Ac Duct Leaks In Florida Attic

Hold the stick close to the duct joint and observe the smoke.

Ac duct leaks in florida attic.

Save money on your new air conditioner or furnace. When the hot humid attic air contacts the cold duct or the cold duct boot the moisture in the air condenses on the cold surface just like the condensation that happens on a cold can of beer. Over time that means your system gets unbalanced meaning it s blowing more air into your house than it s taking out. You can also try running your hand under other parts of your ductwork to feel for larger leaks.

With hundreds of square feet of ductwork surface area in the attic and a δt of 75 f the air coming out of the vents in your home will be significantly higher than 55 f. Please make sure all ductwork is insulated. And if ducts leak you could be losing as much as 30 percent of the energy your hvac equipment produces through those air leaks. Ducts that leak into the attic area are also a serious problem.

Light an incense stick. The air in your vented attic is hot and humid just like all outdoor air in florida. Mark any leaks you find with a grease pencil. There are two main ways to solve this problem.

Leakage on the return side means hot air from your attic is getting sucked into your ductwork. Any ductwork that is installed in an attic must be either wrapped with insulation or you must use flex duct which is already insulated. If the metal anywhere on the ductwork is exposed to ambient air from the hot attic then it will cause the ductwork to sweat leak and cause damage in your attic. If you place your hand near these joints and you feel air coming out you know that there s a leak.

For additional energy savings wrap your duct. Duct tape is not actually meant to seal most ducts at least not as a permanent fix. Broken seals at vents coming into or going out of the home can spill conditioned air into wall cavities or under the floor. The spots where two air ducts connect are common places for leaks to occur.

Throw duct leakage into the mix and the problems are even worse. And the more air your ducts suck in from your attic the less air it needs to suck in from inside your home. Sometimes the art of writing lies in thrift. However an attic in pensacola florida is likely to have a humidity level closer to 100 and the risk of condensation on ductwork would then go up quite a bit.

Look for duct tape. Once you ve found the leaks in your duct work seal them by wrapping them in foil faced tape or by applying mastic with your hands or a paintbrush. Leaks are indicated when the smoke is blown away from the joint or sucked into the joint in the case of an air.