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Does Aeroseal work? An energy auditors review

10/5/2013

10 Comments

 
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Aeroseal is a product that seals small leaks in the ductwork. No attic work is required by the crew to work the equipment. It is monitored by a computer program that tells when the pressure of the ductwork is low enough that most of the leakage has been sealed.  As energy auditors in Arizona, we have tested homes that have had aerosealing done and we have used Aerosealing on our customers homes.  Here is our opinion.

 The plus side to Aeroseal is that:

1. It is able to reach inaccessible parts if the attic such as flat roofs.

2. No attic work has to be done. 

3. Unlike radiant barrier, it reliably works regardless of how it was installed.

 The down sides to Aeroseal are:

1. It does not seal larger leaks, which are the most important leaks you have. Since crews assume all the duct leakage was found and sealed, if they go into the attic, they will not look for large leaks in the ductwork.

2. Aeroseal is not cost effective. It is expensive, usually 3-4 times more expensive than sealing the ductwork by hand. Aeroseal costs start from $2000 for each air conditioning unit. With the extra money saved by using hand duct sealing, you could have a super insulated attic, a variable speed pool pump, or any other energy saving upgrades done. Hand sealing is not as glamorous as the Aeroseal technology, but who cares if you are saving thousands of dollars on something that costs the same and that no one will ever see? 

3. It is easily misunderstood. If you are not working with Aeroseal everyday, chances are the printout you receive from Aeroseal showing your leakage reduction will look great. But you need an experienced energy auditor to be able to tell you in the first place if you need it or not. Then if you have leaks which are larger than 5/8" which Aeroseal will not be able to close up. Chances are likely that if a company does Aeroseal, they will not train their sales staff and auditors to sell hand duct sealing and will not look for larger gaps in the ductwork.

4. Aeroseal only lasts 10 years according to the Aeroseal website, hand sealing with mastic has a life of 30 years.

In our opinion, Aeroseal works effectively for smaller holes and is ideal for flat roof homes. On older homes, Aeroseal just doesn't come close to the effectiveness of hand sealing the ducts because a crew hand sealing will be able to secure the ductwork with metal screws, check the connections and spend a lot more time in your attic, which increases the chances for finding and fixing problems that the auditor did not find during his initial inspection. Aeroseal requires no time in the attic.

Ductwork leakage is caused by one or several of the following reasons: inferior workmanship, torn and missing external duct wrap, or improperly installed duct sealants. By properly sealing your ductwork, you are avoiding lots of lost air and money being unnecessarily thrown into your attic.

Visit Aeroseals website to see all the benefits of their product at http://www.aeroseal.com/ (but keep in mind the down sides).

Read our updated Aeroseal review in 2020 here.

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10 Comments
Brandon W. link
10/17/2013 02:11:08 pm

I am a certified BPI Energy Auditor with over 25 years of building experience. I agree with you 100%. I have personally performed duct sealing on hundreds of homes, some of which Aeroseal had previously been applied and failed. I would like to add that I have had great success with sealing ducts in homes with flat roofs, using long poles, perseverance, and gallons of mastic. Aeroseal is nothing more than supposed "quick fix in a can" that I would never recommend. Thank you for your posting.

Reply
Jason link
5/28/2021 04:45:05 pm

I would love to know how you sealed duct work better than AeroSeal. I am also an energy auditor, and based on the date of your post, I will assume you are no longer auditing. I referred AeroSeal of Colorado to my clients hundreds of times in my auditing career (yes, I am a 10 year veteran with BPI certification and still going). In most homes, you can only seal 10% of the duct work by hand, while you can seal 95%+ of the duct work with the AeroSeal process. Customers have raved about the product providing more instant comfort and energy bill savings.

I highly recommend you don't put your energy auditing brand on something that you cannot back up with the science that is out there. It is embarrassing that you even called yourself an energy auditor with a response like this. Our goal as auditors is to offer the best options for repairs that we can. Nobody can discount the effectiveness of improving the duct work in most homes. How can you?

This article pops up as an answer to "Is AeroSeal worth it?" and I am here to set the record straight. I have documented savings of up to 25% on energy bills over the course of a year. The air that is no longer trapped in the building cavity, and much worse, that leaks to the outside, crawl space or attic, goes to the home after AeroSeal. This satisfies the thermostat more quickly, which in turn means the conditioning system runs less, translating into savings.

The author of this article, and the comment I am responding to, is totally irresponsible and brings no concrete savings facts into it. It just claims that it is not worth it and you can do better by hand sealing. Yes, please tell your customers that they need to remove all of the drywall in their house to hand seal the rest of the duct work. None of you should even be certified if this is how you answer.

Yes, feel free to contact me to dispute this. Jason Oliver. Owner, AeroSeal of Colorado. jason@aerosealcolorado.com. 303-210-7645.

Reply
Air Duct Cleaning Redondo link
4/25/2020 12:11:34 am

Bravo! We are a new company in the industry with lots of experience between our team. I absolute agree with what you bout aerosol and how poor workmanship is a cause of damage. Sealing is so important and i appreciate you putting this content out there!

Reply
Robert
8/10/2020 07:47:52 am

A properly trained crew knows how to seal a duct system. Most systems require both mastic and Aeroseal. the statement that it lasts only 10 years is false, it is actually life tested for 40+ years the 10 years is the guarantee given with the install. We have been doing Aeorseal for 5 years and have fixed numerous issues others could not. this is due to proper training and execution.

Reply
Air Duct Sanitizing in Buford GA link
4/13/2021 12:08:27 am

Aeroseal is very useful if the crew is professional and know how to use it. It has a long life and is very efficient.

Reply
Patriot Energy Solutions link
5/25/2021 06:05:04 am

I would like to show thanks to you just for bailing me out of this this particular trouble. As a result of checking through the net and meeting techniques that was not productive, I released my life was done.

Reply
Unique Providers link
5/24/2022 02:41:32 pm

We are a NADCA certified air duct cleaning company with over 25 years of experience in the business. We provide a wide range of services for both residential and commercial clients And to know more visit us: https://uniqueproviders.com

Reply
Aleem Farooqi link
7/6/2022 02:27:57 am

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Reply
Aleem Farooqi link
7/22/2022 02:40:40 pm

This article is worthy of recognition and comment. I found this material attention-grabbing and engrossing. This is well-scripted and highly informative. These views appeal to me. This is how real writing is done. Thank you. Visit Us: https://uniqueproviders.com

Reply
drcoolsc link
8/3/2022 06:49:59 am

Having your ducts professionally cleaned reduces the amount of dust circulating through your living space, reducing the amount of cleaning and dusting needed to maintain a hygienic home.

Reply

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