Todo mundo gosta de respirar ar puro, sentir-se confortável e pagar o mínimo possível para aquecimento e resfriamento. Então, por que quase nenhuma empresa de HVAC de Atlanta fala com seus clientes sobre vedação de ar?
Não podemos dizer com certeza, mas aqui está uma coisa que sabemos. Nossa equipe
sempre pensa em vazamentos de ar e vedação de ar quando um cliente diz que seu sistema HVAC se esforça para tornar sua casa confortável.
Isso porque seu sistema HVAC pode não ser o problema. O verdadeiro problema pode ser que sua casa está com vazamento.
Imagine uma geladeira cheia de buracos.
Chegaremos a esses 7 sinais em apenas um segundo. Primeiro, vamos nos certificar de que estamos na mesma página sobre vazamentos de ar e por que eles precisam ser selados. Para entender melhor os efeitos dos vazamentos de ar, é útil comparar sua casa a uma geladeira. A geladeira da sua cozinha provavelmente é bastante eficiente. Enquanto a porta permanecer fechada, ela não liga com muita frequência e não permite a entrada de muito calor.
Mas e se sua geladeira estivesse cheia de buracos? Eis o que aconteceria:muito calor entraria na geladeira
o tempo todo . A geladeira lutaria para manter sua comida fria. E não seria muito eficiente.
Claro, você poderia colocar algum isolamento sobre os buracos, mas adivinhe? O ar (e o calor que ele carrega) pode penetrar nesse isolamento. O isolamento é útil quando não há furos na geladeira. Mas com os furos? É quase inútil.
Uma casa com vazamento tem os mesmos problemas.
Quando sua casa tem vazamentos de ar, é como a geladeira com furos. O ar quente entra durante o verão. O ar quente escapa durante o inverno. É
extremamente difícil ficar confortável, mesmo quando seu sistema HVAC está funcionando corretamente.
A solução? É simples. Sele os vazamentos. Normalmente, espuma de spray enlatada e/ou calafetagem de silicone são suficientes para vedar as lacunas, rachaduras e pequenas aberturas onde o ar entra (e sai) de sua casa. Mas como você sabe se
seu casa precisa de vedação de ar? Aqui estão 7 sinais:
1. Seu sistema HVAC se esforça para satisfazer a configuração do seu termostato
Quando você tem muitos vazamentos de ar, seu ar condicionado está sendo constantemente substituído por ar externo não condicionado. Como resultado, seu sistema HVAC pode ter dificuldade em mantê-lo confortável.
Isso não quer dizer que ciclos curtos de HVAC sejam sempre desejáveis. Ciclos realmente curtos podem ser um sinal de um problema diferente, mas relacionado. Mas quando o sistema continua funcionando e demora uma eternidade para atingir o ponto de ajuste do termostato, isso pode indicar uma casa com vazamento.
2. As contas de serviços públicos aumentam no inverno e no verão
Este, é claro, é o resultado desagradável de um sistema HVAC sobrecarregado. Quanto mais o ar condicionado ou o forno se esforçar, mais você pagará pelo privilégio.
Muitos proprietários podem não pensar no quanto seu sistema HVAC está funcionando, mas
todos sabe quando suas contas de energia estão no teto. Em muitos casos, uma casa com vazamento leva a altos custos de serviços públicos, mesmo que seu sistema HVAC não consiga mantê-lo confortável! É um ciclo vicioso em que você paga preços inflacionados por aquecimento ou refrigeração inadequados.
Sealing the leaks can often break the cycle, allowing you to pay less
and be more comfortable.
3. Temperatures are uneven throughout your home
While lots of factors may contribute to uneven temperatures, air leaks are a big one.
Some rooms, such as those near attic or crawlspace penetrations, might be very leaky while others aren't. The leakier rooms will be harder to heat and cool. If your thermostat happens to be in a less leaky part of your house, your HVAC system might never heat or cool these rooms effectively. You'll have to reduce or increase the temperature beyond your comfort threshold just to make
those rooms comfortable!
Of course, this just results in even more uneven temperatures since the less leaky rooms will be too hot or cold compared to the leaky ones. To solve the problem, you've got to seal the leaks.
4. You feel drafts around windows, doors, and outlets
This effect is particularly strong on cold winter days. Who among us hasn't felt a draft from a cold window?
