Airflow Tests: What can they Tell Us?
Are you really getting what you are paying for from your air conditioning and heating system? Alps uses two Energy Star required tests to help you answer this question. The first is a duct test, which we previously wrote about on our blog: Duct Testing to Save Energy and Money. The second is an airflow test, which we will be discussing today. Both tests can tell you a lot about the energy you could be saving for your home.
In this video Alps Project Manager Joey Gibellino introduces an airflow test. The test uses a flow hood to determine how much air is actually being conditioned and delivered to living spaces in a test house that has a five ton conditioning system.
A five ton system should condition five tons of air, or about 2,000 cubic feet per minute (CFM). In this video Joey demonstrates the flow hood measuring airflow. With it, he can tell how much air the system loses before it gets to the rooms of a house. Lost air is due to inefficacy in duct design and previous installation.
Alps can use results from these tests to determine how a system is working for the home. Once the tests are done, we can tell if the air conditioning system is the right size for the house, whether the ducts are organized efficiently, and if there are any holes in the system letting air leak away. These problems can be fixed so the system will run efficiently and all the air that is paid for will actually be conditioned and delivered to living spaces to keep the homeowner comfortable.
In this video, Joey goes over the results of both the duct test and airflow test in the test home to find out that the five ton system is actually only moving about three tons of air.
If you are interested in having your home tested give us a call at 800-994-2477. Also, check us out on Facebook!