AC check

[naggie72]

Who do I call to have the ducts in the attic checked for leaks. Is this a reliable way to have the electric costs cut.

[rick]

Dec 23, 2010 10:20:47 GMT -5 Queen of Interesting Nuts said:

Who do I call to have the ducts in the attic checked for leaks. Is this a reliable way to have the electric costs cut.

You can call any heating and Ac shop. Its not a bad idea to have them checked. If you have any broke or disconnected pipe you will be pumping heated or cooled air straight into the atticc. Is your duct work run over head, most run under the floor?

[naggie72]

Our duct is the flexible stuff run in the attic, I think suspended somewhat above the insulation. Our bills are outrageous, almost unpayable.

[rick]

Dec 23, 2010 10:30:06 GMT -5 Queen of Interesting Nuts said:

Our duct is the flexible stuff run in the attic, I think suspended somewhat above the insulation. Our bills are outrageous, almost unpayable.

Defiantly have then Checked. You can do that yourself. Turn the heat on and go up and check for leaks. Just dont walk on the sheet rock. Stay on the ceiling joist

[naggie72]

Right, okay guys if you don't hear from me again then it means I fell through the ceiling and laid up in the hospital.

So I cn turn on the heat and go up their myself, how can I tell leaks apart from visible rips or tears. Are there connectors on the ductwork, do they need to be sealed properly.

[rick]

Dec 23, 2010 10:36:15 GMT -5 Queen of Interesting Nuts said:

Right, okay guys if you don't hear from me again then it means I fell through the ceiling and laid up in the hospital.

So I cn turn on the heat and go up their myself, how can I tell leaks apart from visible rips or tears. Are there connectors on the ductwork, do they need to be sealed properly.

Just run your hands along the duct work. if its leaking you will feel air blowing out. It should all go into the house not the attic. There will be joints somewhere along the runs

[naggie72]

Ok ta ta Rick.

[Bluerobin]

Naggie, heat should be in the floor or wall. AC should be in the ceiling or high on the wall. You might want to add a foot of insulation. Yes, you can do it yourself.

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

Depends on where you live and how old your house is. Down here HVAC is combined and generally all runs through the attic spaces.

[rick]

Dec 23, 2010 10:53:25 GMT -5 Bluerobin said:

Naggie, heat should be in the floor or wall. AC should be in the ceiling or high on the wall. You might want to add a foot of insulation. Yes, you can do it yourself.

Alot of the house have everything run in the ceiling, especially towards the west

[naggie72]

I am in North Florida, house built in 2001. All the ducts are in the attic and I think the heat is a heat pump.

[rick]

Dec 23, 2010 11:10:47 GMT -5 Queen of Interesting Nuts said:

I am in North Florida, house built in 2001. All the ducts are in the attic and I think the heat is a heat pump.

Dont forget to check the filter also

[ken a.k.a OMK]

naggie heat pumps do both heating and air conditioning.

[moneywhisperer]

Our local power company will come out and do free inspections of the home etc to determine any wasteful stuff going on.

In FL - is it a new or new to you house? My sister bought a house (new) and after 2 months of outrageous bills had someone come out. Turned out the system was hooked up wrong & running off of auxiliary electric instead of the heat pump hook up.

When was the last time you had the HP serviced?

[ՏՇԾԵԵʅՏɧ_LԹՏՏʅҼ]

You should also have your furnace cleaned at LEAST once a year - they also blow out your venting pipes to get rid of any dust build-up or blockage. After our house was built (around 2000) we had a furance cleaning company come in and there were even small pieces of drywall and wood that the construction guys had dropped or put down the vents when doing construction that were still there a year later causing the air not to flow freely though the pipes.

[naggie72]

I don't know what a furnace is? The house was built new by us.

[ken a.k.a OMK]

You probably don't have a furnace since you have a heat pump.

[Deleted]

Our bills are outrageous, almost unpayable.

A few things to keep in mind.
1. Yes check & see if there is a leak.
2. How old is your unit (or if you know the seer factor)?
3. Has your filter always been changed often? (you can undo a few screws & see if the coils are clean. If they aren't they may need cleaning - & it can be expensive depending on what they are like & how hard they are to get out).
4. If you have ceiling fans most of them have a reverse switch on them. During the winter, reverse them & they move the warm air above your head down.
5. How tall are your ceilings?

[naggie72]

Hey OT. The first thing I am going to do is check the ducts. The unit was put in 2001 when the house was built and there is always a yearly break of something, EVERY YEAR!!! The filter is changed fairly often, like every six weeks. We forget every month but have 3 dogs so it gets changed fairly often. We have 10 foot ceilings, DD room is always hot or cold and sometimes it gets muggy in our bedroom. I think it is a 12 SEER. I have never felt really sure that the AC unit has worked well or it is just possibly a crap maker.

[hoops902]

Another thing to check since you have the flexible stuff, it needs to be pulled as tight as possible. Loose flex ducts mean the air isn't flowing as efficiently as possible. Also check to make sure they aren't crimped, smashed, or flattened (basically, they should be round as intended).

[naggie72]

Great responses, thanks guys. I will get up there this weekend and try to check the ducts out.