Are these considered vents?
- Thread starter thealfa
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Yup, it's a vent for cooling.
Sometimes those type are used in bedrooms with ceiling supply so cold air isn't blowing directly on someone who isn't fully dressed. You will see them in medical exam rooms, too. They are really common in cooling only installations with the air handler in the attic, like you may have.
You can adjust flow with the little lever you see in the photo.
Paul
Sometimes those type are used in bedrooms with ceiling supply so cold air isn't blowing directly on someone who isn't fully dressed. You will see them in medical exam rooms, too. They are really common in cooling only installations with the air handler in the attic, like you may have.
You can adjust flow with the little lever you see in the photo.
Paul
Outside the house I found a Vent Rite "box" thing. I've attached a picture as I'm curious what it is. Are the people that will be cleaning the vents simply going to plug a vacuum hose in it to suck out the dust from the air ducts of the house or must each vents inside the house be individually opened and vacuumed to be cleaned?
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Hi Thealfa,
That looks like it is either a dryer exhaust vent hood or a bathroom exhaust hood. It also could be a kitchen stove exhaust hood. What room is behind (and maybe below) it? That'll be a clue.
(PS: That is really nice looking brick on the house! I like the texture and color mix!)
Good air duct cleaning people use Negative Pressure to clean the supply and return ducts.
They start by inspecting ducts and returns for leaks. They'll seal any accessible leaks.
The technician will then cut a small hole in the duct near the air handler and put a hose connected to a powerful, sometimes truck mounted, vacuum and seal it tightly to the duct. Then they seal all of the registers. They turn on the vacuum and then go to each register one at a time and insert revolving brushes to agitate the dust, pollen and bacteria particulates so that the vacuum can pick it up.
They will repeat on the return side.
Next the technician will clean all of the supply and return registers and ensure that the dampers on the supply ones work well.
Really good companies will also inspect and clean exhaust fans in bathrooms. (Usually not kitchen exhausts because of the grease. That is a different company.)
And...
When the ducts are freshly cleaned is a very good time to explore costs of having them sealed. (Or using a DIY option)
D.I.Y.-
If the duct work is accessible, you can seal it with peel-and-stick foil tape. Polyken is a good brand that sticks very well. The job goes fast. However, foil tape may peel off in time, especially in attics where gets very hot. And it's hard to get a good seal on elbows. (Every adjustable elbow has 5 leak points. They all should be sealed well.)
Or, you can use paint-on mastic. Apply it to all seams and joints.
The mastic won't ever crack or peel. It is a little messy, but fun, to use. It is like very thick paint. It seals elbows like a champ. The negative is if you ever have to take the joint apart, it is more tedious than peeling off foil tape.
I heat with hydronics and installed a separate air handler for central air conditioning. I used water based mastic when I installed it & the ducts. I've no leaks. This particular air handler operates at much higher than normal pressure and the mastic still is holding. The mastic I chose is water based and has no VOCs.
You can also buy Duct Seal bricks. It comes in a 1 pound brick for about $2.00. You use it like clay. Roll between palms and press it into every seam. This is tedious to do on a whole system, but works very well.
PROFESSIONAL OPTION-
If much of the duct work is not accessible, there are companies that can seal them from the inside. I've seen it in action several times. Basically polymer is sent through the ducts while a machine to create pressure and heat is connected. The polymer tries to escape at the leaks and seals the leaks when it encounters them. I remember one system that went from leaking over 200 cubic feet per minute of leaks down to under 3 CFM. Aeroseal is a very low VOC brand you can explore if this is of interest. The downside is that large holes, typically over 16 mm, can't be sealed this way.
I hope this is helpful information,
Paul
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That exhaust hood is in between the basement and the 1st floor of the house. It appears closed as I've never seen anything come out of it (smoke, etc.). There is a stove space for the basement but no stove so I'm guessing that Vent-Rite exhaust hood was for the basement as it's closer to the area of the basement where the stove would have been. Plus that should explain why the Vent-Rite appears closed/covered (i.e. no stove in the basement).
I'll look and see where the exhaust hood is of the main stove on the first floor, but I think the range hood of the stove is ductless.
I'm guessing the dryer vent would be on the other side of the house as that's where the location of the laundry room is.
I'm curious why would anyone want to seal their air ducts? Isn't that where the AC and heating goes through?
I'm also curious if where the air filter goes in, is also considered a vent? Like this one in the picture.
I'll look and see where the exhaust hood is of the main stove on the first floor, but I think the range hood of the stove is ductless.
I'm guessing the dryer vent would be on the other side of the house as that's where the location of the laundry room is.
I'm curious why would anyone want to seal their air ducts? Isn't that where the AC and heating goes through?
I'm also curious if where the air filter goes in, is also considered a vent? Like this one in the picture.
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Sounds like good detective work on your part, Thealfa. You could reach in and lift the flap and use a mirror & light to look inside.
The term is misleading. The leaks in the ducts are sealed so that the air goes where it's supposed to go. Ducts, especially metal, have many, many leaks at joints, elbows and seams.
From the photo, that looks like the air handler is in the attic. If there is a filter behind the grille, it is most likely a return for the unit. There may be more like this elsewhere in the house. You will have to trace that back to the air handler and look for branches off of the same trunk.
From another post, it seems that you have hydronic heat. Therefore, your air conditioning is handled by a separate unit. These are often placed in attics and sometimes have one return, like shown in the above photo. A mini-duct system almost always has only one return.
Paul
Yup that grille cover in the picture does have an air filter that I just placed in (if you zoom in closely in the pic). I think it was a 30x20x1 sized filter. There wasn't one before I placed one in, it was full of dust so I had to remove and wash the grille cover.
The heat and ac are turned on by 2 separate Honeywell box thing, one for heating, the other for the ac.
The heat and ac are turned on by 2 separate Honeywell box thing, one for heating, the other for the ac.
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