Duct Sealing Spray From the Inside

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Permalink Reply by David Meiland on February 22, 2011 at 8:03pm

He's probably talking about Aeroseal http://www.aeroseal.com/

I have no experience with it. One of my customers is definitely a candidate for this.

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Permalink Reply by Ira Eisenstein on February 23, 2011 at 4:03pm

I would find out what was being sprayed on the inside of the ducts...
The air being blown through the house goes through those ducts...
The homeowner will get to breathe the sprayed on sealant for quite a while.. You want to make sure it's not harmful.
Ira Eisenstein

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Permalink Reply by Jon LaMonte on February 23, 2011 at 5:03pm

Keep in mind they were using this on "This Old House" so they probably aren't going to use something dangerous or toxic or harmful to the system. Never heard of anyone using it here in the south.

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Permalink Reply by Ira Eisenstein on February 23, 2011 at 4:07pm

You also want to make sure there are no motorized duct dampers (for zoning)...
You don't want to "seal" them into one position.
Ira Eisenstein

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Permalink Reply by Jim Klebes on February 23, 2011 at 4:10pm

Pros:

• Seal ducts that are inaccessible
• Seal joist spaces that are used as duct runs to hopefully improve air quality

Cons:

• Forget about having the ducts cleaned after they are sealed from the inside.

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Permalink Reply by Scott Suddreth on February 24, 2011 at 6:38am

This product typically can only seal small holes 1/4 inch or less. For the overall cost, your better off buying a bucket of mastic and mesh tape and doing it the old fashioned way. This might be an option for brand new systems but many older ones will have larger holes that this cannot fix.

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Permalink Reply by Jim Meyers on February 25, 2011 at 3:32pm

Yes, its been around for about seven years. Its called aeroseal.  The challenge with mastic is how do you seal ducts concealed in building cavities?  We had an aeroseal contractor in town but haven't heard much from him for the past four years.  It was an expensive sealing process back then and the contractor had a tough time getting his business going.  It's more useful for existing homes and buildings where you cannot get access to the ducts to apply mastic.  Check it out online.

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Permalink Reply by Jon LaMonte on February 25, 2011 at 3:50pm

Thanks for the info.  It may be useful in situations were all the ducts are run through bulk heads in the basement.

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Permalink Reply by Craig A. Lawson on February 26, 2011 at 10:58am

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We just completed an Energy Upgrade on a home that had the FAU replaced with a 90% sealed combustion unit. The HVAC Contractor who sold our client the FAU the year before, told them their ducts were fine, and he'd just seal them.  We tested the duct leakage at 25%, and the photos reflect the condition of the ducts.  For clients that ask for a sealing option, make sure they know the true condition of their ducts. 

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Permalink Reply by Dennis McCarthy on February 28, 2011 at 10:24am

If the product is effective I would think many would benefit from its use- What's the point

of renting conditioned air.Question, can the application process show before and after pix?

Confirmation of the products proper application would be of interest,                                                                   - not just to me but for any customer.

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Permalink Reply by Evan Mills on February 28, 2011 at 7:12pm

Invented here at LBNL.

More info at this link: http://epb.lbl.gov/aerosol/

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