl acetate polymer, the same water-based solution found in water-based paints, hair spray, and even chewing gum. It also leaves no lingering odor. This makes Aeroseal the best technology available today for sealing ductwork in existing homes. In addition, since the application process happens from inside the ductwork, applying this technology doesn’t require any demolition. And it’s safe, so your day-to-day activities can remain virtually uninterrupted during its application.

4. Comfort

Duct leaks lead to uneven heating or cooling in different rooms of your home. For example, they might make your rarely used attic really cold, while leaving your bedroom poorly air-conditioned. However, if your HVAC equipment is matched with a properly sized Aeroseal-sealed duct system, it can eliminate drafts and stagnant air pockets to maintain the right temperature in every room of your house.

5. Dependability and Longevity

The Aeroseal duct sealing system has been extensively researched and tested in the most strenuous heating and cooling environments. After application, Aeroseal has a 10-year warranty, but its life span is much longer than that.

The warranty for Aeroseal is generally 10 years, covering the contractor for failure in parts and labor. But durability testing completed by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory shows that the Aeroseal itself has a life span of over 40 years—longer than either tape or mastic. This exceeds all UL standards for durability.

Application Process

In addition to providing benefits to your home, the application process for Aeroseal is fairly straightforward.

The technician will begin by sealing off all furnaces, fans, vents, and grills—basically, anywhere you don’t want the sealant to travel. This pressurizes the duct system and ensures the Aeroseal isn’t wasted on spaces where it isn’t needed. Once the prep work is complete, the Aeroseal can be released into the sealed ductwork.

The liquid particles, which range from 2 to 20 micrometers in size, will flow through the ducts. When they reach a crack or small gap, they’ll attach to the space and solidify, sealing the leak. Leaks up to ⅝ of an inch in size will be sealed by the Aeroseal. It’ll take 20 to 30 minutes for the Aeroseal particles to reach all parts of your ductwork and seal off any leaks.

The technicians will use specialized software to monitor the entire process in real-time. This allows them to see where the leaks are initially and to ensure these gaps have been sealed by the time the process is complete. The homeowner will also be able to observe the process.

To maintain maximum efficiency of your HVAC systems, basic ductwork is not enough. Extra protection to seal every possible escape path in the thin membrane of the ducts is needed. Aeroseal is a low-cost and quick solution, and the application process won’t disrupt occupants’ lives. This revolutionary technology can be implemented in a number of hours by an experienced HVAC company such as Entek.

Aeroseal has received numerous awards, such as the Best of What’s New award from Popular Science magazine and the Best New Product award from 2011’s This Old House magazine. It has also been called “one of the most beneficial energy technologies for American consumers” by the Department of Energy.

So the answer to the question, “Is Aeroseal Worth it?”: yes!

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Tools Used by Professionals to Survey Trees Thoroughly

Surveying on tree is one of the arboricultural approaches that may offer affordable solutions for all the problems of the tree in any area. BS 5837;2012 Tree Surveys Kent also involved extensive process, which dealt with dysfunction and decay of trees. However, for any tree assessment project, different tools are used.

Sonic Tomograph

It is a device that helps professionals for creating an image of possible decay of tree with the measurement of sound flow rate through wood. The severity of decay may also be assessed. Most of the diseases and damages lead to cavity, fractures and rot in trees. For all these conditions, the wave of sound flow around a part, which has been affected. Sound wave is induced from particular points, and the outcomes are monitored on alternative sensor. A 2-D picture of the side view of tree may be produced.

Sonic Hammer

This special hammer works, just like a Tomograph because it applies the velocity of sound in order to evaluate the possible decay of trees. It doesn’t turn out images; however, it requires only 2 screws, placed on opposite surfaces of the stem. It is quite easy to use this tool and interpret the data at the right time. The hammer may assist in detecting of initial phase of decay or brown-coloured rot, which affects cellulose level of wood.

Sensors for detecting tree motion

This system is installed to deal with trees for a very long time. It is used mainly in the urban areas, and is also able to track data on the deflection of roots and stability of stems. The sensors should be placed on stem portion, and with precise measurements, it is possible to determine tree movements during the strong winds. Such information may also be assessed to give a warning on whether your tree has susceptibility to crash. The compact units may not need to be supervised all the time during the collection of data. Usually, it is placed at the stem’s base. Another one is positioned at a level above the sensors.

Chlorophyll fluorimeter

It has also been used for BS 5837;2012 Tree Surveys Surrey to measure the stress of plants because of negative condition of environment. From the results, obtained from this device, it is possible to implement some remedial suggestion. Thus, the above tools are highly useful and effective to know important information about trees.

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Improving Air Quality In The Workplace

Most work environments present different hazards and dangers, which health and safety legislation attempts to control. However, there is one invisible workplace hazard most people aren’t even aware of; and that’s indoor air pollution. Indoor air can be up to one hundred times more toxic within a building than outside, whether that’s a heavy manufacturing plant or just an average office. 

So read on to find out how indoor air pollution can affect you, and what you can do about it.

What is Indoor Air Pollution?

Indoor air pollution or Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) is often badly affected by numerous types of chemical pollutants such as volatile organic compounds and gases including carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, and radon which can all damage health. Chemical toxins from numerous everyday items including paint, furniture and carpets and everyday office essentials such as print cartridges and photocopier toner impact the air we breathe, and are known to cause problems ranging from sick building syndrome to headaches, exhaustion, respiratory infections and fatigue.

Exterior air pollution is caused by particles, sulphur dioxides and nitrogen oxides emitted from engines, power stations and electricity generation. With most people spending 90% of their time indoors, however, then interior air quality can be the bigger problem.

Improving Indoor Air Quality

Aim to reduce the levels of unhealthy pollution in your workplace by following these simple measures:

Identify sources of pollutants

If you’re not sure what types of toxins are impacting your workplace, then it’s worth investing in testing. Environmental and air pollution monitoring analysts recommend installing passive air quality monitors to monitor air quality inside and out.

Improve Ventilation

The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations act 1992 specifies that enclosed workplaces such as offices are well ventilated. It sounds obvious, but simply opening the windows and allowing a free flow of air to circulate can reduce indoor pollution. However, if air conditioning is used, then make sure it’s regularly cleaned with a filter in place and is not drawing in contaminated air.

Service the Heating System

Check the operation of the heating system to ensure that it’s functioning properly and not emitting carbon dioxide. By law, boilers should be serviced once a year. A Carbon monoxide detector will alert you to any dangerous levels of the gas.

Add Plants 

Common indoor plants can filter air, clear carbon dioxide, and help to reduce levels of air pollutants such as benzene and formaldehyde. Research undertaken by NASA to assess the best plants for filtering the air in the space station found these plants to be most effective: spider plants, peace lilies, English ivy, weeping fig, rubber plants, and Chinese evergreen. However, any types of plants will improve air quality, so don’t worry if you don’t fancy these. At least two plants per hundred square metres of space is recommended to be most effective.

Clean Thoroughly 

A dirty and dusty environment is far more likely to harbour toxic chemicals. Clean regularly to remove particulates and dirt build up. However, try and avoid chemical cleaning materials to avoid adding to the problem.

Bill Turner is is an entrepreneur and family man. He enjoys spending lots of time with his kids and Yorkies. He has a family full of athletes and likes to train on the weekends.

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