… “Yes ‘mam, we Spray The Foam Insulation directly on the Ducts!”
Summer 2020 is in full swing here in Atlanta: HOT & MUGGY. We’re getting more calls and internet contacts than ever before.
Because I’m doing 100% virtual appointments, I’m in 30-40% of the attics I am accustomed to being in for the last 19 years. (Now I visit the house after confirming the sale, virtually).
So, I do a lot of “word-smithing” on the phone with homeowners. And I have to keep a fine balance between call-length and being thorough with my explanations.
The wonderful “Hoagie Bun”!
When it comes to improving indoor air quality and air temperature from the ducts, it’s a no-brainer for me: I’m using spray foam insulation.
As I describe the process, I appeal to my caller’s imagination… “Imagine your palm is facing-up, and you’re holding a hotdog wrapped in a big, fat hoagie bun. After I finish with your fragile, leaky air ducts, they will be like a hotdog in a fat hoagie bun. The hoagie bun is my spray foam insulation!”
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“So you’re spraying the foam on my ducts?”
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“Yes mam, I’m spraying the foam insulation directly on your air ducts!”
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“Ohhhh, I like that idea!”
WAAAAY Ahead of my peers… and I paid the price!
To my knowledge, I attended the first Home Performance with ENERGY STAR training class in Atlanta. It was where I first earned my Building Performance Institute, (BPI) certification. Southface Energy, BPI, and Georgia Power Company jointly sponsored the training. (It was around 2007).
The week-long class was mostly HVAC guys, with a handful of home inspectors, and me: the lone insulation guy.
By that time I had been getting my clients BIG results from burying their air ducts beneath a thick layer of cellulose insulation. Air duct temperatures were dropping 3 to 5 degrees, because I was burying the ducts, and leaving the attic floor covered with R-50 cellulose attic insulation.
The Southface instructor asked, “What are some of the ways you guys are getting results for your homeowners who have air ducts in the attic?”
When I mentioned burying the air ducts, the HVAC guys laughed out loud.
One said, “Man, don’t be messing with our ducts!” And I started hearing all the things that could go wrong because I was “re-routing the air ducts to the attic floor…”
But it was too late…
I’d been getting “colder AC and comfortable 2nd floors” for Atlanta clients for too long. The verbal bullying didn’t slow me down!
And, can you believe it? Seven years later, our industry magazine, the May 2014 issue of Home Energy Magazine legitimized my technique of improving air duct insulation, by publishing an article recommending the exact thing I had been doing for more than 10 years, for 100’s of Atlanta clients.
A few years later, closed cell spray foam came available and changed the game again!
Spraying Your Ducts with Closed Cell Foam Insulation Makes YOU the Big Winner
Spraying closed cell foam insulation directly to the ducts does several things:
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SEALS the leaks in your air ducts. Remember: leaks occur in both the SUPPLY and the RETURN air ducts. You win BIG with improved indoor air quality. Many systems are leaking 30% of the airflow, (U.S. Dept of ENERGY statistic). Stop Cooling Your ATTIC and Polluting your HOME!
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INSULATES the ducts. On my summer attic excursions, I routinely measure duct surface temperatures between 100 and 120 degrees. And we all know, it’s hard to get cold air from a warm pipe.
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MAINTAINS the exact geometry the installers designed. With foam, I don’t need to redesign your duct system to lay on the attic floor.
Are you ready to get those upstairs bedrooms more comfortable? We can do that, usually in ONE DAY, focusing on your air ducts and your attic insulation. Call Now, for your free virtual appointment! 404-538-9168