Ductwork and airflow in San Mateo County
One room always too hot or cold?
When some rooms never match the thermostat, the equipment is often fine and the ducts are the problem. We seal, replace and balance ductwork so the air you pay to heat and cool gets to every room.
Why do some rooms stay hot or cold?
Because the right amount of air isn't reaching them. The usual causes are ducts leaking into the attic or crawlspace, flex duct that is crushed, kinked or too small, a long run to the far room, dampers and registers set wrong or never balanced, and a return that can't pull enough air back.
Sometimes the equipment is too big or too small for the ducts it is connected to. That is why a new AC on old ducts can leave the same rooms uncomfortable: the unit is new, the airflow problem is not.
What do duct sealing, replacement and airflow balancing involve?
- Duct sealing. Joints and seams at the air handler, plenum, boots and branch runs are sealed so conditioned air reaches the room instead of the attic.
- Duct replacement. Ducts that are torn, crushed, undersized, collapsed or old and brittle are replaced, run by run, with the right size and the fewest bends.
- Airflow balancing. We adjust dampers and registers, then measure the air at each register so every room gets its share.
- Return and filter checks. A return that is too small or a filter that is clogged starves the whole system, however good the ducts are.
The first visit is a diagnosis: we find where the air is going before we recommend sealing, replacing or rebalancing.
What is a duct leakage test?
It measures how much air your ducts lose. The tester pressurises the duct system and reads how much escapes, then compares that with the system's airflow.
The state Energy Code brings the test into play when equipment changes. Replacing an air handler, an outdoor AC or heat pump unit, a packaged system, or a heating or cooling coil means the connected ducts must be sealed by the installer and checked by an independent ECC-Rater. The rater isn't the installer, so the result is a second set of eyes on the work.
Tell us which rooms are the problem
Call and describe them, or book a visit online.
How do I know if it's my ducts or my equipment?
Warning signs for the ducts: some rooms always off while others are fine, registers that whistle or barely blow, dust that returns days after cleaning, bills that climb with no change in use, and attic ducts with peeling tape or sagging runs.
If every room is warm and the air from the registers isn't cold, that points at the equipment instead. A visit tells them apart, because we measure the air at the registers and at the unit rather than guess.
Tell us what it's doing. We'll take it from there.
Call and describe the problem: the noise, the smell, the room that never warms up. Or book a visit online.
