Common Problems Most HVAC Salespeople Ignore

If a heating and air conditioning salesman / comfort consultant does not inspect your attic or crawl space, they are doing you a major disservice. They simply want to sell you a new unit and are not concerned about the comfort, health, safety and efficiency of your home. At Advantage Home Performance our salespeople inspect for five common problems: missing blown-in attic insulation, leaky ductwork, improperly sized or restricted ductwork and uninsulated walls between the house and the attic (knee wall). We also inspect crawl spaces for insulation / duct problems when applicable.

Missing Insulation

In this photo you can see a bathroom fan that should be covered with a minimum of 10” of cellulose insulation for an R-38. The red arrow is pointing to where the blown-in attic insulation tapers down to bare sheetrock. In homes that were built prior to the year 2000 we find that 8 out of 10 attics that we inspect have poorly installed or missing insulation. For more information – link insulation article

Leaky Ductwork

In this photo the red arrow shows a major duct leak. Airtight ductwork is one of the keys to a quality heating and cooling system. Your air distribution system or ductwork carries conditioned air between the central air handler and rooms throughout the home. The duct system is as important as your heating and cooling equipment, yet it is often the most neglected part of the system. For more information – link to our duct leakage article

Restricted or Improperly sized Ductwork

In this photo the red arrow points to where the flex duct had partially crushed and constricted. Restricted and undersized ducts should all be repaired at the same
time to achieve optimal HVAC system performance. We believe that duct sealing should go hand in hand with duct modifications and insulation repairs.

Uninsulated Walls (knee walls)

In this photo the red arrow is pointing at an uninsulated wall between the house and the attic. This wall was never insulated in the during construction. This uninsulated wall (knee wall) will have a huge impact on the comfort and efficiency of a house. We frequently see problems like this in homes with multiple ceiling levels. We also address other types of insulation problems in our insulation quotes.

Inspect & Repair for total system performance

As both a licensed HVAC and insulation contractor we know that insulation repairs, duct sealing and duct modifications are the most costeffective energy conservation repairs you can make to your home. That is why we take the time to inspect for these issues.

If you’d like more information about our HVAC equipment replacement process, contact Advantage Home Performance. As the winner of the 2019 Better Business Bureau Torch Award for Business Ethics we provide trusted HVAC services in both Phoenix and Prescott.