Energy Tips

To ensure that smoke testing is adequately implemented the following protocol has been established and should NOT be deviated from:

1. All boots are temporarily sealed by either the AC Contractor or authorized Smoke Testing personnel.
2. Portable Smoke Tester is connected to the supply and return sections of the duct work. All dampers, if installed, to be verified open by AC Representative.
3. AC Representative is present during Smoke Testing to seal observed leakages with approved materials. Marking the
   area with spray paint or by other means is not acceptable as it is the job of the Smoke Testing personnel to verify that all leaks have been sealed or repaired on-site.
4. Smoke Testing personnel notes severity and location of leakages.
5. Smoke Testing personnel verify that all leaks have been sealed at rough-in and supply certificate to client attesting to that fact with date and signature of certified Smoke Tester.
6. Special Note: We do not "Sample" any of the homes that we are under contract. "Sampling" involves perhaps testing only 1 out of 7 houses (Energy Star and other programs), and inferring that the other 6 meet the guidelines set forth of that 1 home that was tested. Our experience indicates that "Sampling" is a very bad method and have found significant failures within a batch of homes that would not have been identified by the sampling protocol. In fact, it is very rare that we do not find failures after 3 or 4 houses. Buyer Beware. We test EVERY house, because our reputation depends on providing a quality inspection protocol.

– A Simple, Obvious & Cost Effective Measure — “Energy Conservation that you can See”

Duct leakage into unconditioned spaces can cost you hundreds of dollars per year in cooling and heating costs. Unfortunately, many of the State and National energy programs do not adequately address solving this problem, but only report leakage belatedly. We have developed a system whereas the duct system is tested and sealed prior to drywall and insulation installation. Since duct leakage is invisible, we introduce theatrical fog in the duct-work at low pressure to visually identify duct leaks to be properly sealed by the AC technician with the appropriate materials.

Final duct testing of the house after drywall and insulation is too late to access the leakages once entombed above drywall and insulation, leaving the homeowner with 20 to 30+ years of high cost air conditioning and heating lost into the attic or garage. A recent study by the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) on 30 new construction houses revealed cooling losses of 10-20% in the duct-work alone. Extrapolating this into monthly costs based upon 10,15, and 20% yields immediate monthly savings.

You expect the plumbing to be pressure checked prior to occupancy. Doesn’t it make sense to have your duct systems smoke tested by a 3rd party before it becomes entombed? The cost of the test is minuscule compared to other energy savings measures and is the cheapest one-time “insurance policy” that your system will operate leak-free for the lifetime of the duct-work. Call Us at 321-231-0576 for more information.