The thing is - and this is something almost nobody realizes - the biggest air leaks are rarely from the gaps around windows and doors. They're usually between your living space and your attic or crawlspace. A window draft might be more obvious because we're around windows all the time. But cumulatively, the leaks from your attic hatch, ductwork penetrations, and plumbing pipes that lead to your crawlspace have a bigger effect on comfort.
Yes, sealing the gaps around windows and doors will help. But it's rarely an end-all solution to your air leak woes.
5. You're constantly battling pests
The thing about mice and roaches is that they can squeeze through
really little holes. Put out the traps if you'd like. Keep a can of Raid at the ready. But know that one of the best ways to rid yourself of these pesky critters is to seal off their access points.
Better pest control is a fringe benefit of air sealing. People often seal air leaks to feel more comfortable and lower their energy bills. They're pleasantly surprised when their pest problems disappear, too!
6. It's really humid (or really dry) inside your house
Here in Atlanta, we have a humid climate. No surprises there, right?
One of the great things about air conditioners is that they cool your indoor air
and remove humidity. But when a house is really leaky, humidity can seep back into the home almost as quickly as the AC can remove it.
Since humidity doesn't actually affect a home's sensible heat load (that's the type of heat that lowers or raises temperature… and that your thermostat responds to), moisture can build up inside your house and the HVAC system will do
nothing in response. By the same token, leaky homes tend to get uncomfortably dry in the winter. It's all because of excess outdoor air infiltrating your living space!
Given our long Southern summers, air leaks can make homes feel overly humid for several months. And we all know that high humidity allows mold and dust mites to flourish. Falando de…
7. Your allergies are really bad inside your house
High humidity is one way air leaks cause your allergies to flare up. Airborne outdoor contaminants are another. Thanks to air leaks, you might be breathing outdoor allergens
inside your home - even with all the doors and windows closed!
As air outdoor air infiltrates your home, it brings with it all sorts of, well… stuff. In springtime, it brings pollen. If you live near a busy road, it brings vehicle exhaust. If your neighbor is mowing the grass, it brings in grass bits. When there's fiberglass insulation between your living space and the outdoors, the infiltrating air passes over that insulation and can bring in tiny particles of airborne fiberglass.
Yes, you're breathing all of this stuff. No wonder you're stuffy and sneezing all the time, right?
Here's how effective air sealing works
So you think you've got a lot of air leaks. O que você deveria fazer? The first step is find out whether air leaks really are the source of your discomfort or energy efficiency problems. If they are, the next step is to identify the biggest, most troublesome leaks. That way, you can prioritize which ones to seal.
Here's how we tackle those challenges at PV:
- Blower door test: We pressurize your home using a blower door (a big fan that we temporarily set up in an exterior door.
- Thermal imaging: With the blower door running, we explore your home with an infrared camera. The camera shows us all areas of air leakage.
- Air leakage report: After our analysis, we deliver a report that identifies your biggest leak sealing opportunities… if there are any. There almost always are!
- Air sealing: Our team seals your air leaks using caulk, spray foam, or new weatherstripping.
É isso! The most important thing about this process is that there's no guesswork. The blower door test and thermal analysis show us
exactly where your biggest air leaks are.
A whole home assessment gives you even more insight
Blower door tests are best performed in conjunction with a whole home assessment and energy audit. That way, we can determine what else
in addition to air sealing can help solve your comfort and efficiency problems. Sometimes, air sealing offers the greatest benefit. Other times, different modifications (HVAC adjustments, for instance) offer comparable results.
During a whole home assessment, we can figure out things like…
- If your ductwork is distributing enough air
- Whether you're getting enough ventilation… or too much
- Combustion safety and carbon monoxide (CO) leak risks
- Whether your home is missing insulation - and where
- The most effective air filtration system for your home
- Ways to reduce humidity year-round
- Whether your HVAC system is properly sized for your home's heating and cooling needs.
In some homes, addressing these issues provides even greater comfort upgrades than air sealing! It all depends on the home, which is why a thorough analysis is required.
Air sealing offers benefits galore
Better comfort, better HVAC performance, lower utility bills, fewer allergy issues… There's a lot to love about air sealing!
If you're curious about air sealing for your Atlanta home, get in touch with us! We'll listen as you describe the issues you're experiencing. Air sealing, after all, isn't the
only solution to every indoor comfort problem. When we know more about what's bugging you, we can point you in the right direction.
