Got an ac quote yesterday for two new units in my mid 80s house. The systems have to replaced but I had a question. Is aero seal worth it? Or is it a gimmic. It's pretty expensive so I was seeing if this was a way to cut back. The guy spent 4 hours doing all kinds of measurements and calculations so he was very thorough about the process. But caught my off guard with the price.
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Ac quote
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Last: 6 yr ago by jt2hunt
What was the quote?
Ranging from 17 to 23 depending on what installation package we chose. That's for 2 systems. The aero seal is like 5k
Brand,size and seer ?
New ductwork ?
New ductwork ?
1 is going to be an 18 seer and one is a 16 seer. No new duct work. They are going clean them out and use the aero seal to help seal them. The big problem with our main ac unit is you can get to the duct work except through the wall. They are American pride brand I believe
I am curious on this aero seal as to how much it costs versus what you will save in reduced energy costs over a 5 or 10 year period?
5K in aeroseal with the new units your heating/cooling costs versus the new units and no aeroseal?
Well for both units it will cost 5k and change. Not sure on savings cus my wife was home with the guy. Like I mentioned earlier one of the problems is access to the duct work isn't available to re tape especially the downstairs. We don't have a huge energy bill as it is with our units now. But they are shot and over 10 yrs each. I guess I'm trying to decide what installation package to chose. One of the packages includes the aero seal and more insulation in the attic and that's 3k more per unit. Going to get a 2nd estimate. These guys were extremely thorough spent 4 hours running tests and measuring things and showing my wife all that's wrong with our setup now. This is one of the bigger hvac companies of San antonio
I am not doubting what they are saying, but if you saved 50/month on average that is 600/year. 5 years is 3000. Theoretically, in year 7 or 8 you would break even on the aeroseal. If you plan on being there that long then I can see the benefit. I guess energy prices could rise and decrease the payback time. If you plan on moving in 7 or 8 years then I don't see the benefit of aeroseal.
How much is your electrical bill in August with the old system and old ducts and how many heated sq ft is the house ?
Are the ducts you can see round metal wrapped in insulation ? Fiberglass square ductboard or flexible round duct ?
Post some pictures if you are not sure what you have
If you have round metal ducts from the 80s it is probably a good idea to reseal or replace, even if just the accessible portion. I'm not familiar with Aeroseal but it appears to be a low variable cost solution for the contractor and therefore likely to be highly negotiable.
Aeroseal as in, putting mastic on the ends of all the ductwork in addition to tape? I thought that was just generally good practice to begin with.
Aero seal on This Old House.
So ummm....did they fix the hole they purposely put into that guy's system?
Interesting product!
Interesting product!
bad_teammate said on 2/10/21:
Just imagine how 1/6 would've played out if DC hadn't had such strict gun laws.
Two people starred his post as of the time of this signature. Those 3 people are allowed to vote in the US.
Just imagine how 1/6 would've played out if DC hadn't had such strict gun laws.
Two people starred his post as of the time of this signature. Those 3 people are allowed to vote in the US.
Interesting indeed.
OP did they do the ductwork test to baseline what current leakage is ?
OP did they do the ductwork test to baseline what current leakage is ?
I didnt see any of the info so i think it was just a visual check of duct work. i wont pay for it till i see actual data. Got a 2nd quote today and they didnt mention any of that stuff that needed done. But this second guy opened the doors and looked at both systems and that was pretty much it. Maybe spent 5 minutes before he was writing his quote down. Also mentioned that we have metal duct work and thats a good thing. So still trying to figure out my route.
I think he probably mentioned the seal part partly because our bedroom is at the end of a long duct and it has like 5 vents before it gets to our room. And our room never cools. But in my mind that also could be because the system is old and worn out. got some work still to do.
I think he probably mentioned the seal part partly because our bedroom is at the end of a long duct and it has like 5 vents before it gets to our room. And our room never cools. But in my mind that also could be because the system is old and worn out. got some work still to do.
Alright just got off the phone with the guy from the first quote. He did not recommend the aero seal but talked about it because it is part of one of the installation packages we could chose. So they would do the testing then if we need it put it in. So now my question for you guys is the installation package differences are the aero seal test, and use if needed, whole house filtration, and insulation upgrade. So are those worth an extra 2500$. The 5k quote for the aeroseal was if we did that later on without this installation. If that makes sense
You mentioned about your room never getting to temperature compared to the other rooms because of branches.
Is the new system going to be bigger, more cfm fan size? Why would your room do better with a new system?
Is the new system going to be bigger, more cfm fan size? Why would your room do better with a new system?
Yes it's going to be bigger. Another thing he said was the return for this system is not the right size so they are going to fix that as well. He thinks he system has only been able to run at half its power because of the return being so small. It's a 4ton 10 seer system
Whoever does it, have them put an air return in your bedroom too. It will keep your room more comfortable as well.
Adding returns to bedrooms will help a bunch.aggiez03 said:
Whoever does it, have them put an air return in your bedroom too. It will keep your room more comfortable as well.